Decent apartments w/o bed bugs? (Phoenix, Mesa: rentals, hotel, home) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

newguy1224 · 01-07-2018, 09:58 AM

I have accepted a job offer in Casa Grande and naturally my attention turns to finding a place to stay.
The problem is I cannot for the life of me find a decent place, around $800/mo that does not have a liteny of negative reviews and complaints about bed bugs. Everything I see is rated 2 stars or less from Mesa down to Casa Grande. I've lived in three different states and never had this problem before this seems very bizzare to me and makes me think Phoenix and maybe AZ in general is a total dump. It is so bad in fact I'm actually reconsidering the move all together. If there is anybody out there that could offer any insight it would be greatly appreciated.

yukon · 01-07-2018, 12:04 PM

Are you looking for one bedroom or two bedrooms? My original budget was $800 mo max and I didn't find much in that range that was decent. I wasn't looking for renovated/granite counters/coffee bar either, just clean and decently maintained. I upped my budget to $900 and added in 2 bedrooms and found a really nice but older complex, my 2 bedroom is $869 and 1000 sq ft. All the basic perks too. The one bedrooms here however start at $1000 as they've been "renovated". It also appears that 1 bedroom units are more in demand in the metro, thus jacking up the price more. Up your budget by $100-$125 if you can, and expand to 2 beds as well as one. I think you'll find some nice places. Search in the 85048 zip code. There are a lot of complexes in the area bordered by I-10/Ray Road/Chandler Blvd (Ray deadends into Chandler Blvd) and back to I-10. They're nice and it's a nice area, plenty of grocery stores, restaurants, and easy access to I-10, US 60, 101 and 202. It will be closer to Casa Grande than Mesa (IMO).

Don't blame the apartments for bed bugs. It's more likely that the tenants brought the bugs in themselves. Bed bugs are travelers and all it's quite easy to pick them up. Put your laptop case or handbag down somewhere where they are, they hop on your item, you take your item back home and ta da, you get an infestation. Most people don't realize that and immediately blame the apartment owner/landlord, assuming the property owner didn't keep the complex/unit clean. A client in ABQ has rentals and one of his tenants brought in bedbugs. We all got a crash course in bedbugs thanks to her.

newguy1224 · 01-07-2018, 01:53 PM

I'll take a look in those areas, but $1000 for an apt for 1 person is just a waste of $ imo, especially when the ultimate goal is home ownership...If there is a lack of affordable housing than that may be a problem in itself. I am familar with bed bugs and how they opperate and the land lord is not getting let off the hook that easy, when you turn over a room; whether an apartment or motel/hotel thorough cleaning and maintenance will catch these things early and the problem will not be a persistent one. These critters are also nocturnal so the idea of them jumping around the lobby on my book bag is an unlikely one. Not every place has bugs out there I'm sure but there are way too many places with just negeative reviews in general and that makes me think there is a certain "climate" for lack of better words in this industry, that creates a lot of unhappy residents. That's a problem. So I am curious as to why. I do appreciate the help however, thank you.

DetroitN8V · 01-07-2018, 02:02 PM

Phoenix isn’t a dump overall but you’re looking in dumpy areas with a dumpy budget. You should expect a place free of bedbugs, but you’ll need to keep your expectations in check when looking at the lower end of the spectrum.

goolsbyjazz · 01-07-2018, 03:16 PM

Newguy, if your impression of a place is influenced that easily to where you'd question whether the entire area (without having seen the entire area!) is a dump this might not be the place for you? Seriously.

newguy1224 · 01-07-2018, 03:16 PM

$800 for a single guy looking for a studio or 1bdrm is not a dumpy budget. And not having bed bugs is by no means a lofty expectation at any budget. That has to be one of the most ignorant thing I've ever heard, or in this case read. And a blanket statement of the areas I'm looking into? I guess Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, those places are all dumpy? Hey I'll take part of the blame based on some of the language I used in my OP but give me a break; I'm no expert by any means but that seems a little strong to me. A lot strong in fact and Detroit? Pfft, haha I won't even bother...

newguy1224 · 01-07-2018, 03:19 PM

Maybe it is not the place for me, I don't why that would offend you. What else am I supposed to think after extensive searches and very few if any places having positive reviews. It was just an observation on my part and that is why I posted asking for help and information becuase the internet searches were not bringing up the best that Phoenix and AZ has to offer.

DetroitN8V · 01-07-2018, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newguy1224

$800 for a single guy looking for a studio or 1bdrm is not a dumpy budget. And not having bed bugs is by no means a lofty expectation at any budget. That has to be one of the most ignorant thing I've ever heard, or in this case read. And a blanket statement of the areas I'm looking into? I guess Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, those places are all dumpy? Hey I'll take part of the blame based on some of the language I used in my OP but give me a break; I'm no expert by any means but that seems a little strong to me. A lot strong in fact and Detroit? Pfft, haha I won't even bother...

Maybe not where you’re from, but it’s definely on the low end here. The cost of living isn’t outrageous but this is hardly the cheapest place in the nation to live. I explicitly said that you should expect to be bedbug free, regardless of your budget, so you should reread and take a breath.

Mesa is largely dumpy. Tempe and Chandler both have dumpy parts, but are largely nice.

Again, just because your budget may not allow you to get into some of the nicer parts of town doesn’t mean Phoenix is a dump, as you suggested. And the Detroit thing is irrelevant and ignorant. I live here.

newguy1224 · 01-07-2018, 03:45 PM

We are going to have to agree to disagree about Detroit, thanks for the information.

DetroitN8V · 01-07-2018, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newguy1224

We are going to have to agree to disagree about Detroit, thanks for the information.

There’s nothing to agree to disagree on. You’re asking about the Phoenix area so the mention of Detroit is completely irrelevant. Making it even less relevant is the fact that regardless of whether it’s Shangri-La or hell on earth, I no longer live there.