May rent sight unseen..need some input please! (Manchester: apartment, rental)

[delargura]

Hey guys,

We are currently having a tough time with our renting situation in STL. We live in Bloomington, IN and to make a long story short, we secured a place in the Skinker-DeBaliviere area. It's a fantastic place for an even better price point. Unfortunately, the current tenants are having issues with a home they are trying to purchase pushing back our move-in date. I am none too happy about that, but I don't want to lose out on the area and the apt. Sorry, this ended up being too long!!

Can anyone tell me about this area:

***All Electric Apt for Rent!!! Open House Sunday 10:00-12:00PM***

The address is 4513 Gibson

I am aware that this area is up and coming, but how safe is it really?
I know its all perspective, but we have a 3 yr old daughter and enjoy taking walks in the neighborhood. Is this feasible? The rent is extremely low..is it because it's still a bit on the sketchy side?

I appreciate any and all input.

[jribe]

Hi,
how big is that apartment that you're considering? If you have a 3yr old i might suggest somewhere else; however it's hard to say not knowing the rest of your info. Are you trying to walk to work for BJC; what's your rental range, etc.

I did a quick search on the area and there is a sex offender in the 4500 block of Arco; in the last 2 months there has been four assaults, one robbery, three breakins and three vehicle thefts in close proximity to your prospective rental (basically around Chouteu, Arco, Gibson and Newstead)

[aragx6]

That's definitely not Skinker-DeBaliviere (maybe you just got them switched up?) it's the Grove, which is a fun neighborhood but definitely one still in the transitional phase. Can you give me an idea of what kinds of places you've lived before? I don't know much about Bloomington, but the Grove isn't necessarily a neighborhood I would recommend if you haven't got a ton of experience living in the city.

It's by no means some war-torn hellhole, but violent crime does appear to happen a touch more frequently than in other parts of the city, and there aren't, from what I've seen, a ton of other families in the immediate area, so you might end up feeling a little cut off. Something in Tower Grove South or Skinker-Debaliviere or even Southampton might be a better fit for you.

Please feel free to ask any additional questions as you have them!

[stlma]

I would recommend the "Dogtown" area of St Louis -- you can walk to a ton of little shops, they have a great Daycare there (Developmental Childcare) Developmental Child Care - Coming Soon
it is walking distance (or biking) to Forest Park (sits on the Zoo side).

[zach_33]

I think that area would be fine for a young couple, but I don't think I would elect to live there with a 3-year old. The wedge bounded by Kingshighway, Taylor, Manchester, and Chouteau is the most desirable section of The Grove, and there are some nice buildings east of there between Taylor and Newstead as well, but after that it is not as nice. The commercial district between Newstead and Boyle along Manchester has become very popular with the LGBT crowd, so the area is earmarked for sustained gentrification, but parts are still quite rough. There have been frequent alerts sent out to employees at Barnes and Children's to beware when using the pedestrian bridge spanning I-64 between Kingshighway and Taylor due to a persistent robbery issue.