Any nice 1BR apartments below $1800/month? (real estate, apartment complexes, to rent)

[usul0184]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are looking for a one bedroom apartment with the following criteria:

(1) Within walking distance of a Metro station
(2) 650 square feet or more
(3) Rent of less than $1800 per month

Secondary criteria include:

(4) Assigned parking space for 1 car (fee can be additional to rent)
(5) Washer/dryer in unit

I will be commuting to McPherson Square via Metro. I guess that means I prefer apartments near Blue/Orange lines, but I don't mind transferring.

Are there any apartment complexes that fit these criteria? How far out from the city would we have to live?

I've tried researching this on my own, but there are so many choices, it's a little overwhelming.

Thanks for any assistance!

[pcity]

Pentagon City/Crystal City would fit the bill. Right on the Blue line too. I lived in a place that fit the first three criteria- River House in Pentagon City.

It doesn't have (4) assigned parking, but it does have a gigantic lot that never fills up, and it also doesn't have W/D in unit, though they do have them on premises in the basement.

[bogfrog]

Definitely lots of options at that price -- get a map and start reading the ads!

McPherson Sq is within a block or two of Farragut North (red line) stop and Metro Center stop, so there's no need to limit your search to blue and orange.

There are some very nice housing & living options around the Capitol South and Potomac Ave stops on the Hill!

[akorosdc]

All of the above suggestions are good, and then I've also seen apartments in that price range in Ballston (N. Arlington).

[ceejamon]

A few ideas/resources for you to consider, especially for DC proper:

1) Craigslist is a great resource for apartments in DC, but it's overwhelming if you don't know where you want to live. Start the process by determining the AREAS you like, then look for apartments in those areas. The search function and price limitations on the site are your friends, but only once you have your bearings.

2) SpotCrime.com allows you to plot different types of crime on a map so you can see what areas are safe and which are shady. You'll see some very clear trends in DC. I focus mainly on shootings, burglarly, and robbery. Assault is most commonly against people the assailant knows. Theft can happen anywhere.

3) Once you've got some areas in mind, HotPads.com plots out apartments from various sources on a map. The Google Real Estate Search tool on Google Maps (click My Maps) is decent, too.

4) Google Maps is a FANTASTIC resource for looking into areas. Click on "My Maps" to get the DCist Metro Map overlay. Then, use walking directions or the distance measurement tool to see how far an address is from a metro. 1/3 mile (1760 feet) is the ideal range I'd look for if possible. It's a short walk, and is quite manageable even in bad weather.

5) Use Google Street View to check out the neighborhood around a building to make sure it's a well-kept area. I'd pass on a nice building across the street from a boarded up one. Also, look at the parked cars. Clean, newer model cars tend to speak well for an area. You don't have to look for Lexus logos, but a trend of run-down beat-up cars may belong to residents that don't take care of their stuff and probably won't respect YOUR stuff. (Nothing to do with race or class-warfare. Just a fact of life. I'm lower-middle class, of a darker persuasion, and drive a Ford.)

6) ApartmentRatings.com helps you find buildings that LOOK nice and may have nice "model/demo apartments" but have serious management, pest, or other problems. See what former/current residents have said. It's not a site to find your apartment on, but rather it's a site to check on a building that you might be interested in.

7) Look into what's near an address using Google Maps. It's nice to have a grocery store, dry cleaners, pharmacy, etc nearby. It's even better to have it within an easy walking distance. DC is one of the most walkable cities in America - take advantage of it!

Hope this helps, and happy hunting!

[duckz]

Originally Posted by ceejamon

7) Look into what's near an address using Google Maps. It's nice to have a grocery store, dry cleaners, pharmacy, etc nearby. It's even better to have it within an easy walking distance. DC is one of the most walkable cities in America - take advantage of it!

Hope this helps, and happy hunting!

On this note, a great site is Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address to help you figure out how much you can really hoof it from your new place.

[dakotab]

5 Things I love about living in SE DC...

1. My building is secure.

2. It's actually very quiet on my street.

3. Anacostia Park (in the day time)

4. My commute is exactly 8 minutes

5. I live waaaaaaaaay below my means. It's Cheap

5 Things I hate bout living in SE DC...

1. Men tend to linger on various street corners even when there is snow on the ground from morning to night.

2. I can't get a cab to come and get me.

3. There are no restaurants and bars, therefore I am forced to drive across the bridge.

4. I worry about my car

5. I don't go out at night.

I'm moving though and I just needed to vent.