Type of apartment question (Arlington, Alexandria: apartment complex, for rent, condos)

[prairiestate]

Is it possible to rent an apartment in NOVA that is not part of a big apartment complex. Something along the lines of a privately owned building, with 12 units or less, located in or near a residential area, facing the street (as opposed to facing the parking lot of a big complex)? What towns would have such a thing? Where would I find listings for privately owned units? I haven't had any luck with Craigslist or local newspaper sites, notably the Washington Post, which just links to apartments.com. I'm not moving immediately, but would like to put my soon to be acquired masters degree to work for the federal government. Therefore, price and location are unimportant right now. I'm just wondering if anything like this exists.

[pcity]

That's going to be tough. Craigslist is definitely the place to look in this area, but with that criteria, I'm not surprised you're not finding anything. There aren't a lot of small apartment buildings around.

People who want condos facing the street generally also want to be in a commercial area, not a residential one, so as to be part of the action. Condos above the shops in Old Town Alexandria would fit the bill here.

People who want a residential neighborhood would usually prefer townhouses or houses over condos and apartments. Tons of these for rent around as well.

A small apartment building, facing the street, in a residential area is going to be just about impossible to find. Why not just look for townhouses?

[cdmurphy]

When my husband was single, he lived in a small garden apartment building in Arlington - just a few blocks from Iwo Jima, and a short walk to the Rosslyn Metro. It was more than 12 units, but still small (we used to jokingly say that it was like "Melrose Place"). His building never advertised - if there was a vacancy, they'd put a flyer up by the mailboxes. Word of mouth kept that place occupied.

Here's a list from Arlington County that provides the number and types of units for each apartment complex. Just glancing through, I see several that are smaller buildings. This document is from 2005, though, so for more up-to-date information, you should look up any interesting places in the Arlington County Apartment Guide (also from the County).