Housing and Other Resources

To help faculty settle into the community, UNC Charlotte ADVANCE has compiled a list of information sources to help ease the transition. Additionally, on behalf of its Future of the Faculty Committee, ADVANCE has surveyed all faculty hired within the last 5 years on what information they perceived would have been helpful during their relocation to UNC Charlotte. The response rate was 26%, so readers should use caution in generalizing these findings.

Most of the respondents were assistant professors (74%) who owned a home (67%), with spouses/partners who relocated with them (51%), and who did not have any children (58%) at the time of their relocation. Most currently live in the university area (33%).

Information of importance to relocating faculty:

  • Reimbursement of moving expenses: 91% said it was very important
  • Charlotte Neighborhoods: 75% said it was very important
  • Special Mortgage Offers for Faculty: 57% said it was very important
  • Rental Information: 52% said it was very important
  • Safety Information: 51% said it was very important
  • Surrounding Community Neighborhoods: 50% said it was very important
  • Charlotte Cost of Living Information: 49% said it was very important
  • Temporary Housing: 46% said it was very important
  • Moving Companies: 41% said it was very important
  • Surrounding Communities Cost of Living Information: 40% said it was very important
  • Medical Facilities: 37% said it was very important
  • Real Estate Agencies: 34% said it was very important and 37% said it was somewhat important
  • Public Transportation: 32% said it was very important
  • Daycare: 24% said it was very important; 80% of respondents relocated without children

Of those responding, 28% reported using temporary housing when relocating to Charlotte. Of those who used temporary housing, the majority used rental property (74%) and would have been likely to use on-campus housing exclusive to faculty, or campus perimeter housing and surrounding community housing. Of faculty who needed temporary housing, 42% needed it for 4- to 6-months, and 32% needed it for one year. Of respondents, 93% relocated to the Charlotte area for their position.

Housing Information
UNC Charlotte, in partnership with the company Off-Campus Partners, provides a web portal for its UNC Charlotte Off-Campus Housing Service. This site allows students, faculty and staff to create accounts, use message boards and search for housing options.

Additionally, the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce has compiled information about housing and neighborhoods to help its member companies and their employees learn more about the community. UNC Charlotte is a Chamber member and partner. In addition to the Chamber resources, the Charlotte Regional Partnership provides additional information related to the Charlotte metropolitan area, including surrounding communities.

State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU)
The State Employees’ Credit Union is a member-owned non-profit cooperative that offers services including access to credit services. It offers Adjustable Rate Mortgages, Fixed Rate Mortgages, Special Mortgage Programs, Reverse Mortgages, Deed of Trust and Second Mortgages and Home Equity.

Other Mortgage Options
Providers of mortgages sometimes offer special options to specific target audiences. For example, Bank of America has developed The Neighborhood Champions (R) Protected Mortgage (R) program, which may be of use to faculty.

Apartment Locator
The Greater Charlotte Apartment Association is a trade association for the multi-family rental housing industry. The association focuses on education, legislation and information. Its members provide goods and services in the apartment industry in the Greater Charlotte region.

Relocation Services
Relocation services are available to all newly hired faculty and staff through Allen Tate Relocation. They provide: Market Analysis of your current home, as well as home-finding assistance, in which Allen Tate Relocation will conduct a needs analysis to determine your home-finding preferences. They also can arrange for short-term living arrangements such as a furnished corporate apartment or extended stay hotel; rental assistance by helping find the best apartment at the best price in the best location; and household goods shipment, by which Allen Tate Relocation will have two highly recommended moving companies that offer group discounts contact you with moving estimates.

Please note that the existence of these external links and provision of information about these service providers on this website are offered simply for information purposes, and this inclusion does not imply (1) an endorsement or approval by UNC Charlotte of any provider of services or its business practices, or (2) a warranty or representation by UNC Charlotte as to the quality or other features of any provider and/or its owners or management agent(s). Sites to which the ADVANCE website provides links are not under the control of the ADVANCE Faculty Affairs Office or UNC Charlotte, and neither are responsible for the contents of those linked sites.