College grad moving to Buffalo -- best housing? (Amherst, Boston: rental car, subletting)
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Hi, everyone! I'm a college grad (male) moving to Buffalo this summer. I'm wondering how to start looking for an apartment and welcome your advice. I've heard that the downtown lofts are nice, as well as Elmwood and Allentown. Can anyone recommend specific properties that might have studios or 1-bedrooms? Any good websites to use?
Since I am single, I don't care about good schools or taxes, really. Quality housing and safety are most important. I have a friend from Buffalo who says her car gets broken into a lot, so I would like to avoid that. Thanks for your suggestions!
Apartments in Buffalo run the gamut from crappy flats in dangerous neighborhoods to luxurious apartments in the most desirable city and suburban neighborhoods.
Please give us more info on your price range, job location, preference for city/suburban, etc.
I personally would never live anywhere in WNY, city or suburban, where I did not have at least off-street parking, and that goes double for the city. In some neighborhoods, it would be a good idea to have secured off street parking but in others, just having it off the street is enough.
Thanks for the quick reply! I will be working downtown and would preferably not like a long commute, though if the housing is better in the suburbs, I don't mind. My max budget is about $1,000, but I'm from the Boston area, so that might be based on Boston standards. My friend from WNY says that $700 should be enough for a safe place, but I am very flexible pricewise.
As for parking, I think gated parking would be nice, though I'm not sure if I'm exaggerating the rate of car break-ins in Buffalo. Is it something I shouldn't be too concerned about?
Thanks again!
Last edited by nordiclights; 04-19-2015 at 05:43 PM..
Reason: typo
Thanks for the quick reply! I will be working downtown and would preferably not like a long commute, though if the housing is better in the suburbs, I don't mind. My max budget is about $1,000, but I'm from the Boston area, so that might be based on Boston standards. My friend from WNY says that $700 should be enough for a safe place, but I am very flexible pricewise.
As for parking, I think gated parking would be nice, though I'm not sure if I'm exaggerating the rate of car break-ins in Buffalo. Is it something I shouldn't be too concerned about?
Thanks again!
I think just getting off-street is safe enough in most neighborhoods. Most break-ins happen with cars parked on the street or in a driveway close to the sidewalk.
I think the Park Meadow complex might be one to look at (2005 Delaware Avenue) because I really like this area of the city (Delaware District), and the location is very safe and convenient. The Park Meadow is right on the Delaware bus line to downtown; it's within walking distance of Delaware Park as well as the plaza at Great Arrow and Delaware; the I-198 (Scajacquada Expressway) is just a couple of blocks away to connect you to all the other arterials in the Buffalo metro; there's all kinds of shopping to the north and west, including a Wegmans just west on Amherst Street (when you move to Buffalo, you'll understand why easy access to Wegmans is a plus).
I toured one of the apartments in this complex years ago when one of my nieces was apartment hunting, and I thought it was one of the nicest apartments we saw. I would have rented it if I was looking to rent in the city. The buildings are older but have been nicely rehabbed, and the rent includes all your utilities except electric, which is a big plus. The kitchens are tiny IIRC but singles usually don't cook a lot anyways. They have security at the entrances, coin laundries in the building, and the parking is behind the buildings so random people walking along the street won't be tempted to break into your car.
Google "apartments in Buffalo" to find more leads on apartments.
Honestly, renting your own apartment comes with buying your own furniture to furnish it. Maybe you'd be best off subletting a room at first. This will give you the opportunity to meet some people and learn the city before getting locked into a year lease. Shoot for an area of town that has people in your demographic.
Don't worry about car break in's. Just keep the inside clean as a fresh rental car looks when you pull it off the lot. That way, people will assume that there isn't anything of value in there. Also, if you will be parking on the street, don't go out and buy a super nice car. Parking in the elements puts wear and tear on a car.
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