Signing a lease near UAB long distance? How late before move-in? (Cahaba Heights: apartments, rental market)

[New2Bham]

Hi,

I'm going to be starting grad school in the fall at UAB. Older student/career changer with good credit and savings. Ideally I'd like to have a move-in date at least two weeks before classes start so I can unpack and settle in. I'm currently living 700 miles away and have to sell my townhouse. I'm not sure when I will be able to come down to look at apartments and am wondering if it is possible to find someplace on craigslist or through an apartment finder service and rent sight unseen.

I'd consider anything from a $500-600 studio walking distance to campus to an $700-$800 one bedroom within a 15 minute drive further away.

1) If I waited until I could come down there, what would be the last time to have a reasonable selection of places?

2) Is it possible to find a place/sign a lease long distance and find someplace that is a) reasonably priced, b) mostly safe/clean, and c) not full of loud partiers? Or is a bargain over the internet likely to be a roach motel with drug dealers?

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by New2Bham

Hi,

I'm going to be starting grad school in the fall at UAB. Older student/career changer with good credit and savings. Ideally I'd like to have a move-in date at least two weeks before classes start so I can unpack and settle in. I'm currently living 700 miles away and have to sell my townhouse. I'm not sure when I will be able to come down to look at apartments and am wondering if it is possible to find someplace on craigslist or through an apartment finder service and rent sight unseen.

I'd consider anything from a $500-600 studio walking distance to campus to an $700-$800 one bedroom within a 15 minute drive further away.

1) If I waited until I could come down there, what would be the last time to have a reasonable selection of places?

2) Is it possible to find a place/sign a lease long distance and find someplace that is a) reasonably priced, b) mostly safe/clean, and c) not full of loud partiers? Or is a bargain over the internet likely to be a roach motel with drug dealers?

I'm sorry to say that those are low figures for both criteria.

I can't think of anything that I would be willing to live in for those numbers.

I'm sure if you were here you could scout out something.

Good luck

I correct myself; you could get a one bedroom for around 700 at Breckenridge on Greendale Place. Clean, SAFE, in a walkable neighborhood without sidewalks, lol, and most of all in Cahaba Heights, a self-contained midtown neighborhood that has all you need while it is an easy drive to the Medical/UAB District. Grocery right next door and a block away, and just a few blocks from the Summit.

[steveklein]

the downtown/UAB area rental market is very, very tight and I would not count on being able to find anything easily on a moment's notice, especially at under $800.

there are plenty of places within a 15 minute commute that you could probably find at under 800 though. check southside, homewood, vestavia, cahaba heights, and even hoover, though that may be pushing more than 15 minutes, particularly during rush hour.

i would probably try to scout the area before you rent in some of those places at under 800/month though. while they are generally nice suburbs, homewood and hoover have some somewhat sketchy areas that command lower rents.