Apartments in Bellevue area??? (leasing agent, appliances, house)

[chigirlgoescountry]

I'm looking for apartments in the Bellevue area, since my current lease will be ending soon and I am not happy with the current place. I'm a grad student so I don't have a very high budget, however I would rather spend a bit more on rent if it means staying in a safer neighborhood. The only places I am finding cheaper apartments seem to be "sketchy" areas and being a girl, I don't want to have to worry about that.

Any suggestions for apartments in Bellevue area or other areas close by?

[springisnew13]

Originally Posted by chigirlgoescountry

I'm looking for apartments in the Bellevue area, since my current lease will be ending soon and I am not happy with the current place. I'm a grad student so I don't have a very high budget, however I would rather spend a bit more on rent if it means staying in a safer neighborhood. The only places I am finding cheaper apartments seem to be "sketchy" areas and being a girl, I don't want to have to worry about that.

Any suggestions for apartments in Bellevue area or other areas close by?

Chigirl - I'm in the same situation, except that I'm moving from out of state in late May. Bellevue is one of the areas I'm looking at and I visited a few apartments this past weekend.

What's your budget range, if you don't mind me asking? I'm trying to save money to purchase a house in the next year or so, I'm trying to be frugal when it comes to a lease.

I visited the Lakes of Bellevue and Colonial Grand. Here's the pros and cons of each (in my humble opinion):

Lakes of Bellevue:

Pros: More affordable, seemed quiet, the lakes were a nice touch. The person I talked to/worked with is BY FAR the friendliest, most helpful person I've encountered so far in this entire process.

Cons: I've heard rumblings about safety issues of this complex. Some of the neighbors didn't look very clean/liked to keep a lot of "stuff" on their patios, which concerned me. I personally didn't care to pay $25/month for their valet trash service (granted, I don't pay anything for trash now, so maybe I'm biased).

Colonial Grand:

Pros: The apartment I saw was spotless and super clean. I loved the layout of the apartment and the size. The appliances were more modern than a lot of other places I've looked at. It seems like a very quiet, calm complex. I didn't see any sketchy people while I was there. It seemed very safe.

Cons: It's pricey. It would be a stretch for me (budget-wise), and I ultimately decided I'd rather save more money to put towards a home than renting an apartment.

[CountryGirl2b=]

You two should think about sharing. No 2 bed/2 bath available at the moment at the Colonial Grand but there IS a THREE bed/2 bath for less than $1300. $650 each!

One can have two bedrooms - a bedroom and a living room at the far end. The other can have a bedroom and the living room . . . could work!!!

Split cable, electricity, etc . . really good for saving money . . . .

[springisnew13]

Originally Posted by CountryGirl2b=

You two should think about sharing. No 2 bed/2 bath available at the moment at the Colonial Grand but there IS a THREE bed/2 bath for less than $1300. $650 each!

One can have two bedrooms - a bedroom and a living room at the far end. The other can have a bedroom and the living room . . . could work!!!

Split cable, electricity, etc . . really good for saving money . . . .

That's a great deal for a 3-bedroom in a nice area! Unfortunately, I will never do the roommate thing again after my last experience. I will gladly pay more for quiet and peace of mind.

[CountryGirl2b=]

I DO understand . . but sometimes you get a perfect one! And in apartments, a lot has to do with your neighbor through the wall. Might save you $6,000 over the course of a year ($500 a month).

[chigirlgoescountry]

Springisnew13- I have to agree with you on the whole no roommate thing... just not worth the stress I went through with the last experience especially when I have enough to stress about with school.

I am trying to stay between 740-860$ for a 1 bedroom, although since I've started looking in the past couple weeks I have seen rates in the Bellevue area increase quite a fair amount, so hopefully I can still stay in this range. I also checked out Lakes of Bellevue and thought they were nice and what I'd expect for the price. I liked that it was quiet but I had hear that they have problems with bugs, specifically roaches in the summer. I realize in wooded areas you can't avoid that it seems, however the place I live at now will come and spray every week if you ask them and I have never seen anything concerning. I asked the leasing agent there about this and I appreciate that she was honest and didn't try to deny it, but she did admit that they are bad in the summer there. It is much more closer to my price range, I just don't know if the potential bug situation is worth it.

I have not checked Colonial Grand, it is definitely at the higher/highest end of my budget unfortunately. I have also looked at Waterford Place, and am looking at Crossings of Bellevue later this week. Waterford place was just ok.. It was definitely a lot louder since it's right off of US-70 so unless you get one of the back units, there's quite a bit of noise. The girl that helped me there couldn't answer some of my questions (maybe she was new?) so that was a bit frustrating.

I also thought about looking near the Vandy/Belmont area, but it's been hard to find places online in that area that are not luxury apartments and way over my budget. A couple people have suggested just driving in that area because most apartments in that area don't have websites and won't be found online, so I may try doing that. Does anyone know of any apartments/rentals near Vandy or Belmont area that I should check out?

[Lori Brewer]

I lived in Grande View for two years while in school and absolutely loved it. That was several years ago though, so things may have changed.