Question regarding apartment hunting online (Indianapolis, Albany: extended stay, apartments, rentals)

[MrBiggz]

Hiya!

Hey! Where could I find a listing of apartments that are privately owned? The listings like apartments.com, forrent.com and apartmentguide.com are find if you are looking for community style living. Is there any online source that private citizens or property management companies flock to so they can advertise their property? I ask because if I do end up moving to Indy I need to have a fall back if the community thing just doesn't jive with me!

I've lived in a 23 story high rise, buildings with more then 8 units but less then 15 and numerous two family houses. So I know all about the ups the down of rental dwellings. I've lived in semi-rough areas to areas were you could basically leave your door open all night on a main street. My wife and I know all about these kinds of areas! We try and find diverse areas being I'm white (although more of a peach color rather then a sheet of paper) and she's african-american.

This brings me to question number 2. Can anybody give me coordinates of areas to MOST DEFINETLY STAY OUT OF? If you do it by neighborhoods could you tell me where I can find a map of Indy that has these neighborhoods listed and/or outlined on the map? Or, you can give me street by street perimeter (i.e. A Street to B Street then B Street to C Street then C Street to D Street then D Street to A Street. - this would give you a perimeter). Do the best you can, I do appreciate the input!

I know that no large city has areas that are completely crime free. I don't even pretend to put my rose color glasses on and ignore it. My main concern is safty abiet you are supposed to be on your guard all the time. It is helpful to know areas where I need not venture to before I even arrive in the city so don't waste my time with someplace nice in the middle of a de-militarized zone!

Thanks for your input and your time! I look forward seeing what people say!

[knitjenious]

As someone who just completed a successful search for Indy housing (I'm moving there from Buffalo in July), I can give you some of my thoughts and experiences. I do not yet live in Indy so this is just based on my research and the 4 days I spent on the ground there looking at neighborhoods and homes.

Don't know what area you want but it was very important to my significant other and I to be in an urban area, close to downtown (less than 2 miles from my future job, I'm hoping to walk/bike). We are artsy types and also want to be able to walk/bike to things to do. My search focused on Mass Ave (Lockerbie Square/Chatham Arch/St Joseph), the Old Northside, and around Fountain Square.

I considered Cottage Home/Woodruff Place/Holy Cross, which is the area just east of the 70/65 loop around downtown. I felt it was a just a little too risky for my comfort in terms of walking and biking (I am a woman in my late 20s) and it somehow felt more cut off from the cultural district than other areas (just my impression).

The Mass Ave area and the three historic districts surrounding it (Lockerbie/Chatham Arch/St Joseph) are lovely. They are definitely pricier for the amount of space you get. I looked at a smallish one bedroom (probably 600-650 square feet, though it did have a back porch) that was $800 plus gas and electric and drove by a cute little two bedroom house that was going for $950 plus utilities (guessing it was 900 square feet?) Great location for walking to shops and restaurants and I would feel safe there.

Old Northside was also nice and mostly residential. I looked at a couple places between Central and just east of College, south of 16th. This area was quiet, lovely, and well kept. I found that west of Central the closer I got to Meridian the sketchier the vibe became. I looked at a place on Meridian around 14th that just sort of creeped me out a little. Not a terrible neighborhood by any means whatsoever, just seemed a little rougher around the edges than the east part of Old Northside.

I spent a good deal of time looking around Fountain Square and actually ended up in Fletcher Place (which is just inside the 65/70 loop in the south-east corner). Fountain Square is artsy and funky, with lots of ethnic restaurants and stuff to do. It is not a far along in re-development as Mass Ave but there seems to be good momentum in the neighborhood. I was told by a very helpful waitress at one of the cafes that if you're interested in Fountain Square it's best to stay west of State street, north of Pleasant Run and of 65.

I saw a couple places on Prospect, west of the square, that were cute 2-bedrooms (both were half of a double), probably 1000 square feet, both were going for $600-$700 plus gas and electric. The street had a pretty youthful, artsy vibe and everyone I met in the neighborhood was incredibly nice. I also looked at a small house on Hoyt between Shelby and State but decided that for something I was renting I wasn't comfortable with where the street was at in terms of "coming back". I think if I were buying something I would consider the investment but it was a little too questionable for renting. This area really differs from street to street so spending some time walking around is helpful.

I will also say that, since you mentioned you are a bi-racial couple, the person who I will be replacing at my future job (who is also part of a bi-racial couple) felt that parts of Fountain Square (like the area where I was on Hoyt) seemed to give her a weird vibe about that particular issue. She and her husband ended up buying in Old Northside and are quite happy there.

We ended up in Fletcher Place, which is a super-cute historic district about 10-15 minutes on foot from Fountain Square and 20 minutes on foot to the center of downtown. We're paying $650 + gas and elec. for a 900 square foot, one-bedroom house (with a great backyard). The street and the house are very well kept and it seems like a great neighborhood. There are about 10 restaurants/cafes within a 10-15 minute walk, plus the library, art galleries, and other stuff to do.

Places I was told to stay away from (many of which I drove through myself and agreed with) include: the area between 22nd and 38th (not much there in terms of grocery stores, etc, and it's a little sketchy), the east side area between 65/70 and 465.

