Apartment search help please (Kansas City, Gladstone: apartment complex, for rent, high crime)

[cls88]

I am helping my daughter search for an apartment. She is going to be working at Overland Park, but has to travel a lot (around 80%). So we focused around the area that between the airport and Overland Park. She can't afford expensive apartments, and would need a safe neighborhood.



Below are the three we found so far. Would appreciate any input on the neighborhoods these apartments in and any other suggestions.


Thank you in advance for your help!




Clayton Apartments and Duplexes
1407 Northwest 65th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64118


Regency North
regencynorthapts.com
816-454-6344


The Lakes
7301 NW Donovan Drive
Kansas City, Missouri

[luzianne]

Those aren't really between the airport and Overland Park. They are more by the airport and nowhere near Overland Park. Between the airport and Overland Park would be something like Shawnee. Where in Overland Park will she be working?

If I had to choose between the ones you listed, I'd choose the last one. It's in a nicer area. The other two are in Gladstone which is okay, but not the best.

I would check out Overland Park and other Johnson County apartments. Johnson County is VERY safe and if she is driving to/from the airport once a week or so it's not that big a deal to drive. I personally would rather live in Johnson County and drive to the airport than live up north and drive to Overland Park for work even it's only 20% of the time.

Others like Missouri better. Some of us like Johnson County, Kansas better. I'm not saying suburbs of Missouri aren't safe, but Johnson County is about as safe as you get. I will probably get yelled at for saying that.

[cls88]

Great suggestion, luzianne. Thank you very much!

I will look into Johnson County apartments. I totally agree with you. I would rather her driving a bit more but living in a definitely safe area. The prices of the apartments also limit her from some of areas. She will work near the conventional center and probably will drive to the airport once or twice a week.

Thanks again for your very helpful advice.

[luzianne]

A few that I see that might be in her price range are Cambridge Square, Creekside and Clear Creek. Creekside and Clear Creek would be a littler further drive but just down 119th Street and not all that far. I searched apartmentratings.com for apartments over 75% favorable with highest number of ratings and got this (below) if it actually shows up. Some of them are probably out of her price range but some should work. There are some new apartments on 107th between Roe and Nall. Not sure what the pricing is or even the names, but I think there are two new complexes just east of Cambridge Square on 107th. There are some with high ratings that I just don't know about personally and that's why I didn't comment on them. Like that Centennial one...that might be worth checking out. The Treehouse apartments I know always have high ratings and I'm not sure why. It's a pretty old complex and its location not all that convenient. I don't know anything about The Lodge either. Anyway, there are 17 apartment complexes in my search rated above 75% so I'd just look at the reviews, the rent (information tab) and location and see what sounds good.

Overland Park Apartments for Rent - Overland Park Apartments Reviews and Ratings

I like Villas at Carrington Square but I think they start at about $1000. If you do decide to look up north, though, there are two Carrington complexes - I think Carrington Park and Carrington Place. The prices are more reasonable than the Carrington in Overland Park and I think are newer complexes.

But I still think living in Overland Park and driving to the airport a couple of times a week is better than living north and driving to Overland Park when she's working in town.

[cls88]

luzianne,

Thank you so much for the info!

I have checked some of the Overland Park Apartments and sent her the links. She budgeted her rent around $600. So that gives her only limited choices. But I found some apartments that have her price range. The ratings are around 40-50%. As long as it is in a safe neighborhood, some of the shortcomings of the apartments are ok.

Are the Shawnee, Mission, Roland Park area, as well as zip code 66104, 66102, 66106 areas are overall ok neighborhoods?

Thank you again. Have a wonderful day!

[luzianne]

Well, those zip codes that you listed are all Kansas City, Kansas/Wyandotte County and she'd really be better off up north than there. The $600 rent limit is a problem in Johnson County, but I will search around a little more when I have more time,

[cls88]

Thank you so much, luzianne. I greatly appreciate for all your help and the time you spent.

