Apartment Hunting in downtown detroit (Wayne, Cadillac: transplants, apartments, lease)

[bigdogs2k4]

Hi, i am currently looking to move closer to downtown detroit so that i can be closer to my job. I am currently looking at the lofts at woodward centre and the lofts at rivertown. Has anyone lived in any of these places and if so can you give me some information on them?

[detroitlove]

I've considered both of them before because i've heard good reviews. Are you only looking at those two buildings? just downtown or the whole greater downtown area? The lofts I hear about a lot are the Clark Lofts, you may want to see if those are availble. My friend lived there when they first opened and she loved it. I should warn you though there may still be a long waiting list. Atleast check it out though. What about the Lofts at Merchant Row? You should look into those too. Also loftplace.com and the loft warehouse are good sites to find lofts in the city

[bigdogs2k4]

I am open to other buildings, the buildings i mentioned were just the ones that i found so far. I will definitely check our the clark lofts too. I did look at the lofts of merchants row but I've heard some bad things about their parking. Thanks.

[ForStarters]

Honestly, downtown is pretty hard right now. Almost every building has a wait list, some which are absurdly long. Depending on which building you're interested in, the lead time on an apartment could be 6 months to a year with no guarantees.

To make matters worse, rents are shooting up like crazy. My rent went up more than 35% in the four years I've been in my current building. I've actually been on a month-to-month lease since mine ran out in the summer, and I'm paying below market rate for my unit! Prices went up that much even since August 2011.

I'm not sure what your price range is, but expect to pay at least $1,200/mo+ for 1 bedrooms on the low end. Slightly better places are over $1,500 and an even greater number of apartments exceed $2,000/mo, especially some of the trendier lofts.

I will say that each building has its own vibe. Fort Shelby and Book Cadillac are very upscale. Millender and Washington Square are a mix, but have many students and young professionals. Millender also has a few GM people that I'm aware of. Kales is a pretty good mix, also a lot of young professionals. Cadillac Square seems to be lower income folks with some retirees. Merchant's Row has quite a few people who work for Compuware, Dan Gilbert, or are recent transplants. The parking at Merchant's Row is an attended, vertical structure, meaning that a valet has to get your car out for you since cars are moved via an elevator. Otherwise, Merchant's Row is nice. They offer a free shuttle around downtown if you give advanced notice, and MR provides discounts for all types of local activities, including the Hudson Cafe located right downstairs (awesome coffee and breakfast, BTW).

I can't believe I'm even saying this, but right now is actually not the best time to move to the city. It's a landlord's market. Long wait lists and rising prices make it difficult unless you already have a lease locked in. Look at me, I'm afraid to renew and get stuck paying even more!

My advice would be to try Merchant's Row or the Kales. I know Book Cadillac has a few openings right now, but the cheapest rent is $1,800/mo. If you have the cash, some of the neatest lofts would include Broadway Lofts, Library Lofts, and Eureka Lofts. Stay clear of the Greektown lofts unless you are looking for a rowdy party scene, in which case, that's an excellent spot.

Lastly, I will mention Broderick Tower, which is set to open later this year. According to their website, there is still availability and the rents are not completely outrageous.

[animatedmartian]

While I think it's safe to say OP can't move into downtown, there's still plenty of apartments along Jefferson, including Lafayette Park and Indian Village.

I'm unsure if anyone has any up to date experience on living in any of these areas or whether these are full as well. I doubt they are, but apartment review websites don't really help much.

[fmax]

BigDog,

You cited 'Lofts at Rivertown'.

Please tell me, is the address to the building to 'Lofts at Rivertown' 6533 E Jefferson Ave Detroit, MI 48207? If no, can you please give me the addy.

TIA.

Is this the place -

6533 E Jefferson Ave Detroit, MI 48207 - Google Maps

[maclock]

That's what the sign on the side of the building says, fmax.

Originally Posted by fmax

BigDog,

You cited 'Lofts at Rivertown'.

Please tell me, is the address to the building to 'Lofts at Rivertown' 6533 E Jefferson Ave Detroit, MI 48207? If no, can you please give me the addy.

TIA.

Is this the place -

6533 E Jefferson Ave Detroit, MI 48207 - Google Maps

[Link00seven]

ForStarters, thank you for all that information! This is exactly the type of information I've been looking for, despite that I hadn't yet posted.

I'm going to be starting a job at Ford in June, and I've been looking to move Downtown because I really like the idea of an urban lifestyle and would like to live in the city proper. (I'm 22, and I've grown up in the suburbs).

Since I wouldn't be looking to get a place until a bit later at this point (July/Aug timeframe) perhaps I could make it happen. I was already looking into Kales, and Broderick Tower, and perhaps Lofts at Woodward Center, so I'll definitely be keeping my eyes on this thread to see what others have to say, and contacting these various places to see what's available (and at what cost).

What options would be nice/available outside of downtown? Attending Wayne State for the last few years (despite the fact I lived at home and commuted) I know there are some nice places in Midtown...maybe New Center. I've never looked at any of the places immediately east of downtown and don't quite know what's around there.

I apologize if I appear to be hijacking this thread, but hopefully all this information could help anybody that's looking to move into Detroit. Thanks all for your insight!

[bigdogs2k4]

Thanks for all the feedback. ForStarters your absolutely right the rents i have seen so far are high. Which is why i expanded my search farther down jefferson and into the midtown/new center area. Im trying to stay with 1300 - 1400 for rent plus utilities which is proving harder than i thought.

[ForStarters]

Bigdog, if you're looking in Midtown/New Center, this list of properties might be helpful: UCCA | University Cultural Center Association