Potential part time resident May-October help! (Corpus Christi, Ennis: spring break, apartments, lease)

[JoFo54]

We are a retired couple and are considering making Corpus Christi our May-Oct home. We we will be living overseas the other half of the year. It's difficult to visit during the pandemic but I hope we can soon. In the meantime, I'm trying to get information about where to live and what it is like that time of year, beside hot. Initially, I am planning on renting an apartment or condo for the first year and maybe buying later if all goes well. My budget is about $1,200 a month for rent, 1 or 2 bedroom. I have visited many websites and it is hard to get a clear answer about much. Apartment ratings are not much help, they are almost always direct opposite, worse place ever or paradise. That goes for the city in general also. Some say CC is a horrible place and others love it. Any real info anyone can provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[StealthRabbit]

Are you sure you want a coastal are JUST during hurricane season?

Personally I cant' recommend it, or any of TX during summer season.

Where overseas will you be living? Tropical?

[turf3]

From what I've seen, Corpus is a pretty nice smaller city. However, May through October it is:


Hotter than Hades
Full of tourists
Hurricane season.


Personally if I were interested in part-timing in Corpus I'd make it October till two weeks before spring break. If I were picking someplace to go part time May through October I'd pick Maine a thousand times over Corpus or anywhere in Texas; and I'm a native Texan.

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by turf3

From what I've seen, Corpus is a pretty nice smaller city. However, May through October it is:


Hotter than Hades
Full of tourists
Hurricane season.


Personally if I were interested in part-timing in Corpus I'd make it October till two weeks before spring break. If I were picking someplace to go part time May through October I'd pick Maine a thousand times over Corpus or anywhere in Texas; and I'm a native Texan.

This. A thousand times this. Corpus is a great city, but summer on the Texas coast is when people leave, not arrive. Hotter than Hades is being polite . And storms are a given every few years.

Perhaps the OP could tell us why they want to spend summers in Texas, which is when most people who have the means & abilities leave?

[JoFo54]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Are you sure you want a coastal are JUST during hurricane season?

Personally I cant' recommend it, or any of TX during summer season.

Where overseas will you be living? Tropical?

I have a home in Southeast Asia and I want to get out of there for the rainy season. I hear what you and others are saying. I've also been thinking about going to a northern state. Thanks, I really just had to hear someone else say it!

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by JoFo54

I have a home in Southeast Asia and I want to get out of there for the rainy season. I hear what you and others are saying. I've also been thinking about going to a northern state. Thanks, I really just had to hear someone else say it!

I too live in SE Asia on occasion for last 30 yrs. While summer is not much different in Asia, (except for rain more frequently), I do prefer to be elsewhere June / Jul / Aug.

For pleasant summer, very tough to beat PNW (Oregon / WA / Northern CA).

Alaska is also quite nice if you like a marine climate and activities. Plenty of Salmon, Halibut and crab in AK.

I use PDX as a hub (Portland airport), tho I usually take the direct flights to SIN from SFO or LA, then take a connecting flight from SIN (if needed).

You will be able to find some place to rent for $1200 / month. We rent 2000sf apartment with a great view in quiet countryside for much less than that. Almost all our neighbors have dual living spaces on rural acreage, so you may have to hunt / network for a place as we never advertise, only by referral. If you are interested in gardening / lawn and garden care, many retired farmers / rural people would love to have some summer help, and you may get to stay in a cabin for free!

Just figure out where is a good hub for you. Likely you will need a car. We buy a very cheap minivan at each of our PT homes. <$1000 and very handy for camping, traveling, hauling things and people. Cheap to insure, cheap to fix, and cheap to operate. There are some great minivan camper conversion ideas you can find from NZ. They use Japan cars (Right hand drive) that are too old to license in Japan. (10yrs)

Best wishes in finding the right spot. (PNW is a LOT closer to SE Asia than South Texas. I have to do that commute through Chicago and adds 4-6 hrs to the trip.

[supfromthesite]

Charleston, SC or somewhere in NC or Virginia could be a good choice

[jackalope48]

Downtown the nice apartments are Bay Vista and Bay Vista pointe at the south end. It's a block from the beach and there are executive one bedrooms that are 1000 sq.ft. One bedroom plus a 7x9 "office". Bunch of them have water views. Cosmopolitan and Nueces Lofts are the nice ones in the thick of it Downtown. Cosmo is new ground up Nueces is a historic hotel conversion and is more industrial.

Along Ocean the nice one is the Villas at the corner of Ocean Drive.

There are a lot of nice places on Ennis Joslin but most of the residents are going to be college students.

Bay Tree, The Arts, and Chateau Santa Fe are the lower grade in the Ocean Drive corridor(their older) but tend to have decent local ownership and management. If your price point is firm those may be your options.

Lots of condos also rent units. Marina Del Sol has great views but is a construction zone right now. Cliff House has some owners that have been making steady improvements.

Condos on North Beach are cheap but the beach can draw some seediness and it's very prone to storm surge and tidal flooding.

Southside is nearly all corporate(Camden) apartments or really badly run independents(not good background on tenants) so I'd advise only the corporates if that's what you want. Personally I wouldn't live here and not be near the water. Kinda defeats the purpose.

Island your going to be priced out of condos where you can get a really good monthly deal over the winter but they want dailies in the Summer. Some may lease for full years but I'd bet that's rare.

Easiest way to see if the residents are good or bad is to ask what if they have an income requirement(yes means decent tenants) and if they offer free rent or move in specials(if they do it's a bad place).

You won't find a 2 bedroom in a decent place for $1200 but you should come close in a 1 bedroom.