Shout-out to your apartment? (Grand Rapids, Holland: 2013, apartment complexes, leases)

[Thep]

Hello everyone,

We are in the process of relocating to Grand Rapids professionally and need advice from all you Grand Rapids veterans. If you are staying in an apartment that you just love or think it's a great place to be; regardless if it's downtown or within 20 minutes from downtown, we would love to get the name(s) of your place. Our minimal criteria is that it is safe, accept (1) cat and below $1600/month? Except for Ada, Cascade & East Grand Rapids,we've read some great stories and not so great story about the city and locations. Now we are both confused of where to go. The city seems like it has much to offer and honestly, we are extremely excited to get out there. So, if any of you know and would like to give a shout-out to your apartment(s), we would greatly appreciated. Thank you

-also would love to hear of an 'furnished' apartment that will accommodate 3 months lease would be great. --Are we asking for too much?

[mjlo]

At your price point you have options. The first question is do you have a preference about being in or near downtown, or are you OK with the suburbs? As you have probably figured out it's pretty easy to get around Grand Rapids. So 20 minutes from just about anywhere can get you downtown. I know a decent amount about the different apartment communities around the area and can certainly give you some insight. I just need to know a little bit more about what you're looking for (aside from pet friendly ), what's important to you about where you live (aside from being safe ) and I can certainly give you some suggestions.

Also if you have some questions about specific areas we can certainly help you with that too. It's hard to get a good idea online about what's good, and what to avoid. For the most part there aren't too many spots in the metro area to be concerned about safety-wise.

[summer22]

Generally speaking, in the Midwest you are not going to be paying anywhere near $1600/month unless you're looking at prime/most desirable areas in Chicago.

How about trying some apartment sites to find companies that specialize in professional relocation and temporary housing? Many large apartment complexes, those that are part of national brands or are corporate owned, specialize in the short-term leases you are seeking.

[Lockdev]

Check out The Gallery.

I stayed there for 2 months before closing on my house and loved it.

They were great.

Just remember to add in parking costs to the rent. It should still be less than your $1600/month budget.

When I stayed there in 2013 it was $900/month for a 1 bedroom. That number is probably closer to $1300/month now. GR prices have gotten a little out of hand in the past couple years.

[Lockdev]

Originally Posted by summer22

Generally speaking, in the Midwest you are not going to be paying anywhere near $1600/month unless you're looking at prime/most desirable areas in Chicago.

How about trying some apartment sites to find companies that specialize in professional relocation and temporary housing? Many large apartment complexes, those that are part of national brands or are corporate owned, specialize in the short-term leases you are seeking.

Hate to say it, but you're absolutely wrong. GR is getting as pricey as Chicago, if not more!

Many 2 bedroom apartments in downtown GR are over $1600/month. A lot of the "luxury" 1 bedroom places start at 1200 and go up into the 2000s.

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by summer22

Generally speaking, in the Midwest you are not going to be paying anywhere near $1600/month unless you're looking at prime/most desirable areas in Chicago.

How about trying some apartment sites to find companies that specialize in professional relocation and temporary housing? Many large apartment complexes, those that are part of national brands or are corporate owned, specialize in the short-term leases you are seeking.

Yeah you're off base here. A 2 bedroom in the GR suburbs goes anywhere from $1050-$2500. The average is around $1300. They start at $1700 in the city. You can get them cheaper but you start sacrificing both amenities and neighborhood very quickly.

[magellan]

I don't live in an apartment, but I think the West Side is getting to be the new cool area to live. 616 Lofts on Alabama just opened recently:

616 Lofts on Alabama Apartments in Grand Rapids, MI 49504 - RENTCafé

Barley Flats next to New Holland Brewing Co is just about to open too:

Barley Flats | Apartments in Grand Rapids, MI | RENTCafe

If it helps at all, in the downtown and near downtown area you pay on average about $1.80 - $2.00/sf right now.

And while you CAN find apartments in Chicago for $2/sf, that's pretty much the starting price point for any neighborhood near downtown or a transit center.

[Thep]

Everyone - Thank you very much. All information will come in handy. I can't wait to get there. Wre not sure what to do yet. The suburbs or the city?. The sunburbs apartments are nice with garage, but lack convenience of downtown. The city seems to have everything we want less parking. I'm sure winter time in GR, parking will be essential and priceless. Location wise, I'm thinking East Grand Rapids area or a little more in the city. Been calling 616 on the Perl and The Barley loft and will go out and talk with them this week. Big issue is still parking. Not sure if that's going to be an issue. The other place that seems nice is Stone Falls of ADA. Will take a look but seem out of the city a bit? Anyone apartment in particular people raved about? BTw, apartment in GR is not cheap

[Lockdev]

Originally Posted by Thep

Everyone - Thank you very much. All information will come in handy. I can't wait to get there. Wre not sure what to do yet. The suburbs or the city?. The sunburbs apartments are nice with garage, but lack convenience of downtown. The city seems to have everything we want less parking. I'm sure winter time in GR, parking will be essential and priceless. Location wise, I'm thinking East Grand Rapids area or a little more in the city. Been calling 616 on the Perl and The Barley loft and will go out and talk with them this week. Big issue is still parking. Not sure if that's going to be an issue. The other place that seems nice is Stone Falls of ADA. Will take a look but seem out of the city a bit? Anyone apartment in particular people raved about? BTw, apartment in GR is not cheap

Apartments downtown are not cheap. There are apartments in the "suburbs" that are fairly priced.

The influx of Chicagoans probably isn't helping there.

Parking is actually not too bad downtown. There are a ton of parking garages and they had very fair monthly prices(at least when I was there in 2013).

How long do you plan on staying in GR?

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Thep

Everyone - Thank you very much. All information will come in handy. I can't wait to get there. Wre not sure what to do yet. The suburbs or the city?. The sunburbs apartments are nice with garage, but lack convenience of downtown. The city seems to have everything we want less parking. I'm sure winter time in GR, parking will be essential and priceless. Location wise, I'm thinking East Grand Rapids area or a little more in the city. Been calling 616 on the Perl and The Barley loft and will go out and talk with them this week. Big issue is still parking. Not sure if that's going to be an issue. The other place that seems nice is Stone Falls of ADA. Will take a look but seem out of the city a bit? Anyone apartment in particular people raved about? BTw, apartment in GR is not cheap

If you expand it to include suburban apartments, Stone Falls is nice. You might also try the new Ridges of Cascade. But yes they are a bit far from the city.