Need a rental NW or North Central under $1500 (Dallas, Austin: cul-de-sac, apartment)

[jakester03]

Read through tons of posts on here about these areas. Here is what we are looking for:

12 mo lease to get settled and find the area we like before buying. Looking for a 3/2 with fenced yard. House, garden home, duplex, townhome, or condo are fine so long as they have a small fenced yard (we have a little dog). I'll be working on 360 just North of 2222. Wife will be working from home. I've read Anderson Mill or Millwood would be good choices. Also heard the Arboretum area would be nice.

Would like to be close to movie theater, grocery store, place for me to play basketball, and a good safe place for my wife to run.

We currently have no children. We are not big bar goers either. I'll need to go to Dallas about once a month, so easy access (either driving or getting to the airport) would be nice.

Would like to keep the commute under 20 mins if possible and be in a good, clean, safe neighborhood. Would prefer something with trees and a nice view if at all possible. Are NW and North Central the right areas to be looking?

Any recommendations on Zip codes / areas to look at? We'll be moving at the beginning of July.

[CptnRn]

It should not be hard to find what you are looking for in the area near where you work as well as the places you named. But you probably don't need to go all the way out to Anderson Mill. Its all good NW, the only area you really want to avoid NCentral is around Rundberg Lane and the IH-35 corridor. The Arboretum area would be a good bet for all the conveniences located around there.

Finding an apartment or condo with a small fenced yard may be the most difficult part. You probably need to hook up with a realtor to help you find that. There are numerous good apartment locator services in Austin that provide free services. It has been 30 years since I used one so I can't help there.

Airport is in the far SE part of town, so that is going to be a drive no matter where you pick up NW. The area around 2222 & Loop 360 is pretty hilly so you have a good chance of finding a place with good views, but most of the housing on those hills is more expensive because of it.

[atxcio]

Personally, I'd recommend Northwest Hills or Westover Hills. Basically something of Mesa drive. Beautiful, safe neighborhood with some views. Running and biking is quite common in the neighborhood, if you don't mind the hills. You also have a track at Murchison Middle School. Your commute would be minimal -- like 5-10 mins.

For grocery stores, you have a Randall's on Mesa and HEB on Far West. Movie theater would be the Gateway cinema. Basketball courts at Doss Elementary or the JCC.

Another option might be Lakewood. It's got even nicer views and bigger hills, good running and biking around there, still close to everything but you have to get out on 360 to get to anything (like the grocery store). So you'd be driving a lot (albeit short drives). It would be very close to your job, an extremely low stress commute, like 5 minutes...

Go to austinhomesearch.com and search "leases" in 78731 (for NW Hills/Westover Hills/Cat Mountain) or 78750 + subdivision name "Lakewood" for Lakewood.

[someguyatx]

I would start by looking at places off 360,just drive around one day its my favorite part of town. Then look around Mopac near Steck and Mesa (78759). Next either side of 183 around balcones woods, duval, spicewood springs.

[jakester03]

Is this a pretty good area to search? Should I adjust it? Was planning on sending this link to a realtor.

Google Maps - Rent Area

[jakester03]

We drove around and looked this past weekend. LOVED the area along Mesa. Also liked the areas along Spicewood Springs Rd, but it seemed like the commute could get a bit hairy if it rained a lot. There were several low water crossings. I talked to a Realtor who said I should not limit my search to just North of the river. He said South would be fine too as my commute would be reverse of what most people would be doing. Does that sound right? We didn't get a chance to look at Lakewood, but will try to do so next time.

Thanks again for the recs! Any other areas we should look? What are the zip(s) around the Arboretum we should check out?

[donnaaries]

You can find townhomes for rent in the Far West area (which will be an easy commute for you) for around your budget.

[RooCeleste]

I would suggest Gardens of Milwood at Parmer/McNeil (behind the big noiseblock wall on Parmer). You're just across Melrose Trail from an HEB (5 minute walk), easy access to the tollroad to get to the airport, close to Lakeline Mall area, and the homes are garden homes with fenced yards, yet they aren't so huge that you will spend your whole weekend tending to them. Homes ranged from 900 sf to about 1250 sf. The neighborhood has a walking trail around it and it is a very dog-friendly community. We loved living there!

[WoodyTX]

You missed our rental by a couple of weeks... Anderson Mill/Parmer area, cul-de-sac, 3/2.5/2, doggie door, glassed and AC patio, AC in garage...

See you next year?