Apartment Help (Portland, Burns: apartments, rent, safe area)

[Maddykins]

I plan on moving to Portland for a job in the downtown area in January. I've been looking at several different sites but it's hard to get a feed on the actual safe areas when doing general searches.
There will be two of us and one cat, and we don't need more than a studio. I'm not looking to pay more than $550.
Does anyone have any suggestions on neighborhoods that would be safe for me to walk in to get to public transit? I have looked all over and for my price range most things seem to be SW just out if downtown or SE across the river and around E.Burnside street.
Thanks for any help you can give.

[Nell Plotts]

Here is what I would do: go to Craig's list and search for apartments in the areas you are interested in under, oh 750/mo. Many of those listings have links to a management group. Now, look at the other apartments available by that management group.

Often property owners, managers, focus on one type of dwelling or area.

[philwithbeard]

Originally Posted by Maddykins

I plan on moving to Portland for a job in the downtown area in January. I've been looking at several different sites but it's hard to get a feed on the actual safe areas when doing general searches.
There will be two of us and one cat, and we don't need more than a studio. I'm not looking to pay more than $550.
Does anyone have any suggestions on neighborhoods that would be safe for me to walk in to get to public transit? I have looked all over and for my price range most things seem to be SW just out if downtown or SE across the river and around E.Burnside street.
Thanks for any help you can give.

Your price limit of $550 / month might be on the low side.

Yes, there are small apartments which you could find and be perfectly safe in, but have reputations of not being all that safe. A lot depends on what **you** decide what is acceptable, or unacceptable.

Pet deposit and additional monthly fee for having a pet will add to cost of housing. A few landlords expect (ask?) higher up-front money for newbies--- 1st, last, security deposit, and non-refundable cleaning+ pet+....... Just presume at about 3 times rent you expect to pay.

I don't know if you found this link on your own, but here it is again:
TriMet: Public Transportation for the Portland, Oregon, Metro Area

Have you found the Housing Connection? It is associated with the Housing Authority of Portland (HAP.) Lowest end of the apartment market, it will give you a baseline for bottom of the market. Housing Connection database:
Housing Connections
Usual warnings: some landlords will list only one apartment on Housing Connection, and it is always rented, and their other apartments (which are always available) you are told, are at a higher monthly rent.

One last thing... well two things actually: Housing prices in Portland are a lot of supply and demand curve driven for prices... more desirable neighborhoods, closeness (walking distance) to TriMet stop on a frequent service bus line, and so forth. But also advertised rent prices go up and down with college and local university semester starts vs a few weeks post semester starts.

Rent starting near 1st of January--- prices a bit high, 1st of March rent should be lower. But the really best bargains are not advertised on Internet or newspapers, the landlord just posts a sign on the building and the apartment is rented. Best time for lowest prices is Mid-September to Mid-October.