From Iowa, Issues finding a place in South Austin. (Orange: apartments, rental)

[tstwahine]

He had looked at Monterey Oaks but their availability wasn't that fantastic. Although they do have a 1 bedroom with garage at the moment. He really wants a ground floor though. He is much more impatient than me, I'm more of a wait and see what comes available and keep your eyes open, granted he is the one there right now with the uncertainty of a place to live next month. Although it's not like he can't do an extended stay.

Thoughts on Monterey Oaks, anyone have any experience with this management? I've read some reviews on google and yelp and they seem opposite spectrum, either really loving it or really hating it... more loving it.

With regards to the dog situation as Aquitaine put it I do realize from the rental perspective its difficult to discern the good pet owner from the bad one, although I have always found it ironic that a lot of places do restrictions on large breeds, which tend to make better apartment dogs. I'm actually not a dog person and tolerate very little with regards to misbehavior so if I can say the dog is exemplary that is saying something (I love to see dogs, but detest essentially taking care of a 3 year old for 10-15 years, barking and the lack of freedom if you want to go away for the weekend...etc). He really is a great dog and behavior wise has spoiled us for others, granted he was exhausting from age 1-3 but luckily we are both runners so a morning run by me and afternoon run by the s/o made for a super happy pup. We would have excellent references as I mentioned before from the condo that we lived in previously, I wonder if some landlords take that into account.

Davis Place town homes look nice, although I only see them for sale. He doesn't want to buy for a year or two before knowing if he really wants to stay in Austin and finds just the right place (We are tired of spending our weekends building basements and putting in wood flooring ).

Thank you!!

Oh and another question. As an engineer he is in a job where people aren't really known for being the most sociable, and I worry that he is going to get "lonely", are there any activities that he could get involved in to meet other guys late 20's early 30's? Running club, or biking... the person that he is doing his short term rental with is more hipster, and even inviting them out for a beer he has been looked at with a blank stare so...

Originally Posted by cm4

Just clearing up some location details... Oak Hill would be a commute, but about 10-15 minutes.

The area that Aquitaine described (Mopac/290/71/Southwest Parkway) is very short distance. He could probably walk or have a 5 minute car commute.

There are also some apartments on a street called Monterrey Oaks, about a half mile away from Mopac/290/71.

My recommendation is to dig around Sunset Valley for a house or duplex.

[Aquitaine]

If he likes tech types then check out door64.com. It's the big geek networking site for Austin.

[tstwahine]

Originally Posted by Aquitaine

If he likes tech types then check out door64.com. It's the big geek networking site for Austin.

Actually he thinks most tech people (engineers) can be a bit too geeky... that was what I was trying to say, sorry, operating on three hours of sleep on this end, which is better than my weekend total of seven . He is the rare E.E. (from what I've seen) that is fairly sociable... he doesn't game or anything along those lines, he prefers outdoor activities such as running, biking, soccer, kayaking, grabbing a beer (low key places, not clubs or crazy loud bars). But i will put forth the suggestion. Thank you!

[Aquitaine]

I'm sorry, I don't think I meant to suggest that door64 is for unsociable geeks. It's a networking site and so by definition is for socializing, and I'm not sure I would agree that being a geek makes one unsociable.

But if that's not his crowd, there are certainly alternatives. There is a lot of youth soccer around the Oak Hill Y area and so I would assume some kind of adult leagues as well, and googling 'Austin running' or 'Austin biking' will give you plenty of resources on other activities. SW Austin is a pretty good place for that stuff as the green space down there is a little more expansive than in town.

[tstwahine]

Originally Posted by Aquitaine

I'm sorry, I don't think I meant to suggest that door64 is for unsociable geeks. It's a networking site and so by definition is for socializing, and I'm not sure I would agree that being a geek makes one unsociable.

But if that's not his crowd, there are certainly alternatives. There is a lot of youth soccer around the Oak Hill Y area and so I would assume some kind of adult leagues as well, and googling 'Austin running' or 'Austin biking' will give you plenty of resources on other activities. SW Austin is a pretty good place for that stuff as the green space down there is a little more expansive than in town.

You didn't suggest it, I did. Although that website seems more for networking professionally, I was just trying to suggest that he doesn't really fit the archetype typically characterized to individuals in his line of work. This is definitely something I have noticed as well through work functions and my experience personally. It was definitely not meant to be an all inclusive statement.

Although to put a funny twist on it he is always telling me he considers himself a "nerd" but never a "geek". I like smart guys, so he works out just fine for me

[Aquitaine]

Hmm, could be things are different in Iowa. Most geeks I know would say they're geeks, not nerds, or else proudly are both.

[supernaut112]

If it were me, I would work with a property locator. I concur with the others — a lot of folks renting houses don't want renters with dogs. I have one cat, and it took forever to find someplace central that was amenable to pets. Even my former COA didn't allow people who actually owned their own properties to have dogs — that's how uptight it can get. A property locator can first tell you which apartments/townhomes allow dogs, and then you can go from there.

A good friend of mine with a large dog worked with a locator who specializes in placing people with pets. If I can get his name, I'll send it to you.

[tstwahine]

Originally Posted by Aquitaine

Hmm, could be things are different in Iowa. Most geeks I know would say they're geeks, not nerds, or else proudly are both.

I may have it switched around...hmmm...

[AMJ27]

I'm just throwing this out because you mentioned the greenbelt, but there are a lot of apartments/condos on Spyglass right off of Mopac. I have no idea what any of them are called or what the price range is though. I had a friend who lived in that area before she was married and she loved that it was right by the greenbelt and Tacodeli (an awesome taco place).

[tstwahine]

He was given a property locator, and when he traveled down to austin looked at several places but wasnt sure, looks like Monteray Oaks may be the one.

Originally Posted by supernaut112

If it were me, I would work with a property locator. I concur with the others — a lot of folks renting houses don't want renters with dogs. I have one cat, and it took forever to find someplace central that was amenable to pets. Even my former COA didn't allow people who actually owned their own properties to have dogs — that's how uptight it can get. A property locator can first tell you which apartments/townhomes allow dogs, and then you can go from there.

A good friend of mine with a large dog worked with a locator who specializes in placing people with pets. If I can get his name, I'll send it to you.