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Ok, I realize that title is on the long side. I'm at the very start of my search. I've looked at places on RILiving.com, Rent.com, Apartments.com, Apartmentguide.com, and a few other sites along those lines. What I haven't been able to find is a description or some info that I am interested in. I'd be moving late Spring/early Summer...from what I've read, that might be a hell of time.
For background, I'll be working at the Newport Naval Station. I'm transferring from Chicago where I'm living in a small studio (about 14x14 at the widest points w/a separate closet, bathroom, but w/one wall being the kitchen appliances and radiator heat). My current building is on the old/very vintage side. It has been maintained, but by no means updated. I'm used to driving 45mins-60mins to get to work each day. However, my neighborhood is very walkable-I only drive to work. I'm a few blocks from the grocery store, about a mile from my gym, and then half a mile there are numerous restaurants/bars.
In the bulk of my searches (at the above sites plus Craigs List), not that many studios came up. Are they rare for that area?
Here's what I'm looking for:
Studio or 1 bedroom.
$750-800 w/heat
Within a 45min drive of the Naval Station
Ideally, walking distance to at least a grocery store.
College-orientated areas are AOK, but not looking to live above a 3AM bar (again...that wasn't fun).
I'd rather err on the side of being in a city/neighborhood environment as opposed to in the middle of the country.
stove/oven, refrigerator, sink...no deep sinks w/a hot plate setups.
Parking-street parking is fine with me.
Location wise, I've looked at buildings in Bristol, Portsmoth, Warwick, Fall River, Providence, and then Newport. I'm a fan of the arts, good/craft beer, and music. So, I'd like to be in an area that either has some sort of public transit or at least has cabs available regularly.
What utilities are typically included?
Any suggestions for areas to look?
What should I reasonably expect to pay for what I'm looking for?
I'll ditto the Daily News suggestion -- I got lucky years ago and snagged a very nice rental house that was only posted there, not Craigslist or with realtors.
Do check CL, though, I think even my former internet-clueless landlord uses that now.
That said, your price range with heat is very unlikely for Newport itself unless you're sharing a place with roommates. Maybe $1000-$1200 without heat. Sounds like you've figured that out, but yeah, I'll confirm it. That kind of price is *really* unlikely at the time you're talking about moving, which is a peak period there. A landlord who ends up with an unexpected vacancy in November might well give someone a great deal. A LL with an unexpected vacancy in May will probably do weekly summer rentals and look for a new lease in September.
There are some apartment complexes right near the base in Newport and Middletown that might hit your range, but do check them out thoroughly. They look pretty downscale, small and crowded with lots of little kids, many section 8 tennants, lots of police action. Regular posters here know that I'm in favor of urban and diverse, but I'd really hesitate about those.
Sometimes you can also find good prices on something more downtown-ish in Newport that has other disadvantages, like it's a 200 year old building and the apt is up 3 flights of stairs so narrow that fat friends can't visit you, the floors have 5 degree slopes, and the entire apt has two electrical outlets on a 5 amp fuse.
ocngypz, thanks for the tip. I'll check those areas out a bit more thoroughly. The bit about the typically included utilities tells me that I'll look to cut some costs somewhere else...e.g. beer or not going out to eat as much rather than rent.
neguy99, yeah. Newport seems a lot nicer than North Chicago/Great Lakes, so I assumed I'd have to have a bit of commute to hit the price range that I'm looking for. The tip about the mega-plex style buildings near base being not quite the neighborhood that I'd like to live in, also helps out a lot!
I just glanced at CL myself, and my 1000-1200 might have been a bit high. I don't think 800 with heat is likely (w/o major tradeoffs), but 800-1000 without heat looks doable in Newport.
Do mention your Navy connection. Many landlords will give discounts, even if not advertised, to Navy people working at the base (including civilian employees).
You also need to make sure you're looking at a year round price and not a winter rental only.
This is a key point, if you're looking at Newport. I rented an apartment in a private building right on Annandale (a block from the Cliffwalk), and moved in one February. The rent was $600 + utilities.. until May when she wanted $1400/mo through August, then back down to $600. I ended up staying, as I loved the location, and it worked out to be $866/mo year round.
But definitely check to see if the rate you're seeing now, in December, is the year-round rate.
It def sounds like the "usual" is different there than it is here.
I never thought about the whole vacation rental scene playing a factor. Here, you avoid looking for an apartment around the time that colleges go back since the students typically snap up the cheaper ones.
That Van Zandt rental would be a good fit to what OP wants (though timing is wrong since avail now).
In general, MMB, the blocks off of Van Zandt are a good neighborhood for you to target: very convenient to the base, within walking distance of Broadway and Thames (the drags with the bars and restaurants) but off the tourist path enough that it's much cheaper and has easier parking. It is not picket-fence suburbia safe and quiet, but it's not bad either, blue collar, not poor. On the other hand, between Broadway and Warner are some Section 8 projects that I'd probably avoid.
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