Rental costs in the Burlington area (South Burlington, Milton: apartments, insurance, violent crime)

[abnerfurmond]

Am I crazy to think I can get an affordable (under 700 a month) rental unit within a 10-15 minute drive of the downtown area? Oh and (GASP!) I have a dog, too. That seems to be a no-no around here.
I have a job lined up just inside of Winooski and I would ideally be in between the two. From what I have seen, however, anything within a 30-40 minute drive is around 1000-1200 just for a studio! Talk about a shock coming from South Carolina.
I currently rent an 800sqft 2 bed apt. for 600 a month, but I am getting to the point where my wife and I are thinking about kids and we just can't do that when we hear about a murder or stabbing every night. Born and raised in Burlington/Grand Isle, I feel like its time to make a shift back there.
I just want something at that price range for roughly the first year, after which point I would have some time in with my new employer and a larger income. Also, my wife would hopefully have at least a part time job by then.
Any ideas?

Thanks,

Abner

[Oriz]

That's really difficult. 10-15 minutes probably not, but my wife and I moved to Vermont 7 weeks ago and found an apartment in Milton which is like 25 minutes away for 725 a month. It's only one bedroom, but not in as bad a shape as many apartments in the burlington area are(plus we have a cat). It would probably be between 1000-1200 there so I think we found a good bargain. Good luck!

[68vette]

The price is not impossible to find a place in that range, but there are many things working against you. The schools are just getting underway and most if not all the affordable housing stock gets picked up by students. Still that does not mean nothing will be available, but it also depends on how nice or how much room you can get. Most of what is available in that range outside of a studio are dumps or basically tiny apartments. The second thing working against you is having a dog. Oriz has a cat which is an easier animal to get housing for. Burlington has rental laws that favor tenants. Landlords can't charge anything for pets like other towns allow. In order to avoid potential problems, most landlords say no pets or no dogs. I own a rental property and do not take pets because of damages that are difficult to collect on.
Milton is your best bet for finding affordable rent. You need to be careful though. Many apartments are located in converted single family homes that were done on the cheap and are not safe. My step-son lives in Milton with $500/month rent for a 1 bedroom. There is no second means of escape in case of a fire and his fiance has been ill for the past few months. The bathroom walls were removed and they found stachybotrys mold (or however it's spelled) aka black mold.

[Vermonr]

3 years ago when I was searching for a small apt. right in downtown Burlington I found some singles in the 650 range, and ultimately settled on one that was 710. Now my 710 apt. is cheaper than 99% of singles out there (not a real quote, but judging by Craigslist recently I'd say I'm not too far off).

If you look 10 minutes out of the city you might be able to find something, but it's going to be extremely difficult. Also remember that you NEED to see the apartment in person if you are looking in (what is for Burlington) the inexpensive range. Many apts. in that price range have severely warped floors, rotting wood, mold, or are in bad areas.

Having a dog is going to make finding an apt. much more difficult. Not to be a naysayer, but I think that ultimately you are going to have to look in the 800-900 price range OR get extremely lucky/sacrifice on safety or housing integrity.

[harry chickpea]

I'd have to say that you are plumb crazy. $700/mo leaves no leeway for a landlord and repairs, insurance and taxes. A single plumbing bill can wipe out one month rent, taxes another, insurance another, an appliance replacement another, and so on. I know. I have a rental property in the south and I'm in the hole this year on it because of stuff like this. Dog and kids in Burlington? Figure $1200/mo for starting decent, and be prepped for the high heating costs. Less than that and you are fooling yourself. If the job can't support it - stay in the south.

[Chadd1014]

Originally Posted by Vermonr

3 years ago when I was searching for a small apt. right in downtown Burlington I found some singles in the 650 range, and ultimately settled on one that was 710. Now my 710 apt. is cheaper than 99% of singles out there (not a real quote, but judging by Craigslist recently I'd say I'm not too far off).

If you look 10 minutes out of the city you might be able to find something, but it's going to be extremely difficult. Also remember that you NEED to see the apartment in person if you are looking in (what is for Burlington) the inexpensive range. Many apts. in that price range have severely warped floors, rotting wood, mold, or are in bad areas.

Having a dog is going to make finding an apt. much more difficult. Not to be a naysayer, but I think that ultimately you are going to have to look in the 800-900 price range OR get extremely lucky/sacrifice on safety or housing integrity.

Agreed, most roommate situations are $500 a month on average.

[lanhvtnymd]

Originally Posted by abnerfurmond

Am I crazy to think I can get an affordable (under 700 a month) rental unit within a 10-15 minute drive of the downtown area? Oh and (GASP!) I have a dog, too.

Yes, you're crazy. Sad, but true. Not going to happen if you want to live in comfortable housing in the area. Maybe try Ferrisburgh or Vergennes?

There are apartments in South Burlington that I believe were around 1000 back in 2009, out near the movie theater.


Found the link. 1200 now: LARKIN REALTY

However, there is a place on Shelburne Road just outside Burlington that has tiny studios and 1 bedrooms for 1000 a month (no pets though): http://www.larkinrealty.net/realesta...helburne-road/

[lanhvtnymd]

Now you've got me thinking! Try some of the houses on Flynn Ave. I almost rented a converted house there (it was converted from a single family home into like four apartments with yard space and pets were ok). Will likely still be 1000+ though.

[WSPHXPELON]

I haven't been to Vermont in many years (about 10), but I used to reside in the Old North End because the rental prices were cheaper and downtown is just a quick walk away. I know this is reputed to be the "hood", but this is a real exaggeration. Burlington's Old North End is nothing like a "hood" in any of the major metro areas in the rest of the US.

Maybe someone can give me (and the OP) an update on rental prices in the Old North End, but if I were in the same position as the OP, this is where I would be looking for housing based both on affordability and convenience.

[68vette]

I think people call it the Old North End the "hood" because one, the homes are not well kept and typically in poor condition and two, the majority of crime committed in Burlington happens in the Old North End. In the past few years, the Old north End is where almost all the violent crime is committed and it's the primary location in Burlington where the out of state (NYC and Boston) drug runners shack up. It's not Detroit by any means. It's not what people expect when they come to Vermont however. It looks like and middle to lower class neighborhood you will find in any state.