Moving from DC to Houston - Apartments? (Center, Rice: apartment complex, rentals)

[DCNative]

Alrighty, I'm a 28 y.o. single male who is relocating to Houston in a month. The job pays 55K per year, and the location is smack dab in the middle of downtown. Here's what I'm looking for, and maybe you can help me narrow down to a few apartment communities:

- Live inside the 610 loop, keep the commute short
- Fun things to do, art, culture, bars, dining, etc
- Fitness centers, golf courses
- Good looking babes
- Safe neighborhood
- Swimming pool and/or fitness center at apartment complex (I know it's hot in houston, but I'm quite familiar with that kind of heat... it does get very hot and humid in DC)

I would prefer to pay between $600-$800 per month, including utilities. Are utilities separate or included in monthly rental figures? I can pay up to $1000 per month TOTAL, including rent, utilities, cable, and internet. But I want to keep the figure lower than that.

Would you please suggest a neighborhood or two, tell a little about it, and let me know whether they include utilities or keep them separate from the rent.

Thanks!

[jfre81]

I think the studios at the Houston House (high-rise on Fannin) downtown start at something like $750, all bills paid, but I don't know if they have cable and internet. You may end up paying a little more than $1000 in the end, but you'll be close to work. I don't know what you'll find in Midtown, Montrose etc. keeping in that range, but that's the general part of town you probably want to be around. You might like the Heights too, but the rentals there are rather expensive at least by Houston standards and probably more than you seem to be wanting to spend.

Hermann Park, which includes a golf course, is along the rail line. I don't know if they let you bring golf clubs on the light rail, but some of the panhandlers may make you feel like wielding a 5-iron whether you're going to the course or not. So is life in the big city.

These days, it's hard to keep your expenses under $1000/mo, even renting the cheapest apartment, but I suppose it can be done. Did you say you were making $55K? I could probably afford to rent most anywhere in the city making that.

Now if you're feeling really cheap, winos and crackheads do sleep in abandoned buildings downtown for free, and you don't actually have to be a wino or a crackhead to do it...the rent's similarly low under the Pierce Elevated....you might not impress the babes living under a freeway though.

[DCNative]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I think the studios at the Houston House (high-rise on Fannin) downtown start at something like $750, all bills paid, but I don't know if they have cable and internet. You may end up paying a little more than $1000 in the end, but you'll be close to work. I don't know what you'll find in Midtown, Montrose etc. keeping in that range, but that's the general part of town you probably want to be around. You might like the Heights too, but the rentals there are rather expensive at least by Houston standards and probably more than you seem to be wanting to spend.

Thanks for your comments. I suppose that I can give myself a little more rope, say about $1200 per month in apartment expenses including cable and internet. $750 at Houston House sounds really good, that being about a mile or so from my work. Do they have a pool and gym, too?

What are the rental price ranges in Midtown, Montrose, and Rice Village? And Houston Heights? All bills paid, too? I'm trying to get an idea of what my apartment-related expenses are going to be like provided I live in the nicest neighborhoods (which I fully intend to do).

[jfre81]

Houston Montrose Apartments | Montrose Apartments Houston, Texas | Houston Montrose Apartments For Rent

Houston Midtown Apartments | Midtown Apartments Houston, Texas | Houston Midtown Apartments For Rent

Houston Downtown Apartments


Houston Heights Apartments | Inner Loop Houston Heights Apartments | New Houston Heights Apartments

Here are some links that might help you. As you can see, the Houston Heights (locally known simply as the Heights) is kind of pricy. Montrose still has some affordable units but they're becoming scarce, and they're kind of small. Many of them are very small complexes and don't advertise online. I used to work with someone who lived in one place off Dunlavy, but his place was pretty tiny and he was paying about $550, plus electric and water I think. That was also as of about a year ago...

It looks like Houston House actually starts at $770. I've never actually lived there, but from what I've heard it's not bad for people who want to live downtown (with all its attendant problems, from the bums to the limited retail options - the nearest grocery stores are Randall's in Midtown. There's also a Fiesta in Midtown on Fannin near 59. The Randall's is located in the middle of panhandler hell, but I've heard they have security that runs a tight ship in the parking lot etc. Many people I know who live Downtown or Midtown do much (if not all) of their shopping at Spec's Midtown, where you can get anything from meat at the deli to a bottle of Beam

All-bills-paid is here and there, but not everywhere. A friend of mine lives in one such complex where I think it starts around $600, but it's further out (near northwest side) and there's not much happening around there. If you can find it, great.

Comparable apartments without bills paid can be found for less; electricity can get expensive even for a one-bedroom apartment in the summer. I'm in a 750sf 1br for $544, up $30 from last year when I moved in...usually when the rent increases here it's because of rising property values and the taxes that come with them. I pay for electric and water which comes out to upwards of $170 combined in the summer. I'm not necessarily in an "in" part of town (near Reliant Park/Medical Center) but it's acceptable. At least I say it is because I've managed to make it through a year without my car being broken into or had anything like that happen. No gunshots even. Maybe my windows will be busted out tomorrow morning and I'll be on here saying something else different. but that's what insurance is for. I routinely go out after dark, check my mail, get a burger, go grocery shopping, whatever. Ain't skeered.

[cherryghost]

i'd check out gables upper kirby or alexan upper kirby. you'd have to go with a studio but i think you'll like the amenities. both are walking distance to restaurants and shops.

[DCNative]

In the nice neighborhoods, I mean. I'm hoping that I will find an apartment available under $1000 and be able to move in within a few days... preferably under one week. How long do they tend to take with the paperwork and background/credit checks?

Are 1br apartments under $1000 hard to find?

I'll be by myself, no roommies.

[cherryghost]

there are tons of apartments in houston in nice areas that you could move in less than one week. i would probably say almost all of them have availability and very few are at capacity.

[houstoner]

You shouldn't have a problem finding a place. People move in and out of Houston all the time. You may find it slightly easier in the summer, if looking inside the loop, when the students are gone. Then again, maybe not. I just noticed today some luxury apartments planned to go up across the street from First Unitarian Universalist Church on the corner of Fannin and Southmore in the Museum District. They're replacing an old strip mall where Subways used to be (yay!).

[DCNative]

Another question... looking at apartment lists, many of them have "gas" included for utilities. Does that mean natural gas for electricity, hot water, etc? Or is electricity not included for most apartments?

[tstone]

Electricity is not included in rent for most apartments.

Speaking from past experience: shared natural gas is usually for hot water only. This means the water heater is in a central location, maybe 4 units per heater. So if your neighbors like to take steaming hot bubble baths, or all of you take showers at the same time, you may suffer until the new water gets heated up. Water heaters only hold X number of gallons. Also beware of the neighbor's flushed toilet or fired up dishwasher.

Now it is possible you'll be sharing a more modern, tankless/manifold type water heater. Especially if it's a very new complex. Those things are becoming more and more popular. Then you have nothing to worry about so long as the unit isn't undersize. Ask a maintenance-man about that one.