College Grad Moving to KC - Please Help (Kansas City, Overland: apartment complexes, for rent)

[brhn87]

Hello everyone,

I'm a Senior in college right now and I have accepted a full-time job in Kansas City. My job is in KCK/Overland Park area, but I'm looking for apartments and was wondering about good areas for a young professional.

I'm 22 years old, from San Diego, CA but I'm a huge Chiefs/Royals fan, enjoy going out socially, etc.

I was thinking of looking at places near Westport or down by The Plaza. Would these be pretty good areas close to bars, fun areas, lots of young people, etc?

Also, what is realistic for rent? I'm hoping to try find a place for under $600 (before utilities/cable etc), preferably around $500. I've heard Westport is a lot cheaper than Plaza.

Is this attainable? I'd just love some suggestions for good apartment complexes, since I have no idea which ones are good/bad/ghetto/etc.

Thanks!

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

Yes, I would recommend somewhere around Westport or the Plaza for a young person interested in entertainment and bars.

You should be able to find a 1 bedroom or studio for under $600 - you may have to make some compromises at that price - but there should be decent options. I think your best bet for lower priced apartments like this is to just check on Craigslist rather than apartment sites that seem to focus on the mid to higher end.

As far as where to avoid, the mantra that people go by (although it may be a bit of an oversimplification) is to stay west of Troost.

I'm curious how you became a Chiefs/Royals fan from San Diego?

[brhn87]

WiseOwl, thanks for the help. I'd love to try get a roommate and get a nicer place for $1100 for 2 people, but as of now it's just me looking for a place.

And I'm a Chiefs/Royals fan since my mom (and all of my mom's side of the family) was born & raised in KC, so I grew up a KC sports fan. Small world I end up back in KC.

Are there any apartment management companies that are pretty good for reasonable prices in any of these areas?

[brhn87]

Any other help?

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

You could check out Mac Properties for apartments. I think a large portion of their units are above your desired price, but they do have studios and some 1 beds that are under $600.

Otherwise, I think you might be best looking for smaller buildings and individual landlords that you can find on Craigslist. I think they tend to have more options and a better value at your price point than the big management companies and large complexes.

[joshmvf]

You might want to check out the river market area as well. I was just down there today and it was full of the young trendy crowd. I'm not familiar with the bar scene around there, just seems like a cool place to live and there's been a lot of nice apartments and lofts going up.

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

The River Market is great, but I don't think you will find anything under $600, unless, perhaps, your income would qualify you for an affordable housing unit.

[BTSB2KC]

I live in the River Market and work in Overland Park, so I'll throw my two cents in here. If you find a roommate, you might be able to find a place where you both would pay under or around $600. A few of the places are affordable housing, as the previous poster mentioned, but the other places tend to be market rate, so if you're looking to move out here in late spring-early summer, they will jack up the rent prices a little bit because of the demand. You can kind of negotiate that, though, if you pay attention to what they have available and what price they're looking for right now, because if those same places are still available come spring/summer, you can reference the current prices when they try to say the market is hot or whatever. That was my experience when I moved into my current building at least. While I'm on the topic, I would say that this neighborhood is fun and perfect for a young professional. It's diverse. There are a ton of great restaurants within walking distance in this neighborhood. The only thing it's lacking to me is a true late night "bar district," but the bars that are down here are great. At the same time, to get to the more well-known districts like the Plaza, Westport, Waldo, Martini Corner, etc. it's is a breeze. I enjoy living in this neighborhood, though, because it's different and it's great to be within walking distance of the City Market, the Sprint Center and other bars/restaurants in the downtown loop that may not be as well-known, and I'm partial to those types of places. Sorry if that was a little long-winded, but I saw my chance to brag about the River Market, so I took it.

[joshmvf]

I ran across this article about the River Markets rise and fall back in the 70's and thought it was too interesting to not post somewhere...

Boca Raton News - Google News Archive Search

[brhn87]

What is so different about River Market than Plaza or Westport? And I know I said my budget is $600, but that would just be my ideal budget. I'll be making ~$60,000 starting out, so I can afford much more, but I'm pretty frugal. I want to try find a roommate and get a 2 bed / 1 BA for about $1100 a month, that'd be perfect!

Does anyone have any apartment complexes to completely avoid? From talking to people, it seems that Westport is very "hit-miss" in regards to safety. How do you know if the area you're in is good or bad just from taking an apartment tour.

Here are some places I've been looking:

City Place at Westport Apartments - Kansas City, MO 64111 | Apartments for Rent (for 2 bedroom)

45 Madison Apartments - Kansas City, MO 64111 | Apartments for Rent (for 2 or 3 bedrooms)

Westport Manor Apartments - Kansas City, MO 64111 | Apartments for Rent (2 bed / 1 BA seems unusually cheap... is this apartment in the ghetto?)

Fountain View on the Plaza Apartments - Kansas City, MO 64112 | Apartments for Rent (2 bed / 1 BA)

Has anyone lived in any of these apartments or have any advice on which complexes to avoid