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I have a single, college aged-friend who is looking for a cheap but decent apartment in this area. Amenities aren't really a concern, this person's more interested in whether the apartment is close to shopping and dining, and whether it's in a more affluent neighborhood.
Are there any members on this forum familiar or living in this area who can suggest some possibilities?
Well...first off a "cheap" apartment in a more "affluent" area doesn't usually happen in the area.
Plainsboro was once a very rural area but has become home to big housing developments $800,000+ new homes.
There are several older apartment complexes in Plainsboro, Ravens Crest, Hunters Glen, Fox Run etc. I think rents start around $1000/mth for a 1 bedroom/1 bath.
Plainsboro is close to major shopping opportunities, Quaker Bridge Mall, Market Fair and all the "box" stores. Princeton is 10-15 minutes away. There are a fair number of decent restaurants in the area.
Hope this helps
There are several older apartment complexes in Plainsboro, Ravens Crest, Hunters Glen, Fox Run etc. I think rents start around $1000/mth for a 1 bedroom/1 bath.
Even though they're "older", are they in rough areas of town? If not, something that runs at about that price in a nice area of Plainsboro would be sufficient.
All of those apartments are in an area known as Princeton Meadows. Any of them are decent sized, full of young singles and the amenities are super. Pools, parks, bike trails, and accessibility to the bus or to shopping centers is very quick and easy. They are tucked in between Route 1 and 130 in the Cranbury/Plainsboro area when looking at a map. Princeton University is about 10 minutes and every major store or restaurant is in a 10-15 mile stretch on Route 1-either at a mall, in a strip mall/shopping center or as a stand alone.
They are in a very nice area, surrounded by affluent homes and neighborhoods and the municipal services offered by Plainsboro-library, museum, common community garden. It's an excellent area to live in.
Plainsboro is very safe - and the apartments mentioned are not really that old - they are near nice lakes and trails.
Just dont drive drunk in Plainsboro - there are not many roads but there are tons of cops patrolling.
Also look for something in Princeton landing. We rent a 1br that is spacious and well-lit. It's in a community with diverse living situations all the way up to $800k homes. But the small area "the commons" or "parcel 1" is 1-2 br apartments.
They are hard to find because they are individually owned. So you have to look on realtor.com (under Princeton, even though it's in Plainsboro) or on www.packetonline.com or maybe craigslist.
It's kind of nice to rent from an individual. When we were looking at places like those in Princeton Meadows, we got the feeling the management sat in their offices thinking "If I charge everyone an extra $5 per month, the multiplied by the 600 apartment * 12 months, ...." For an owner of a single unit they care more about having happy and good tenants than getting an extra $5 here and $10 there.
The funniest thing when we were looking at Fox Run, the management guy was too busy to deal with us, so he handed us the application that they usually fill in themselves by asking you questions. At the bottom there was a series of checkboxes for the manager. I remember one of them was "Create Urgency". We still laugh about that one.
I would definitely second that. In Plainsboro, there's actually some inspections that have to occur by the township before individually owned condo units can be rented out. And these need to occur every time a new tenant comes in. This insures that the units are in good shape, freshly painted, no visible carpet stains, etc. That isn't the case with the large management companies hocking their apartments like at Fox Run or the one half of Ravens Crest.
If Plainsboro does not work, you can look in Edison for a rental. Lots to choose from there.
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