Apartment for $400-$500. Am I too optimistic? (Apple Valley, St. Louis Park: sublet, apartments)

[MNTwins]

Hey everyone! I've exhausted every apartment search website on the web and am unfortunately not finding what I'm looking for so I figured I'd see if anyone here knows any secrets.

I'm a 22 year old male and I just graduated from the U this past semester. Sadly ,with the end of college comes the end of student loans to fall back on for rent. I'm currently living in a studio apartment in St. Louis Park which runs $686/mo. + utilities. My lease runs through July .

I begin a full time job in early July. With what I'll be making , I don't want to pay more than $500 per month. I would pay $550 if I absolutely had to. All attempts to find a roommate have also failed.

I've found several rental options in my price range, however they're all single rooms in a boarding house with shared kitchen/bath / etc. I'm a huge privacy freak and this would be extremely uncomfortable for me. I'm wondering if there exist any studio or one-bedroom apartments in my range that would put me at a 25 minute or less commute to my job at Hwy. 169 & Bren Rd. I don't care about the neighborhood or whether the building is fancy or a wreck.

Any advice that would help me prevent the boarding house situation ( or any direction as far as where to look!) would be greatly appreciated!

[Tom Dempsey's Left Foot]

Originally Posted by MNTwins

I'm a 22 year old male and I just graduated from the U.

Sweet! Same here.

Jzeig already gave you a bunch of good options, albeit with some involving shared bathrooms/kitchens and stuff like that (although some of those are really nice...damn, look at that one on Hennepin and 15th. I love me a fireplace). Unfortunately, you're not going to find too much within a sub-$500 price range that aren't house-or-room sharing, though if you were looking more at sub-$600 a place like Cedar Valley in Apple Valley or Portland Terrace in Richfield would do pretty well. Sub-$500 is kinda like finding a unicorn in a haystack, unfortunately.

I'd just recommend keeping an eye out on Craigslist just in case an apartment or sublet does open up, but even with the privacy situation I'd also recommend checking out some of the house-sharing places that come up. I'm more of a private person myself, but I'm living with 3 other guys right now for around $450 a month and it ain't too bad. Except for the neighbors, who play ukulele's at 2 in the morning and are all-around terrible people, but I assume that happens less in places like St. Louis Park and the western suburbs where you're looking, though.

[golfgal]

Find a 2 bedroom apartment and get a roommate?

[gweilo845]

$400 is way too low. That wouldn't even get you a studio in a (sometimes) sketchy area like Stevens Square.

I did rent a studio in Loring Park for $525 and it was decent. But I think prices have gone up since I moved.

[StPaulGal]

Originally Posted by MNTwins

Am I too optimistic?

Frankly, yes. I charged more than that when I was renting out a room in my house. I know someone who pays $625 for a studio, and that is the cheapest rent I have heard of outside of subsidized or senior housing. With your budget I am afraid you will have to be open to a share situation.

[emcee squared]

I'm in a two bedroom apartment in Seven Corners that runs at around $500 rent, $35/$50 for parking, and the only utility is electricity. If you can find a roommate, it is a great deal for being close to downtown and the U.

It is one of the few places I've found under $800.