Another one moving to St. Louis! (renter, utilities, prices)

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by EyesInTheSky

compared to most of the other cities I received offers from, St. Louis looks like a bargain. If you run across any interesting deals, feel free to send them to me. :-) I might just live in temporary housing like an Extended Stay America or something like that, until I can find the housing situation I'm looking for.

Personally, if I were moving into a town, I would recommend Extended Stay America for a few weeks. If you go on Priceline or Hotwire, you can get those places for under $30/night plus tax. Come to St. Louis, check out the various neighborhoods and see what suits YOU.

One person's "great area" is another person's nightmare and only YOU know what type of neighborhood you feel comfortable with.

St. Louis is a relative bargain compared to MANY cities.

[The Solid Truth]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Personally, if I were moving into a town, I would recommend Extended Stay America for a few weeks. If you go on Priceline or Hotwire, you can get those places for under $30/night plus tax. Come to St. Louis, check out the various neighborhoods and see what suits YOU.

One person's "great area" is another person's nightmare and only YOU know what type of neighborhood you feel comfortable with.

St. Louis is a relative bargain compared to MANY cities.

Are you familiar with the phrase "You get what you pay for"?

A "relative bargain" in STL is truly "another person's nightmare."

For hotels, stay west of I-270 and south of I-70, and you'll be OK.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

West of I-270? Why would you want to stay in the suburbs?

Renaissance Grand, Mayfair, Hilton, all in the city. No reason to stay in the suburbs. I'm sure there are some nice hotels there, but probably not better than what the city has to offer.

And if the OP wants to live in the city, then he/she had might as well stay in the city. It would certainly be closer than staying in some far-flung suburb and driving in.

[Brickmama]

I dont understand why anyone that wants to live in the city would stay west of 270. Anything west of 270 is unattractive to anyone wanting an urban big city experience. There are 100s of good hotels west of 170.

[joe stixpuck]

Originally Posted by EyesInTheSky

Joe, did you pull the trigger on a place in Soulard? Yes, it does seem rental homes are much more scarce in Soulard compared to The Hill. But as you said, St. Louis is an affordable city. For example, I was seriously considering accepting a job in Arlington, VA, but even a tiny 1-bedroom apartment in a nice complex close to work would have cost at least $1,500 (and often more) per month. And renting a whole house in the good neighborhoods of Arlington often runs $3,000 to $3,500 a month! So compared to most of the other cities I received offers from, St. Louis looks like a bargain. If you run across any interesting deals, feel free to send them to me. :-) I might just live in temporary housing like an Extended Stay America or something like that, until I can find the housing situation I'm looking for.

Not yet. Was unable to check it out over the weekend. It's kinda small for me, and not the amenities I'd like (w/d and off-street parking) but the price is right at least. Will let ya know if I get it. Another thing to watch out for in StL is whether a place has gas heat...can be pricey during winter.

Know what you're saying about the high rents in other places. I was going to do DC several years ago and the prices were nuts, but not so bad as SF, which was only affordable because of a combined income at the time. I think StL is a great place especially with the low cost of living.

Temp housing is definitely a great idea if ya want to get an idea of various neighborhoods before deciding. I did that in SF and it worked out pretty well. You'll be hard-pressed to find another place to top Soulard, but there are certainly several that are a great alternative, if not better.

[The Solid Truth]

Dude,

Laclede Gas is moderately priced - currently, but that can always go up. The nice thing is that STL doesn't really get brutally cold (maybe a rare occasion), unless you're from Phoenix or Miami.

Just please AVOID the Merchandise Mart Apartments on Washington Avenue in downtown. I know many professionals that lived there and I have heard nothing but horror stories about the place (crime, safety, maintenance issues, exorbitant parking fees, etc.).

If you have to go "City," do CWE or Lafayette Square. Don't go cheap - you'll regret it in the long run.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by The Solid Truth

For hotels, stay west of I-270 and south of I-70, and you'll be OK.

To the OP: The opinion above is one you'll here from time to time by suburbanites who can't run west quickly enough. As soon as you learn to let their whining fade into the background, you'll be much better off.

[Brickmama]

The Merchandise Mart? Really? I know a few people that have lived there and had a great experience.

[EyesInTheSky]

Thanks everyone. I've sort of picked up on this running debate about "city versus suburbs" since perusing the threads on this forum. Perhaps if I had kids I'd target the suburbs, but in my present situation I only need to be concerned about myself.

I might mention the main reason I'm looking to live in the city is because I strongly dislike being wedded to long commutes and traffic jams. I want to live close to work (hence Soulard and places like that are high on my list), hopefully have basic conveniences (such as grocery shopping and a library), and have something of a nightlife nearby. I'm not really concerned about trying to live in a diverse neighborhood--in fact I'm not entirely sure what "diverse" is really supposed to mean except non-white. I've spent most of my professional life in the minority in that regard (I work in a university research group that is dominated by foreign nationals). Sure, having lunch with people from Pakistan and Russia or attending a Southeast Asian tea party is fun and interesting, but such activities are not central to who I am. So provided the crime rate is not frighteningly high and the location is good, the ethnic and racial composition of the residents is not important to me. Thanks again for your advice!

[joe stixpuck]

Based upon the list of what ya want...that really eliminates the suburbs, which it never sounded like you were interested in anyway.

Must admit that I've also heard some negatives about Merchandise Mart lofts. Mostly had to do with construction allowing for a lot of noise to filter in from neighbors. Also that there are more partying young folk than usual compared to some of the other lofts. Can't speak for firsthand though. Had at least one friend who lived there awhile and liked it.

I don't consider a gas bill from November-March of around $300/month a 'moderately priced' utility. Mine for January was actually $570...yeah, I was shocked too. The small apartment I'm considering in Soulard was around $1800 total for last year. If it comes to a choice between a place with electric heat vs. gas it's always cheaper to go electric, and easier to budget for also.