She found someone who will rent her a room from their home. I think that's probably the best arrangement, since she will be gone so much and the home owners can enjoy some private time while getting some income.

All the best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

[kcmo]

80% travel? As frequent traveler, there would be no question. I would live as close to the airport as possible and since KCI is in a nice part of KC, that’s a great opion. You can quickly get to KCI and never have to factor in potential traffic delays etc. You are at least 30 minutes from KCI from anywhere in Johnson County (even Shawnee, Roeland Park etc) and you never know what might delay your commute to KCI. Also, for longer trips, a cab would be cheaper than parking at the airport where a cab from any place in Kansas would be very expensive. Plus if you have a flight delay, you can just stay home and wait out a flight delay and then head to the airport quickly if the delay begins to shorten or something. You can’t do that if you live far from the airport, you just have to go to the airport and wait it out and KCI is not a fun place to wait out a delay.

The Northland has a lot of apartments in all price ranges and is just as safe as any other metro area suburb and most of the Northland is under ten years old. However, you will likely run into some troubled apartment complexes in the lower price ranges. That goes for Johnson County too as they have some pretty rough and crime ridden apartment complexes. There are some around Oak Park Mall and out in Olathe that are real bad. Personally, I would guess you would find a much nicer place in the Northland for the same amount of money, so if you are worried about cost (which is sounds like you are), then paying more just to be in Johnson County would not be all that wise.

It sounds like they found a place. Renting out a room is a great way to get acclimated with the metro. That’s what I did in the DC area before my family moved out here.

I just thought I would give my advice.

[luzianne]

I agree that you can find something in the northland that is nicer for the same price as Johnson County. I disagree about living close to the airport for the reasons I stated before: She will only be going to the airport once or twice a week. It's not a big deal to drive from Johnson County to the airport once or twice a week. Presumably she will be traveling and staying in the other cities for a week or so at a time, not flying in and out every few days. But the 20% of the time she is working in Overland Park, she would have to drive each day to Overland Park from the northland if she lived there. That makes no sense to me. I'd rather drive north once or twice a week than be close to the airport and have to drive from there to Overland Park over and over again.

But finding a decent apartment in Johnson County for $600 a month is going to be a challenge. I don't think there are really any apartment complexes in Johnson County that are as crime ridden as you make it sound. But there are places with more than average crime and places that I wouldn't want to live. And those are the places with the lowest rent, of course.

I think if the OP's daughter could swing more like $750 a month in rent, Johnson County is her best bet. If not, then I agree the northland would be a better option because she can get a better apartment in her price range than she would find in Johnson County. But there are places in the northland that aren't good too, more than in Johnson County.

It's not like KCI has a lot of flight delays. I have NEVER had a flight delayed there.

[kcmo]

Oh, there are some pretty bad apartment complexes in JoCo. They may not be as bad as some in the inner city, but they are high crime. That one southwest of 95th and Quivira is bad. I’m sure there are some in the Northland as well. Most of the bad ones are down southeast in the older parts of the Northland near Vivion, Chouteau etc. I think if you stay in the I-29 or 152 corridor, you will be fine, but just like JoCo, you are probably not likely to find much in that price rang in those areas. The one place I can think of is an older complex called Hunters Glen. It’s near 72nd and I-29 in a very nice area. They still rent for around $600 and I think that’s still a decent apartment complex. I think for that price range, that’s about as good as it gets. You always have a chance of living next to morons in an apartment complex no matter where you live. And I don’t have any idea, nor do I care if the Northland has “more” bad apartments. You have zero facts to back that up and it’s really irrelevant to the conversation.

I do agree that you would need to decide which is more important, the daily commute or the access to the airport. That’s up to them. I’m just saying, that for the money, you will get a lot more up north and if you fly a lot, it’s nice to be near the airport. KCI gets delays all the time, they are weather delays or delays caused by other airports, but if you fly a lot, you will encounter delays. Plus, like I mentioned, you have options of taking a cab to the airport etc.

But yea, then you are commuting to Overland Park all the time. So it’s a double edged sword.