Safe living at a good price around UM? (Memphis, Central: apartments, rentals)

[theparenthesis]

Hi, all. I found this board today, and much of it has frightened me! My situation is this: I've been accepted to a grad program at UM, and am very excited about the program. My boyfriend may or may not live in Memphis with me, so it's very possible I would need to find a place on my own.

I haven't made my final decision between Memphis and another school, but a lot of it will depend on how well I can live, by myself, on not a lot of money. I don't want to be too far from the school, and I also don't want to pay $1000 a month for a 1-bed. I've only seen listings on craigslist and rent.com and, on there, I've been looking at places in Midtown and around UM. But I'm not sure what streets/areas are worth looking into and what areas are undergraduate housing areas (which I don't think I'd be into, at this time).

So, I guess my main question is - is it possible to rent a decent 1-bed apartment in a safe part of the city for 500-600 dollars? Or is that price range not even going to cut it?

Thank you!

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by theparenthesis

Hi, all. I found this board today, and much of it has frightened me! My situation is this: I've been accepted to a grad program at UM, and am very excited about the program. My boyfriend may or may not live in Memphis with me, so it's very possible I would need to find a place on my own.

I haven't made my final decision between Memphis and another school, but a lot of it will depend on how well I can live, by myself, on not a lot of money. I don't want to be too far from the school, and I also don't want to pay $1000 a month for a 1-bed. I've only seen listings on craigslist and rent.com and, on there, I've been looking at places in Midtown and around UM. But I'm not sure what streets/areas are worth looking into and what areas are undergraduate housing areas (which I don't think I'd be into, at this time).

So, I guess my main question is - is it possible to rent a decent 1-bed apartment in a safe part of the city for 500-600 dollars? Or is that price range not even going to cut it?

Thank you!

It depends on what you mean by "decent." Yes, you can find a decent and safe apartment in that price range by the U of M or in any of the better parts of Memphis. "Luxury" 1br apartments are going to start around $750.

[Pearlbob]

Agreed - your definition of safe might be different than others. Memphis on a whole is not a "safe" city but you can find plenty of good streets and neighborhoods in town, and near UM. I woud steer clear of anything south of Central or more than a block or two away - south of campus is bad. Also keep in mind the highly used train tracks that go thru campus.

What is your other option for a school? It should be easy to compare the cities, if that is what you are basing most of your decision on.

[strumpeace]

Try to find a neighborhood with its own private security force. They're are a few of those within a couple of miles of the U of M.

[theparenthesis]

Well, all in a span of two days, it seems Memphis is definitely the place and the boyfriend will be coming with me. I guess we'll be moving July-August from Boston. I've heard that Midtown/Cooper-Young is a good area for students and young professionals, and I think that is where we will try to place ourselves. Are there any areas/streets we should steer away from? I've seen places on S. Cooper, as well - is that the same street/area?

Also, a more general question is - how does the rental market work in Memphis? I am in Property Management in Boston, and you'll find many people (especially students) typically set up rentals many months in advance (sometimes a year ahead) and it's more rare, though not unheard of, to find people looking to move within 30 days. In my search in Memphis, I've found listings mostly for things that are already vacant, or available very very soon. Is this typical for the area? Should I wait until the beginning of summer to really begin searching?

Thanks!

Ashley

[Pearlbob]

Unlike a lot of college towns (and maybe other major cities, not sure) things rent within days here. As in, you can go today, move in tomorrow in a lot of rentals. If you are talking about a large corporate complex, you might be able to plan more in advance, but not necessarily. I would start looking a month in advance, see what is out there, and inquire....the worst you can find out is that you'll need to wait another couple weeks to really start planning.

But it's always good to research complexes and neighborhoods well in advance.

It's impossible to give street names to steer clear of. It goes good to bad pretty quickly, especially in midtown. If you find a specific address or intersection, feel free to post it and people can give exact opinions.

[Pearlbob]

Try not to take things out of context. Girls were recently shot and killed on the campuses of North Carolina, Clemson, and of course Virginia Tech previously. That does not make them dangerous campuses.

That being said, the area just south of UM is pretty bad,l but things north, west, and east are fine.

Originally Posted by FLsun

Lots of old and run down places in Midtown, depending on what street, but Cooper-Young isn`t exactly `nice`. It is if you like real OLD houses and old depressing apartment buildings.(BTW- Places like the Evergreen district neighborhood, family neighborhoods by the zoo, etc. are beautiful old neighborhoods with beautiful historical homes. I`m not talking about those great places.) Quite a bit of crimes have been reported this past year or so on the U of M campus and surrounding areas. A male student was shot and killed last fall, and recently there were reports on the news about a rape and girls being followed, and robbed. Like every month or two theres crime on that campus. And when in Midtown, just know that you are always close to crack houses.

[tsw]

Originally Posted by theparenthesis

Hi, all. I found this board today, and much of it has frightened me! My situation is this: I've been accepted to a grad program at UM, and am very excited about the program. My boyfriend may or may not live in Memphis with me, so it's very possible I would need to find a place on my own.

I haven't made my final decision between Memphis and another school, but a lot of it will depend on how well I can live, by myself, on not a lot of money. I don't want to be too far from the school, and I also don't want to pay $1000 a month for a 1-bed. I've only seen listings on craigslist and rent.com and, on there, I've been looking at places in Midtown and around UM. But I'm not sure what streets/areas are worth looking into and what areas are undergraduate housing areas (which I don't think I'd be into, at this time).

So, I guess my main question is - is it possible to rent a decent 1-bed apartment in a safe part of the city for 500-600 dollars? Or is that price range not even going to cut it?

Thank you!

Try Autobon Downs on 2639 Central Ave. A 2 bedroom goes for $540.00 per month . The managers name is Brenda and the number is 901-458-3566.
It is pretty safe. OLD and needs lots of work but affordeble for a student.

[kcnative]

I would also suggest Duplexes in the area. THere are a fair number of them around campus. You'll most likely have to drive around and find them though, as many don't (need to) advertise.

Also try the High Point area, just north of campus, but south of Summer avenue. They are decent houses, provided that neighborhood hasn't gone under.

I'm sad to hear about the area south of campus...that's where I spent a lot of my time while in school (just off of Spottswood). That's the second time I've heard that, and it's too bad.