Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am looking to move sometime in mid-July, but so far I have had no luck finding an affordable place in the Pleasant Valley/Cesar Chavez area (where I work) that isn't at least partially carpeted. Stick-down vinyl tiles generally suck, but they can at least be cleaned, albeit very, very carefully.
Does anyone know of a complex without carpet that costs under $700?! Surely they're out there. SURELY.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm about to start calling every complex within five miles to ask.
Centralaustinite - You're right! Metropolis Apartments has all concrete floors, and after a little asking around it sounds like they're more than just a pretty facade, and actually have a pretty big artist community with tenants playing shows on the grounds some nights. Not that I'm much of an artist, but that's refreshing after the BS luxury resort facades on so many other complexes. They're going for around $750-$850 for studios and one bedroom units, bills not included...so it would be pretty expensive for my $1500/month wage...but could turn out to be worth it.
handycowboy - not only is it like underwear you can't change, but it's like somebody ELSE'S underwear you can't change. The carpet in my current apartment was brand new when I moved in, but it developed a funk as soon as it got humid. I decided to steam clean it, and guess what? After the eighth rinse I was still pulling up black water and I finally gave up. That funk is just something I've learned to live with, but it makes me uncomfortable having people over. I REALLY hope I can find a decent deal on a place without carpet because I'm sick of gambling on carpet every time I move.
W&AE - Waters at Bluffs Springs is a little bit too far south for me because I ride a bicycle to work!
A little more on carpet:
From what I understand, landlords tend to go with carpet because it's quick to tear out and quick to replace, but then I've also heard that people apparently like the softness of carpet, and especially up north they like that it isn't nearly as cold in the winter. And there is also the matter of noise transmission to the room below when walking across a carpeted floor vs a hard floor.
I do know that there are various grades of carpet, and some are much easier to clean than others. Shorter, stiffer, denser carpets tend to wear better, and carpets with open tufts are easier to clean than carpets with loops. But there is still the matter of the padding and the fact that you need to either hire a professional cleaner or take four hours with a loud, hot machine to get it anywhere near as clean as a hard floor (and really, you just can't). And I think, but don't know, that the shorter, stiffer, denser stuff isn't as nice and soft as the standard tall, looped, beige carpet that's in 99.9% of carpeted apartments. Which means it's probably more expensive because the demand isn't as high.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
