I just can't find an apartment (1 Viewer)

[Leif Wall]

I'm moving back to Grand Forks, ND and have been trying to find an apartment. Man, I didn't think it would THIS tough.

Everything is either $500+ a month. (too spendy for me) Or is a cheap efficieny. (not enough room for me)

I've literally called every ad and place in the classifieds in the paper and nothing. This is getting real aggrivating!!!

 

[ian_graven]

Try living in the Bay Area where a 900 sq foot 2bedroom is 1500 dollars. Even in the ghetto it is about 1250

 

[Justin H]

Exactly...try looking at NY studio apartments for $1500 and up.

I can't help with your situation but know how it feels.

 

[Leif Wall]

I have a pretty good job prospect. $300-$400 a week. Not a career, but good for a JOB, especially around here. So I'm tempted to take a spendy apartment, but in case the job doesn't pan out I don't to.

Just pisses me off that one place screwed me. I went, said I wanted it, filled out an application called back later in the week and got "oh, somebody put down a deposit so it's not available" What the hell is that?!?!? I could of put down a deposit!!!

 

[Aurel Savin]

I know the feeling of the frustration of finding a reasonable apartment.
Lucked out 3 years ago with my 1 bedroom pad for $750 (now $800). Not bad for a neighbourhood where the norm is $1200-$1400 for the same.
But I will definetelly never rent again. Next is a purchase. NY is ridiculous but very convenient

 

[Steven K]

Wow... $500 a month is almost how much my wife and I pay for our car insurance! We pay $1200 a month for our apartment, and it actually currently goes for $1800 a month (our landlords gave us this apartment for this price because the place we were going to rent from them for that much fell through).

I have a friend who lives a little closer to downtown (we are 12 mile away) and he pays $2000 a month for ~800 sq feet.

 

[Philip_G]

grand forks sucks man.
you have landeco lane, or legacy, not a lot in between.
you've tried southwinds? they're not too bad, the third floors have vaulted ceilings IIRC, and aren't bad..
it's also a bad time of year, no one moves during the winter, wait until may

 

[Leif Wall]

That's what my mom said "It's winter, no one wants to move."
The place I looked at and wanted was on Landeco Lane. I think I tried Southwinds and they were like $525+.
Something around $350 is my sweetspot.
I want to move ASAP!!! Can't wait tell May.

 

[Philip_G]

for 350 landeco is probly going to be it, I live about uh, 3 blocks, probably less north of the landeco buildings, it's the ghetto here
I'm paying 450/month for a 2 bedroom with garage
What kind of job are you looking for?

 

[Cam S]

I can't believe how much you guys are paying for rent, that is just crazy!!! Here in Kelowna you can find VERY nice 2 bedroom apartments in brand new building up on Dilworth or Glenmore mountains for like $600 a month, Canadian!! I'm planning on moving to Saskatoon in a few months, and rent is even cheaper there, with the average being about $450 bucks a month. I don't see why it's so expensive down there!

 

[Scott L]

Look at the locations of the posters. The closer you are to the city the higher you pay. City apartments are hard to find, higher in demand, thus the higher price. When I was going to UAB in Alabama a full dorm with kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, tv room was $588 split between you and a roommate, that's $244 each/mo! My current college close to DC makes us pay $1500 per person, per semester which is only 1 15x11' room with bunkbeds shared by two people, and a SMALL bathroom shared with 2 other people.

It's all about locationn. The prices in the midwest are great but the jobs in the city are both higher paying and harder to get.

Leif- Have you thought about getting a roommate and getting a bigger apt like Joey and Chandler's in Friends? Or are you like me and shudder at the thought of one? ;-)

 

[David Lawson]

Ugh...my first double post. See below.

 

[David Lawson]

City/downtown prices aren't always more expensive. Of course, it depends entirely on the city and how desperate they are to keep people living in the city (or, in Cincinnati's case, the county and the state). My monthly rent and electric bill combined has never exceeded $450 for a 500 square foot studio that's three blocks from the central square.
My previous downtown apartment was about the same distance from the square and cost just over $700 a month for an 1100 square foot loft (of sorts) and a spot in the garage, but the building had a number of issues, primarily the acoustics and the neighbor. It's much quieter where I am now, though I do miss the rooftop pool for the four months I was able to use it.
The Canadian rental prices intrigue me, but that's the topic of another thread. I'm toying with the idea of leaving the States for a few years.

 

[brentl]

"he pays $2000 a month for ~800 sq feet."
WOW that's around $3000 a month CANADIAN.
*10 years= a pretty nice 2000+SQ ft house about 35 minutes from downtown.
That's just silly:frowning:
Brent

 

[Jefferson]

I'm an apartment dweller...in both a rural city of
30,000
and New York City...
I"ve paid as little as 500 and as much as 1800
for the same amount of space.
Dude, you are not going to get anything very good for less than 500 in most places these days.

 

[Leif Wall]

I had a roommate last time. Would rather live alone for privacy. Everyone (and I mean everyone) I know smokes. I don't want anyone smoking around my home theater equipment. Plus, I don't want their weird friends that I don't know over. I have too much stuff that I don't want stolen.


Last time we had a 2 bedroom for $420 with free cable. It actually wasn't even that small of a place, was in a secure building, etc...

 

[Lew Crippen]

Lief, of course it’s your budget, but it is not uncommon to spend 25%–30% of your income on housing.

If some of the members from places like Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney and Tokyo chime in they will all be up there with NYC.

I’ve lived in lots of places where housing was so expensive that families continued to live together out of necessity. I know that this does not help your situation, but at least you are not alone.

Good luck.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Ian Graven speaks of a depressed Bay Area rental market (the region still has not recovered from the bursting of the tech bubble). Los Angeles, meanwhile, is experiencing a surge in rental demands, thereby driving up the cost of living in a city notorious for its lack of affordable housing. Small, one-bedroom apartments in my neighborhood fetch $1,200-$1,500. And that makes me very grateful for rent control.

A $500 one-bedroom apartment seems like a total fantasy to me.

 

[RobertR]

A $500 one-bedroom apartment seems like a total fantasy to me.

Makes me feel very lucky to have my $650 900 sq. ft. place.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

You should do what I did. I own a 3 bedroom suburban house in San Jose and pay $729 a month. All you have to do is.....











....transport yourself back in time to 1981. :b Buy when you can: it freezes the payments.