Seeking apartment advice for incoming grad student (Omaha, Lincoln: apartment complexes, rental market)

[oceanbuck12]

Hi! I'm an incoming graduate student at UNL and I could really use some advice on selecting an apartment since I will most likely be unable to come out there before I'll need to decide on a place.

I'm looking for a quiet 1 BR in a apt complex. Most importantly I'm looking for a place that's relatively close to campus (less than 15 mins ideally) and quiet (not undergrady). My budget is less $700 and that would need to include utilities, so probably something in the 500-600 range for rent.

I have a few places in mind after an internet search and feedback from some current students. I would some more feedback and new suggestions if possible. Thanks in advance!

Park Ridge
Northridge Heights
Highland View
Thomasbrook
Ruskin Place
Skyline View
Black Sands
The Links
Rockledge Oaks
Lenox Village

[oceanbuck12]

Anybody have any specific feedback for any of these places or alternatively, any other suggestions?

Thanks!

[JustMe_T3K]

You may want to post in the Omaha forum even though you are looking for info on Lincoln
you will get more response there.

//www.city-data.com/forum/omaha/

[LASFMID]

Hey there.

I am not a Nebraska native but I am a new grad student starting in the fall and have already secured an apartment for August. I was able to visit Nebraska first to see places and so I have a good scope of what the rental market is like.

The Links has a waiting list and so not sure if you will get a place there. Honestly, North Lincoln didn't seem appealing in terms of surroundings (yeah i know I'm talking about Lincoln here, and I am from San Francisco, so scenery isn't amazing anywhere here) but north Lincoln has a lot of patchy areas that are shady. But again this is just from me driving around, i have never lived there.

I decided to go with south Lincoln because it is a lot nicer and newer. I was able to get an apartment for 555. Let me know if you need any more info or want to chat more about living in Lincoln.

[oceanbuck12]

Thanks for the feedback! What place did you end up going with?

[BarsofClay]

I moved here for a grad program myself and it was something of a nightmare finding a place to live! Will you be on main campus or east campus? I was so clueless I didn't even know there were two campuses until I basically moved here (haha whoops!). The closer the complex is to campus, the more expensive it will be because you're paying for location (or at least that's how it is on east campus). Do you have any pets? That is an incredibly important question because it was difficult for me to find a place with mine. The Southside of town (basically south of Van Dorn or so and east of about 27th) is growing a lot so everything's nicer and newer down there. Again, depending on which campus you're on will dictate what's a fifteen minute commute. I live at 56th Street lofts and apartments (basically at 56th and Hwy 2) and it takes me about 15-20 minutes to get to east campus in the mornings (sometimes I miss highways SO much!). $700 including utilities is a little low for apartment complexes around here, I'm sorry to say. Rates continue to climb every year. You could try your luck on one of the ABC streets in downtown, but there you would be living in possibly a converted house and almost certainly on-street parking (one of my friends watched a drunk driver total her parked car in the spring because she had to park on-street), not to mention the increased crime rate. My advice (as long as you don't have animals because some of these places won't take them) would be to look at Thomasbrooke (older and a little shady, but not bad and the price is right) and the Lodge at Hwy 2 and 48th (same comments as Thomasbrooke). You could look at Alena Court at 70th and Van Dornish (I have a few friends that live there. It's a step up from Thomasbrooke and the Lodge). Ruskin Place is great if you have animals, but it is pretty south and, if you're on east campus, there's no way that's a 15 minute commute. You could also look at Williamsburg Park at 40th and Old Cheney or so. Finally Antelope Park is a place that I've heard of with decent rates, but I don't actually know anything about them. Some places will offer free cable, which is a nice perk and helps with utilities, if you were planning on cable anyways. Also make sure to ask about rental specials when you call as well as whether you get a discount for signing sight unseen. I didn't even know that was sometimes a discount until I rented a downtown Dallas loft sight unseen and got a monthly discount on my lease. I hope this helps!