Moving to King of Prussia need help (Lancaster, Chester: apartment complex, renting)

[shewilson14]

New

[FindingZen]

If you would copy and paste the questions in this link and provide your answers, that will help us help you.

[shewilson14]

Thanks for the help most apartments I have been searching all mention rodents and bed bugs in reviews.

When are you moving? April 1
Where are you coming from? Northeastern PA
Why are you moving? new job
Where will you be working? King of Prussia
Have you been here yet? no

Will you buy or rent? rent

If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Looking for studio 1100
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? no preference

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? PA


Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single no children

Do you have pets? No
Do you want or need a yard? No
Are you keeping a car? yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Somewhere in between

What do you want to be closest to? Within 20 minutes of KOP my workplace

Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) 5 minutes
Nightlife Definite
Train or subway stations No

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? No preference

Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? Craft Beers

[jessxwrites89]

King of Prussia is very expensive. This whole area is expensive; what will you be doing and what will your income be? You might be wise to look in Bridgeport, West Chester, or Malvern.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by shewilson14

Thanks for the help most apartments I have been searching all mention rodents and bed bugs in reviews.

My suspicion why is: At that rent, you're going to get an apartment in an older, unrenovated building or complex in the area you're searching in.

Studio units in the newest apartment complexes in King of Prussia and on the extended Main Line (Exton, Malvern) start around $1400/mo and go up from there.

A quick-and-dirty search of Apartments.com for studios in the area around King of Prussia returned one complex with units under $1k/mo: Gulph Mills Village, a 1960s garden apartment complex on South Gulph Road. Another had studios for $1,050/mo: 251 DeKalb, a recently renovated trio of mid-1960s apartment towers on DeKalb Pike (US 202) about midway between King of Prussia and Bridgeport.

Having visited and wrote a feature on that last complex, I can tell you that the units are very attractive and the complex has some really nice amenities.

But if you want an apartment where you can walk to nightlife, you're going to pay more for it. Neither of these complexes are within walking distance of any clubs, bars or late-night eateries.

If you don't mind driving to the hangouts, you might consider one of these, for they're both a very short drive from the King of Prussia mall and its environs. If you could afford the $1500+ a studio in one of Hanover's new buildings at the Village at Valley Forge, you'd be sitting pretty, for the Village is one of those Instant Urbanist developments where shops, restaurants and residences are all within walking distance of one another.

But I suspect you're going to end up with a tradeoff: either a longer drive to KoP or a longer one to the nightlife you want.

[Avalon08]

Originally Posted by shewilson14

Thanks for the help most apartments I have been searching all mention rodents and bed bugs in reviews.

When are you moving? April 1
Where are you coming from? Northeastern PA
Why are you moving? new job
Where will you be working? King of Prussia
Have you been here yet? no

Will you buy or rent? rent

If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Looking for studio 1100
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? no preference

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? PA


Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single no children

Do you have pets? No
Do you want or need a yard? No
Are you keeping a car? yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Somewhere in between

What do you want to be closest to? Within 20 minutes of KOP my workplace

Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) 5 minutes
Nightlife Definite
Train or subway stations No

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? No preference

Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? Craft Beers

See if you can talk to someone at your new job for recommendations. I once was looking at a high-rise apartment in Berwyn and there was an on-line review that said it had roaches. However, a former co-worker had lived there for years and said she had no problem. I did move there and never saw a roach, thank God. Sometimes people with vendettas leave phony reviews.

[BryCal]

There are a number of well kept older apartment buildings along Lancaster Avenue in the Radnor/St Davids/Wayne area. The ones closest to Wayne will have the most walkability to "downtown" Wayne however they are all walkable to the Radnor/St Davids shopping, restaurants and gym. They are 10 minutes to KOP (15 in traffic). You may be able to snag a small 1 bedroom at your price level. Another option is Radnor House Condos and surrounding buildings in Rosemont/Bryn Mawr - those are walkable to Bryn Mawr shops, restaurants, etc., and 15-20 min from KOP.