Moving to Ames, Iowa (Des Moines, Ely: sublease, apartments, rental market)

[allnew]

Hello guys,

I am a female international student and just got admission in ISU in MA Pol. Science, Spring program. I will be moving to Ames in January. I have never been there before and completely clueless about finding a decent place to live. I have googled all the available apartments but couldnt find any.

Although I am very much interested in ISU's one bedroom unit but they are too few to bank on. they are also economical and furnished. I have following preference;

1 - Furnished and CLEAN one bedroom unit.
2- It can be away from university but on CyRide route.
3- And the rent shouldnt be over 600, preferably 500 or even cheaper.

Would it be a good idea to go for a room in a house or to other nearby areas like DesMoines or boone. I am also concerned about the commuting cost.

Will be grateful for your suggestions.

Thank you.

[Salsa10]

The quality of ISU dorms is not as you expect. also the landlords in Ames are the ones you should contact if you are looking for something out of the dorms. Des Moines is about 30miles away and boone is about 15miles, so if you have a car and can deal with driving that will be ok.

mostly the apartments in Ames are clean but not fully furnished. most apartments include a refrigerator, washing machine ,dishwasher and a microwave. but you will need to get your own stuff for the living room plus you would need to buy a bed. the rents for a one bed room apartment are around 400 - 650 in Ames. the more you get away from campus the quieter it will be. there are tons of apartments on the west side, north side and on mortensen pkwy that are really good ,clean and quiet and cyride can pick you up from there. If you are moving on the spring I would arrive early to check with landlords, the earlier you are here the more chances you have to find a better place.

[capitalcityguy]

I would DEFINATELY find a place to live in Ames vs going out of town. Beside adding cost to your daily living by having to drive vs. taking Cyride, you'll also have to pay to park (which is expensive) and you probably won't be able to park very close to campus. Additionally, you'll potentially miss class or get stranded in Ames during the winter if (or should I say when) a storm hits.

CyRide covers Ames really well, so you should be able to find something that will work. I haven't lived in Ames for years, so I'm not a very good source for the current rental market.

[tollfree]

Usually this time of year there are students about to graduate that are looking to sublease their apartments second semester for reduced rates.

You can probably find one on craigslist, there should be a lot.

[allnew]

Hey, thanx guys for your suggestions. How should I directly contact the landlords. How about The Grove apartment building in ames. It looks very nice in pictures though. If anyone of you know of it? After researching on internet, I am thinking of rather sharing with the grad students, provided its furnished and attached bathroom. The Grove gives you such options.

[allnew]

Some reviews about the Grove apartments are really disappointing. What I liked about the building is that apartments are bright, furnished, clean and has attached bathroom. I am not sure about "clean" though since I can only see it in pictures. And management seem to generate some activity too which keeps the environment alive. What do u think about the building.

And which is the interesting area. I really Don't want a quiet neighborhood since I come from a noisy place but I would neither want the undergrad noise. How about down town or any other area that you would recommend.

I have dropped the idea of a separate unit, rather sharing with grad students would be interesting, provided the apartment is furnished and has attached bathroom.

And ya how to contact the landlords? I mean is there any local website where they advertise? And contacting directly is better than the dealers?????

Any other info on Ames is welcome. Since its completely new to me.

Thanx so much for your earlier suggestions.

[Repubocrat]

I am in the same situation as you are, I am starting at ISU in January and I am having the hardest time finding a place in Ames. It is a very different housing market than Des Moines and it is really hard to contact people-sometimes you call the office, all you get is an answering machine. I will send you an IM, maybe we can help each other.

[thebeastmastor]

If you will be in Ames a number of years you might look at purchasing a mobile home from another student which is leaving Ames. Many kids do that and you can pretty much recover your original purchase price when you leave. That way you have your own place, usually furnished. Lot rent varies from court to court. Some courts lot rent can include water, sewer, and garbage. There is also a mobile home dealer that has a number of parks in Ames that will work with you buying a used homes they have. I began buying a huge, double wide, 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, with a great fireplace from them in 2009. Purchase price of $39,000 with $1,000 down. I am new to this posting stuff. Let me know if anyone wants the dealers info.

[Salsa10]

Originally Posted by allnew

Some reviews about the Grove apartments are really disappointing. What I liked about the building is that apartments are bright, furnished, clean and has attached bathroom. I am not sure about "clean" though since I can only see it in pictures. And management seem to generate some activity too which keeps the environment alive. What do u think about the building.

And which is the interesting area. I really Don't want a quiet neighborhood since I come from a noisy place but I would neither want the undergrad noise. How about down town or any other area that you would recommend.

I have dropped the idea of a separate unit, rather sharing with grad students would be interesting, provided the apartment is furnished and has attached bathroom.

And ya how to contact the landlords? I mean is there any local website where they advertise? And contacting directly is better than the dealers?????

Any other info on Ames is welcome. Since its completely new to me.

Thanx so much for your earlier suggestions.

I have checked the grove last year when I first moved to Ames, each apartment has three bedrooms and the rent was about 500$ per person. The Idea is if you don't have 2 roommate, they will place 2 random people with you. Another thing is, people here told me that it is a flood area. so that's why I didn't move in.

ok here are some landlords names in Ames, you can google them and get there phone numbers or emails:

- hunziker property management
- Jensen Property Management
- University Plains
- University Towers Apartments
- University West Townhomes
- Total Property Management
- Arkae Management
- campustown property management
- Martin Property Management
- Prairie West Apartments
- Brighton Park Apartments
-Windsor Pointe Apartments
- Somerset Apartments

for sure there are more here if you search on the internet. Ames is a quiet town, but if you wan't to see the action it's only on the welch ave where the college kids party. If you buy a car, you could drive to des moines or west des moines where it's more active. and if you like driving, you can go up to the twin cities, kansas city, chicago etc...

[Salsa10]

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

I am in the same situation as you are, I am starting at ISU in January and I am having the hardest time finding a place in Ames. It is a very different housing market than Des Moines and it is really hard to contact people-sometimes you call the office, all you get is an answering machine. I will send you an IM, maybe we can help each other.

If I was you I would visit Ames for one day and search. you could see the place and where it's located.