Finding an apartment (Tampa, Bell: for sale, apartment complexes, foreclosures)

[ManFromMaine]

Hi - My partner is moving to Tampa the first of December to begin a new job - I'll follow him when we sell our house in Maine. We have researched where we would like to live and have decided that the Hyde Park area would be a good match. Our housing budget is $1000/month and we just need 1 bedroom. My question is: Other than Craigslist, are there other venues for finding apartments for rent? We have been in contact with Apartment Hunters and most of their listings seem to be large apartment complexes in more suburban areas. We are not opposed to a complex, but don't want to be so far away from downtown Tampa. We are coming to Tampa on October 29 to November 1 to actually look for a place, but would appreciate any advice folks could give about resources in addition to Craigslist. We don't know anyone who lives in the Tampa area, so have no one to ask. Thanks for reading this long post and for any help/advice you have to offer.

[Keeper]

TBO.com is the local newspaper website that has classifieds. Are you wanting to rent in a complex or private rental? Maybe one of the realtors who post here can tell you if there are any listed that are private.

[craigm1841]

it would be wise to rent from a complex. With the economy the way it is and foreclosure rates so high, it is a safe bet to rent from a company as opposed to a private individual.

Have a look at apartmentguides.com. There is some decent stuff in hyde park but it is hit or miss with rentals. Downtown is pretty dead with the exception of channelside. Hyde park is definitely my #1 spot. Also check out westshore. near Intl Plaza.

If I were moving to hyde park I would check out "Post Hyde Park"
Luxury Apartment Homes - Post Properties - Furnished Apartments - Retail - Condominiums

I actually recently chose to move to Westshore. Best advice i could give, as a renter and a property owner is take advantage of the bad market, find a newer place that was intended to be condos but had to be turned into rentals due to lack of buyers (you will find that these properties are FAR better quality and have better amenities). These places also have MASSIVE discounts off of market value due to low occupancy.

The following were all originally intended to be condos. I have personally toured all of the properties. (I eventually went with phillips because of the deals and the Intl Plaza Mall across the street:

Westshore - http://www.phillipsinternationaldrive.com/
South Westshore - http://www.casabellaonwestshore.com/
Downtown - http://elementofyou.com/ (little pricey, 1400+)
Channelside - http://www.grandcentralatkennedy.com/

[kamorra2]

I agree with craig that if you decide to rent from an individual, be really careful. There's a lot of foreclosures going on. I found my place through realtor.com. They list rentals as well as sales. They have a lot of houses for rent.

[mquintana]

Very good advice. There has been many landlords taking rent and not paying the mortgage. Websites to check out are:
www.apartmentguide.com
www.apartmentfinders.com
www.forrent.com
www.mynewplace.com (mention this when viewing and you get $200 if you lease there and claim your lease online)
www.rent.com (make sure to mention this when you view the apt. you can go back on here after you lease a place and claim your lease to get a prepaid $100 credit card)

These are the best sites.

Originally Posted by craigm1841

it would be wise to rent from a complex. With the economy the way it is and foreclosure rates so high, it is a safe bet to rent from a company as opposed to a private individual.

Have a look at apartmentguides.com. There is some decent stuff in hyde park but it is hit or miss with rentals. Downtown is pretty dead with the exception of channelside. Hyde park is definitely my #1 spot. Also check out westshore. near Intl Plaza.

If I were moving to hyde park I would check out "Post Hyde Park"
Luxury Apartment Homes - Post Properties - Furnished Apartments - Retail - Condominiums

I actually recently chose to move to Westshore. Best advice i could give, as a renter and a property owner is take advantage of the bad market, find a newer place that was intended to be condos but had to be turned into rentals due to lack of buyers (you will find that these properties are FAR better quality and have better amenities). These places also have MASSIVE discounts off of market value due to low occupancy.

The following were all originally intended to be condos. I have personally toured all of the properties. (I eventually went with phillips because of the deals and the Intl Plaza Mall across the street:

Westshore - Phillips International Drive Apartments for Rent in Tampa Florida: Home
South Westshore - Casa Bella on Westshore - Tampa, FL Apartments
Downtown - Element | It Becomes You (little pricey, 1400+)
Channelside - notthesuburbs.com

[ManFromMaine]

Thanks for the advice. It is way helpful!

[TampaKaren]

You can search for privately owned rentals (homes/townhouses/condos) at Homes for sale and apartments for rent – Move.com. Good luck!

[Annie of Oldsmar]

Apartments for Rent in 33606 + 10 miles - TBO Classifieds

Another site for your search.

[mquintana]

No prob!

Originally Posted by ManFromMaine

Thanks for the advice. It is way helpful!

[ManFromMaine]

Again, thanks for the help. We were in Tampa last weekend looking for a place and looked at about 20 from New Tampa to Davis Islands. We have had a change of plans and now one of my partner's children is moving with us, so we need 2 bedrooms. We are considering a condo that is for rent at the Atrium on Bayshore - anyone on this forum live there? Anything you can tell us about it? Again, thanks for your help.