Looking for safe yet reasonable apartment in West Ashley for young married couple close to downtown Charleston (North: apartment complexes)

[hyattrl]

My husband and I are looking for an apartment in West Ashley that is safe and priced between $500 and $650. We need a place starting in August, and one that has a short commute to MUSC and College of Charleston. We are going to check a few places out in a couple of weeks and would like to know if these possibilities are safe.

1. Charleston Arms (1551 Sam Rittenbert Blvd)- I read on another thread it is only ok safety-wise. Is this true?
2. Magnolia Downs (115 Magnolia Road)
3. Moss Creek (1800 William Kennerty Drive)
4. Plantation (1840 Carriage Lane)
5. Spanish Oaks (1515 Ashley River Road)
6. Village Square & West Village (1704 North Woodmere Drive)

We found these in the apartment finder. Any other good places to look for apartments besides craigslist? Any advice on these apartments or others within our price range would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[echobeach]

If you can swing a few more bucks -- or negotiate -- there are several places on Camp Road on James Island that are condo rentals. My nephew rents a 1BR that is nice but nothing fancy (fireplace, tiny deck, open plan, washer/dryer hook-up) in a complex called James Pointe...his place is in the back and very quiet overlooking lush green trees and a little lake. It is definitely safe and the commute to MUSC is a snap. The thing that we found when we rented in the same complex was that most people renting out their condos will negotiate on the price, especially if they have been empty a while and that ol' mortgage needs to be paid. We could have rented a comparable 2BR to the one we chose in the same complex for $50 to $100 less if we simply agreed to a year lease or went without certain amenities...things like a washer/dryer inside the apartment obviously drive up up the rent and the well-kept unit will be more than the one that needs a coat of paint. Don't let prices of rentals that might be a little out of your range scare you off: negotiate! And make sure you check out your possible new place at night in the summer when the teenagers are out in droves. Sorry can't provide details on the safety of the places you mention but you never know, maybe we'll wind up neighbors ...best of luck!

[fisher33]

We lived at Plantation Oaks in WA for 5 months. I pretty much hated it, sometimes I was scared, and you ALWAYS hear ambulances. But in reality - we were pretty safe. I would have felt safer if our apartment wasn't right on the road. That made a big difference. Traffic was awfullllll getting to and from downtown; especially on the way home. Ashley River Road is terrible. Try to stay away from it. Most days would take at least 45 minutes - and that was to go less then 10 miles! Numbers 1, 5, and 6 on your list are no goes for me. They are not nice looking (kind of sketch) riding by, but I've never been inside any of those apartments. I think they were on our initial list too, but after riding by, we didn't even go in. I'm not sure about the others.

Are you in Charleston now? Be sure to drive around and look for signs and apartment complexes that aren't listed on any of the websites. There are lots.

Hunters Trace, Paces Watch are all nice places in Mt. Pleasant that fall within your price range. I would try, try, try to live in Mt. P or JI if possible - b/c of promixity, traffic, and safety (although WA is plenty safe I guess - I just prefer the other two).

PM Jim3310. He's a realtor here and is very helpful and maybe he would have a good suggestion for you or even perhaps know of an apartment that's available.

Hope this helps some. Good luck.