Why is every single rental on craigslist in an apartment complex? (Austin: real estate, rentals)

[inspironmini]

Literally every rental is in a huge complex with pictures of pools and gym facilities. While that's cool for some people i'm wondering how to go about finding a stand alone house or apartment that is in a small building rather than a huge complex.

By looking at craigslist I would assume that Austin housing stock consists of brand new suburban florida style sprawl.

I want something with a little character that makes me feel like i'm living in an urban area.

Are all of the 2 bedroom rentals cookie-cutter bland?

[atxcio]

The apartment complex spam on craigslist pretty much obliterates all the rest of the stuff. I would suggest using Padmapper, with a satellite view, and click on rentals which are obviously not huge complexes: http://padmapper.com

Also search for "Residential Rentals" on http://austinhomesearch.com -- you'll find condos, homes, duplexes, etc. The big apartment complexes typically aren't on the MLS.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by inspironmini

Literally every rental is in a huge complex with pictures of pools and gym facilities. While that's cool for some people i'm wondering how to go about finding a stand alone house or apartment that is in a small building rather than a huge complex.

By looking at craigslist I would assume that Austin housing stock consists of brand new suburban florida style sprawl.

I want something with a little character that makes me feel like i'm living in an urban area.

Are all of the 2 bedroom rentals cookie-cutter bland?

usually people use an apartment locator. They are free to you and they really do work.

[hillcountryheart]

If you are looking for houses a lot of them are posted through the real estate side of things. It's possible for an owner to lease by themselves, but it's far easier and less risky to use a property management company. Not even the biggest deposit will cover all damage if your tenants trash your house. Which is why you have to do a criminal and credit check on the people living there. Otherwise why would you let a stranger sit on $300k of your money?

[mayfair44]

Originally Posted by inspironmini

Literally every rental is in a huge complex with pictures of pools and gym facilities. While that's cool for some people i'm wondering how to go about finding a stand alone house or apartment that is in a small building rather than a huge complex.

By looking at craigslist I would assume that Austin housing stock consists of brand new suburban florida style sprawl.

I want something with a little character that makes me feel like i'm living in an urban area.

Are all of the 2 bedroom rentals cookie-cutter bland?

Local? Budget? Area(s) of town interested in?

1. Craigslist is sketchy; unproductive way to search
2. The better (smaller/private-indiv owned) places don't mass advertise. They don't have to.
3. Sites listed before me.

Being able to canvas an area by car, bicycle or foot, enables you to discover the hidden gems out there.

[TheCardinal]

I post my garage apartment for rent on Craigslist, but that's just so it'll show up on Padmapper.

[CarnivalGal]

Finding a house to rent will probably be easier than the apartment you are picturing. There just aren't a lot of those in Austin. Most apartments are in larger complexes.

[OpenD]

In some neighborhoods, like Cherrywood, the landlords put out signs and mostly skip the ads.

[Moonlady]

Originally Posted by hillcountryheart

If you are looking for houses a lot of them are posted through the real estate side of things. It's possible for an owner to lease by themselves, but it's far easier and less risky to use a property management company. Not even the biggest deposit will cover all damage if your tenants trash your house. Which is why you have to do a criminal and credit check on the people living there. Otherwise why would you let a stranger sit on $300k of your money?

A realtor can provide this service as well. For someone looking for a house to rent, engaging a realtor is a good idea. When we rented ours, I had a realtor list it and screen the applicants and the couple who ended up renting it had a realtor who was keeping an eye on new listings for them. They were the first to respond to the listing - we had 4 showings within 24 hours of hitting the MLS. Without a realtor, they probably wouldn't have gotten it.

[senor_jt]

4+ years ago, my Partner and I engaged an apartment locator in our search along with culling Craigslist, AustinHomeSearch, and PadMapper. The locator tended to push the many new complexes that had come online around that time(Triangle, Red River Lofts, etc...), but like you, my Partner and I will avoid ant colony living if we can help it. Amongst all the crap on CL, we were lucky to find a redone two bedroom duplex in the Rosedale neighborhood that served as a fine first home in Austin.

Our search was essentially full time for 4 or 5 days(over Thanksgiving holiday). Just sharing our experience -- persevere through your frustration, diversify your search sources, and give it your full attention if possible. Good advice above about consulting MLS resources, especially AustinHomeSearch.

Also, as has been said in hundreds of similar threads, you should factor in work/activity location in your selection. Just being north of the river probably made a significant difference in commute times for us.