Help with short term rental/short term furnishing (Austin, Spring: extended stay, apartments)

[AH24]

So I'm looking for a short term rental in downtown Austin. There isn't much available on Homeaway/VRBO/Airbnb/CL and what is there is extremely expensive. I was thinking of leasing a 3 month apartment then furnishing myself. Cort seemed good at first, but then I read their furniture is kind of crappy and it got pretty pricey the more I investigated (higher price for shorter lease terms, taxes, setup/delivery fees, etc)

I then thought about just getting a Casper mattress off Amazon, a TV, get a couch/table off craigslist, then sell them all at 50% when I leave on CL but was told I was naive that I could even get money for the stuff.

Anyone have any other alternatives? About to book airbnb for two weeks in Austin to set it all up.

[spchtx]

Having just moved here this summer, we scoured for short term/furnished rentals. It was hard to find. We lucked out through an old friend. Otherwise, we were looking at anywhere from $4000-$8000/mo. I did see that Motel 6 has an extended stay in North Austin. (Studio 6) That never came up in my searches of extended stay hotels. Don't know why, but I've passed it driving around my work area. Which is a decent area of town.

https://www.staystudio6.com/en/motel...oglelocal-6032

I don't know how much a long term stay would be, but might be worth checking out. Good luck! I know first hand how challenging doing this is.

Oh, and things may be different since we looked this summer, but we could not find any apartments that would give us a 3 month lease. Some had 6 month leases, at a considerably higher rate, but most wanted 12 months.

[CptnRn]

Austin Extended Stay Hotels | Extended Stay America

At 600 Guadalupe Street $67.49 per day
At 507 S. First St. $58.49 per day
At 6300 E 290 $49.49 per day

[A-Tex]

I think it would be a mistake to believe you could get that much back -- or even anything -- on the furniture you've used.

That extended stay on Guadalupe looks like a good deal for your circumstances. The location can't be beat for someone looking for something downtown.

[CBB_bear]

When do you need the furniture? I'm about to move out of state and I have a lot of IKEA furniture that I don't think I will really be able to sell for any substantial amount and isn't worth moving. It's functional, but about 4-5 years old and a little worn out. It might work for a short term stay. PM me if you are interested.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by AH24

So I'm looking for a short term rental in downtown Austin. There isn't much available on Homeaway/VRBO/Airbnb/CL and what is there is extremely expensive. I was thinking of leasing a 3 month apartment then furnishing myself. Cort seemed good at first, but then I read their furniture is kind of crappy and it got pretty pricey the more I investigated (higher price for shorter lease terms, taxes, setup/delivery fees, etc)

I then thought about just getting a Casper mattress off Amazon, a TV, get a couch/table off craigslist, then sell them all at 50% when I leave on CL but was told I was naive that I could even get money for the stuff.

Anyone have any other alternatives? About to book airbnb for two weeks in Austin to set it all up.

ikea is probably the most cost effective way to furnish a place.

[Thexy]

I was in the same predicament (stay 3 nights/week) and ended up renting an apartment for $770, purchasing a blow up mattress, and I use my AT&T Uverse app for TV. Motel 6, Extended Stay, and the Candlewood Suites are horrible. The Springhill Suites are really nice but I was quoted $135/night about 2 hours ago.

[Denver303TJC]

If you're willing to bounce around apartments (takes me back to my single days ;-) ), then airbnb could be good. I didn't have much luck with couch surfing, maybe since I'm a 30 year old guy and the hosts were looking for younger single women (?), (I'm surmising, but don't have any proof). Craigslist seemed a bit too shady for me and I never tried it. I enjoyed my time as an airbnb user and met a lot of cool people in the process, so it wasn't as bad as I thought. Sometimes you can book rooms by the month, or by the week. Again, it's not ideal, but if you're willing to move from place-to-place and bring nothing but your suitcase with you, it can be done.