Indiana (possible) transplant (Kansas City, Lee's Summit, California: apartments, to rent, how much)

[ctrent613]

Hello everyone! Husband and I are most likely moving to KC in the beginning of March. His job is being transferred however I am left without a job. We are looking to rent in KC to start with.

So my questions are, where can we find a 1-2 bedroom apartment, cat friendly, preferably with some charm (or even older houses that are cut into apartments), in a safe enough neighborhood where I don't have to look over my shoulder on the way from my car to the building? Budget will probably be highest around 500-600 at most.

How hard is it to find a full time job in KC? I'd love to work a Monday-Fri deal but I'm flexible.

We are living in Fort Wayne right now and there are quite a few bike trails in the area and from what I'm hearing it is not like that in KC is that true?

I'm a big fan of the urban, hip, older buildings.

Any other things I should know about KC before we move?

Thanks in advance!

[ctrent613]

oh shoot, I forgot to ask about Google fiber. what's the deal with that? is it running? why is kc the only place with it? someone help.

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

Your budget of $500-$600 will give you limited options, but you should be able to find something. For urban, hip, older buildings at your budget, you will want to look in the Midtown area - from 47th to 25th St., State Line Rd to Troost Ave. Check out padmmaper, craigslist, zillow, etc.

The difficulty or ease in find a job really depends on your field and what you are willing to take on as a job. If you're not too picky and just looking for something to pay the bills while you are getting settled, I don't think it is too difficult to find something.

Google Fiber is up and running in KC, but is still in the installation process in some suburbs (and some cities aren't even in line to get it). Availability is dependent upon the apartment building (if the landlord signed up for it or not). Here is the basic info: https://fiber.google.com/cities/kansascity/home/

[ctrent613]

thank you for your help!

[Bluefox]

Hi there! Welcome to Kansas City. I'm a Hoosier as well, I grew up in Valpo and I've been in KC for a bit over a year. I have been pleasantly surprised with this city, it's grown on me quite a bit and while I originally intended to only stay here for a year or two for career purposes before I came here, I think I'm going to actually stay a bit longer than that .

You shouldn't have a big problem finding a 1BR with the upper limit of your budget in places like Hyde Park and Waldo if you are diligent about searching. And mayyyybe Westport or Volker if you happen to find a good deal, though Westport is sorta booming right now and rents seem to be going up. Anyway, those are the neighborhoods that are abundant in older buildings with some character (craftsman, hardwood, etc). But these may be pretty basic apartments with few amenities (no in unit W/D, dishwasher, etc). A 2BR will be tough at that price point. I've found most places are cat friendly but many places will charge a pet deposit of between 200-300, half of which is generally nonrefundable. Some places may charge a further pet rent of anywhere between 15-30 per pet per month. Keep in mind these fees are not normally disclosed in the listing so you will have to inquire about it. As Wise Owl says, you'll want to stay west of Troost... this isn't a uniform line of demarcation but generally you don't want to stray more than a few blocks east of that street.

KC does have a few biking trails. There is the Riverfront Heritage Bike Trail along the river. Swope Park has some pretty good mtn bike trails. Lee's Summit, a nearby suburb, has some excellent biking as well. Also, there is KC Critical Mass which meets the last Friday of the month, year round weather permitting. They meet in Westport at the Sunfresh Market parking lot. Another thing you should know is that despite the stereotype of the Midwest being flat, KC is a pretty hilly city. Some hills are very steep so that's something you may want to check out beforehand before doing a route.

KC was selected as the pilot city for Google Fiber - I don't actually know why Google decided on KC, but I was certainly not upset about it . It is now in a few other cities as well. It's becoming more and more pervasive in KC and most apartments will advertise if they have it.

As far as other things to know... I'm not sure how familiar you are with Indy but it's the closest city near Ft. Wayne similar to KC. IMO KC is much better. The big things that set it apart IMO are the Plaza (once you go to the Plaza you'll get what I'm saying - nothing like it in IN), the River Market area/City Market, and the museums (namely the Nelson-Atkins, but there are a number of other really good ones like the Steamboat Arabia and the WWI Museum). KC also has an IKEA which is a petty difference I know but a plus to have. KC also has a very rich history. A Civil War battle was fought in Westport, and KC played a huge role in the westward expansion as it was at the confluence of the Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails. Also, Westport would be KC's version of Broad Ripple but I like Westport quite a bit better - less "college"-ey with a bigger focus on dining and a wider variety of nightlife options. Check out kcmo's sticky at the top of the subforum for more info.

As far as weather goes, KC winters are a great deal milder than Northern Indiana winters. I'm not sure how much lake effect snow Ft. Wayne gets but living in Valpo, we were consistently hammered with snow off of Lake Michigan. KC's annual accumulation is pretty low. Another thing I've noticed is that last winter and this winter have had a lot of sunny days. It's funny too because people seem to freak out here if they get a few inches (i.e. school/church closings). That never happened in IN unless it was 6+ inches. KC does get COLD to be sure, last winter I believe we did get into the negatives, but it's never consistently cold. We usually won't go more than a few days without a decent warmup. We've had several days in December and January in the 60s and 70s this season. Winter driving has been pretty easy the past two winters. Ice was a bigger issue than snow last year, neither have been an issue this year (knock on wood). The drawback is that summers are quite hot. You won't want to be outside too much in July/August. The humidity is actually a bit better than in IN IMO, but it doesn't do much when it's so hot out.

[TabulaRasa]

A 1BR will be possible at that price point, but it will limit your neighborhood choices quite a bit, and will more than likely be in an area where you will want to maintain the standard amount of awareness of your surroundings as in any inner city area. Plenty of older buildings, though, especially in student-heavy areas.

It's a very neat city...I moved here from Northern IL...you'll generally enjoy milder winters, but that's offset with more heat/humidity than you might be used to summers (check on A/C in those older rehabbed units, for sure).

How easy work will be to find will really be dependent upon your field and your goals.

[Bluefox]

Beautiful 2BD near Westportw/Balcony
fresh remodeled, Hyde Park close to Westport
Spacious 2bedroom walking distance to Westport
Great Space, Classic Vintage Look, Minutes from Downtown!

These are a few I found that seem to match what you're looking for. Keep in mind the second one is close to Troost, and the first is in Westport but that particular block isn't the greatest in terms of safety. It's not necessarily unsafe, but it's not the greatest.

[ctrent613]

thanks everyone. It is very helpful. Turns out needs have changed, we are expecting and are now looking for a 2-3 bedroom. Possible apartment or townhome, budget is now 700-1000 at most. Preferably a garage.