I did a lot of research in advance on craigslist and nuvo but the thing that helped the most was just being there and driving around. I arrived on Monday morning and signed on the place we're taking on Wednesday morning. In terms of a property management company that has a lot of properties Van Rooy has several in the Mass Ave and Old Northside areas and were friendly enough to deal with. I saw one place with Stallard and Associates and the guy creeped me out a little but their other people might be perfectly nice.

I hope this is at least a little helpful. Your criteria may be completely different than ours so who knows. Best of luck with your relocation!!

[MrBiggz]

knitjenious,

thanks for the insight! Unfortunatly coming from Albany its a bit unreachable to just go and spend time on the ground. If I get this job their putting me up in an extended stay for two weeks. Guess I'll have time to roam then. I'm in my early 40's and she's in her late 40's.

So, north / northwest side dually noted! Did you notice that the rents where considerably less then what they are in NY?

[knitjenious]

Well, coming from Buffalo the rents are about the same, maybe even a little higher in some places. We've been spoiled by the incredibly low cost of housing in Western New York. But Indy is certainly reasonable compared to most places and for a city it's size. And, based on my experiences, if you are able to spend a couple days focusing on an apartment search you should be able to find something relatively quickly. In fact, the house next door to the one I rented was also up for rent when I visited. It's a little bigger (2 bedrooms, maybe 1000-1100 sq ft) and a little nicer and was renting for like $900-$950, I think? Let me know if you're interested and I'll send a direct message with the landlord's contact info.

I hope you will like Indy! I know my visit was great and everyone I met was so nice. I actually grew up in Illinois so the mild-mannered Midwestern-ness feels familiar to me. But I keep reminding my Buffalo-born boyfriend that in the Midwest most people consider it rude to bring up politics and religion the first time you meet them! lol

[MrBiggz]

Originally Posted by knitjenious

Well, coming from Buffalo the rents are about the same, maybe even a little higher in some places. We've been spoiled by the incredibly low cost of housing in Western New York. But Indy is certainly reasonable compared to most places and for a city it's size. And, based on my experiences, if you are able to spend a couple days focusing on an apartment search you should be able to find something relatively quickly. In fact, the house next door to the one I rented was also up for rent when I visited. It's a little bigger (2 bedrooms, maybe 1000-1100 sq ft) and a little nicer and was renting for like $900-$950, I think? Let me know if you're interested and I'll send a direct message with the landlord's contact info.

I hope you will like Indy! I know my visit was great and everyone I met was so nice. I actually grew up in Illinois so the mild-mannered Midwestern-ness feels familiar to me. But I keep reminding my Buffalo-born boyfriend that in the Midwest most people consider it rude to bring up politics and religion the first time you meet them! lol

Thanks for the offer. But that's a little rich for my blood. I have to watch what I get. More bang for the buck. Granted I'll be making a bit more their then what I'm making now. I have to pay for everything. Other half is disabled but is still functional. It's along story. Anyways .. I have to dish out for everything so I have to keep it real. I have not one clue to what utility bills go for out there.

For what I have now .. all i know is we both fall over one another its soooo small! Mad small, uber mad small! I have to say it's less then 500sq ft. and I'm getting hit for $600. Albany is over taxed, rents are out of this world and just about every place has been subdivided to the max!

I keep searching online and it looks like the community living is the most affordable. It'll probably be like living in a high rise only spread out. Guess the positive proof will be getting there and seeing what's what!

[Naptowner]

Originally Posted by MrBiggz

Hiya!

Hey! Where could I find a listing of apartments that are privately owned? The listings like apartments.com, forrent.com and apartmentguide.com are find if you are looking for community style living. Is there any online source that private citizens or property management companies flock to so they can advertise their property? I ask because if I do end up moving to Indy I need to have a fall back if the community thing just doesn't jive with me!

You might try Indy's Alternative Voice - NUVO.net, a local independent publication which has private listings. You can also search the Indianapolis Star website at IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star | Indianapolis news, sports, business, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Indianapolis, Indiana, but instead of clicking on "Apartments" on the top click on "Classifieds," then on the next page, instead of clicking on "Rentals," which will take you to apartments.com, click on "View All Classifieds." On the next page there will be a list of all classified ad categories, including furnished/unfurnished apartments, duplexes, and houses arranged by location. Theoretically the Apartments.com website gives you private listings as well, but they don't always show up there.

Anyway, here's a link to the "Rentals" section of the Star classifieds. IndyStar.com | Classifieds | The Indianapolis Star
Because they charge out the wazoo, these ads don't have much information, but it's a start.
Then there's craigslist, which seems to get a lot of listings. Unfortunately, some of these are scams or plain old spam, but you can search listings for photos and keywords, which can help if you're looking for a place in a particular part of town.

[MrBiggz]

Naptowner,

Thanks! I knew about nuvo already although it didn't yield much. The indystar been there too, although you offered a different way about approaching it. I'll try going to the classifieds instead of clicking on apartments.

Why do I have a feeling I may have to do this the old fashioned way and drive around looking to see who has a for rent shingle in the front of the property.

Thanks 4ur input!