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I will be moving to Juneau, AK soon, can anyone tell me of some decent apartments. If you have any advise, comment, or photos you would like to share I would greatly appreciate it. I would like to thank you in advance for your help.
I will have my own transportation, looking for a 1 bedroom apartment (maybe studio) and I have no pets. Place of employment will be close to Valley Auto Parts Alaska, Alaska Industrial Hardware Inc, Curves, and Travelodge Hotel.
I suggest you first plan on staying at an extended stay hotel. Most places become available on the 1st of the month, so if you get here in the middle of a month, you don't have to rush into the first place. I'd suggest Frontier Suites for an extended stay because it's close to the area you work.
I've never been in the apartment rental market, but here's a list of places:
Bolton Enterprises
Atlin Apartment
Airport Apts
D&M Rentals
Grant's Rental Apartments
James Place Apartments
I believe these are all in the Mendenhall Valley area. If you do a search, you can probably find others. You can get a street view on Google Maps to see most places. Definitely do not rent until you've seen the place. Some can look okay from the outside, but be a total dump on the inside. Don't send anyone money to hold a place, especially off of Craigslist. I've seen several scams where someone lists a place for sale at a too true to believe rate.
People have told me not to rent anything without physically looking at a place, which is a given but I guess some people do that so I'm still grateful for the advise. I've lived in a lot of cities in different states and I've never rented anything without looking at it first so I certainly don't intend to start now. My family owns apartment complexes so I'm fortunate enough to know what to look for. Someone informed me that some landlords in Juneau make the new renter clean out the previous renters mess, which sound very professional and say's negative things about the establishments so I doubt I'd stay in a place that does business like that.
I need to be in town by the 18th of June so I will probably be there by the 13th. As far as rent goes I know and understand that it's high, rent in Fairbanks is pretty high as well so it's not much of a shock. A lot of apartments here are either peoples basements that have been converted or attached to homes as well, so luckily I'm not shocked with that either. Thank you for your help and advise.
Also check the Juneau Empire and Capital City Weekly for their classifieds. You'll see what's available as you get closer to moving. Realtors are another source for rentals. While they mainly list houses for rent, they do have condos. You can search Juneau Realtors and many have websites with listings.
Most people stay at the effeciencies at the Frontier Suites when they first get here (they have a monthly rate) until they can look around and find more permanent housing. And its just a few blocks from where you're going to be working. They are small, but have kitchenettes and the rent includes all utilities including cable. They are furnished so you won't be able to put your stuff in there. Even putting a bike inside would be a squeeze. They are pretty expensive considering the size of the rooms. I haven't been inside one in a few years but I remember that it reminded me of an RV with it's tiny kitchen and bath.
I've never heard of any place that makes the new renter clean out the old person's mess. There are a lot of personally owned houses with attached apartments so I guess anything is possible.
The first place I lived in Juneau I rented an apartment site and sight unseen. This was back before the internet was very useful and pre-digital cameras. The landlord told me all about the place on the phone and described the neighbors and neighborhood, and then sent me poloroids of the apt. Worked out great. But I would never do a lease that way.
The problem about recommending apts is not knowing what the person is used to. I might see an apt building and say "that place is a dump" but for all I know it would be an upgrade to what you are used to. Or it might be horrifying. Juneau has a very low vacancy rate so the landlords can get away with a lot.
Last edited by terracore; 05-19-2012 at 09:41 AM..
Thank you, I have emailed and been in contact with most hotels and B&B in Juneau to check out their monthly rates. I've been checking out Juneau Empire, Capital City Weekly and Craigslist. It's a little difficult considering I have to wait until I arrive since I refuse to rent anything unseen, but I'd rather do it that way rather than get unexpected surprises. Now one thing I am wondering about is my vehicle situation. When I lived in Fairbanks I had a 4WD vehicle but it was absolutely needed there, and now that I'm out of state I have a 2WD, so I'm not sure if I should drive my current vehicle up there or sell it and buy a 4WD. So with that in mind, would y'all recommend having a 4WD vehicle or would a 2WD suffice? I've read many mixed comments on the issue.
To be honest you really don't need a car in Juneau, the bus system is good and there are not that many miles of road to drive on. All a car is good for in Juneau is getting you a dui.
If you have to have a car just make sure you put snow tires on in the fall and don't park on the side of the streets because the city has no issues with burying your car in a snowbank.
Thank you for the advise, right now I'll take all the advise I can get. I don't drink so I'm pretty sure I won't get any DUI's. Thanks for the heads up about parking, I had that problem when I lived in Fairbanks but had forgot about that.
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