Looking for apartments under $400 a month, know any? (Indianapolis: rent, crime rates)

[ColdAilment]

I am planning a very likely move to Indianapolis within the next year. My job situation will be shaky at first, so I need something dirt cheap and convenient to the city. I'm looking for an apartment, 1 bedroom is all I need, for under $400 a month, and preferably one that also takes pets. The closer to downtown the better, just as long as I'm not in a suburb that's separated by dozens of miles and herds of cars, since I will probably be biking back and forth to my place of employment.

If you know of any places with low rent, please share.

[BU191433]

You should look for a roommate, because under $400 a month will either be a horrible place to live in or you won't be able to find one for that amount of money.

[Toxic Toast]

I had a friend who lived in a studio apartment at 13th and Delaware; rent was maybe 450? or so. It is a nice enough building for the price.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by BU191433

You should look for a roommate, because under $400 a month will either be a horrible place to live in or you won't be able to find one for that amount of money.

K, I know apartments exist for under $400. A few moths ago I did find a studio apartment for $380 a month and it looked like a decent place. I don't need to live well, I need to live cheap and conserve money.

$450 would probably be the top of my budget, but anything $400 and under is preferable.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by Toxic Toast

I had a friend who lived in a studio apartment at 13th and Delaware; rent was maybe 450? or so. It is a nice enough building for the price.

How is that section of town? I'm not wanting to move into the ghetto, but if the rent is cheap enough I may make exceptions.

[John7777]

Originally Posted by ColdAilment

How is that section of town? I'm not wanting to move into the ghetto, but if the rent is cheap enough I may make exceptions.

It's not a ghetto, but then again I wouldn't be wandering around the neighborhood at night.

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by ColdAilment

How is that section of town? I'm not wanting to move into the ghetto, but if the rent is cheap enough I may make exceptions.

Think about this........ my friend was a girl. She worked near Circle Center. She did not have a car, she walked to work. Every day. She walked all over the area, at all hours of day. Even after dark. 16th Street. Mass Ave. She walked to all of these places.

In her own words, the only problem was the occasional "creepy bum" that would try to talk to her.

The neighborhood is Old Northside. It might be a spooky walk at places due to lack of pedestrian activity, but I would have no qualms walking around there at any time of day. It is a nice neighborhood, in the city. Anyone moving there has to understand it is the city, not the suburbs.

[Parkrow160]

Originally Posted by ColdAilment

K, I know apartments exist for under $400. A few moths ago I did find a studio apartment for $380 a month and it looked like a decent place. I don't need to live well, I need to live cheap and conserve money.

$450 would probably be the top of my budget, but anything $400 and under is preferable.

ColdAilment,

I agree with you. with a top budget of 450, a single, sensible person can certainly find acceptable living quarters in the INDY region. Prior to moving here, I was told basically the same thing that you are hearing in the last several posts.

If you are concerned with crime issues, do yourself a HUGE favor and track the crime rates by using the IMPD MAPS Crime Viewer Tool. It's quite intuitive by following the simple steps and you will be amazed at how much timely information is available. Good luck and good hunting!

Click here:MapIndy





Clay

[mobyhead]

My first apartment in Indy was a studio in the old Chadwick building at 10th and Penn. (it has since burned down) I was paying $250 per month. The only caveat was that I had to deal with an incredible amount of cockroaches. Even though they sprayed once per month it still was really bad.

Regarding the Old Northside neighborhood? It's not that bad. You just have to be street smart. I never had any problems.

[ColdAilment]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm still searching and I won't end up in Indy until late next year, but I am scouring my options early. I would prefer not to deal with Roaches in an apartment, but if it's $250 a month I suppose I can hardly complain. I think I have enough sensibility to avoid or ignore things on the street that don't concern me, so "bad neighborhoods" aren't a strong deterrent to me, unless a mid 20's single white male is likely to be a prime target.

On another note, is Indy a bike friendly city? There's a good chance I will be using my bicycle a lot, bike lanes and friendly drivers would be a huge plus.