How hard will it be to find a rental in San Marcos that is affordable? (San Antonio: apartment complex)

[Sally_Sparrow]

Okay so in other threads I've stated that we won't be moving to San Marcos but now here lately it is looking like we very well might be doing just that.

We currently live in San Antonio. I am a full time student at Texas State so I currently commute to SM twice a week. My wife is also a student here in SA at a community college but planning on transferring very soon and is strongly leaning towards attending Texas State as well, it makes sense since I am already a student there. So unless those plans change we'll be moving to San Marcos in the summer.
Our kids are tired of SA and ready for an adventure. Heck, our whole family has been over the San Antonio thing for years now, honestly.

So we would really prefer to move to San Marcos but New Braunfels is a backup plan option as well. We would like to reduce our car dependency though, ideally. My main concern at this point is finding a suitable rental in San Marcos when everything seems to be priced for single students with roommates, priced "per bedroom". Obviously this works well for landlords but we'll need a 3 bedroom at minimum. We are adult, non-traditional students with kids so our housing needs are different from the usual SM renter. I don't want to pay $500 "per bedroom" for a place that would normally rent for $950 max.

Is there a way to weed out these rentals to find rentals geared towards a family? We aren't picky as long as there is adequate space and pets are allowed. We are fine with a mobile home on the edge of town if need be (although we would prefer the Texas State shuttle as an option). I am just frustrated with what I have found so far from looking online. When you see a four bedroom listed as $500 a month you know it's the per-bedroom thing again. We would really like to keep it under $950, but we'll be saving a lot on gas and parking fees by eliminating my commute, so could go a bit higher if we must.

I will probably contact some realtors and apartment locator services but wanted to seek input here as well, maybe someone else has been through this.

[Sally_Sparrow]

no one? maybe I should move the thread to Texas (general)?

[CptnRn]

I can't say what is available in San Marcos, the students probably gobble it all up. You might try Kyle if that works for you, more family oriented.

[Gabrielle-Randall Morris]

I just saw this thread. There are affordable rentals but the inventory ebbs and flows with the semester schedules. A LOT of renters in San Marcos are non-student families and there are many students as well, most parts of town are a mix and we learn to get along There is a restriction within the city of not allowing more than two unrelated adults to live within a single family residence which is why you are seeing those per-room rentals. I cannot advertise here but you can look me up by my name if you are still looking around. San Marcos is a great town-I live here and I love it. Good luck!

[Sally_Sparrow]

Well, thought I'd post an update.

This has been the most frustrating, challenging rental search I've ever been through. I still don't have a place but some good leads are in the running at least. I have decided that if I want "affordable" in SM it is going to probably be a mobile home so I am focusing my search on those options for now but accepting the fact that if I cannot find something in that category I will suck it up and pay $$ for some house or duplex that is not a big apartment complex.

Kyle and NB are on the "last resort" list because we really want our oldest to go to SM High school because of the promise of possible free tuition at Texas State if he is a SM high school grad with an income under a certain amount.

Just figured I'd share with any future reader who is in our same situation. I sure am spoiled, rent-wise, in San Antonio but oh well, not much you can do by complaining right??