I Need to Get Focused!

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by old tintype

And I should add that as someone who likes to be close to downtown and really likes lots of things to walk to and a walkable neighborhood, I would rather go back to the crappy 70s place (which I truly never ever want to do) than live over by 205 or outer SE. It's not walkable (or at least not walker friendly) and there's way more crime. Montavilla is good but it's a very small area. The rest....well, if you're wanting to bike and walk you should just move on. And ironically there are lots of nice places near Lloyd Center--Sullivan's Gulch and Irvington for example, so don't totally rule out that either (don't know who gave you that advice). You can also find some cheap apartments near Hollywood (also on the Max line). The closer in the better for walking/biking/school downtown. There are some inexpensive places in SW to be had too so don't rule that out either.

I had friends living in those apartments. I guess it's a matter of priorities but the decor didn't bother them so much because the lower rents and the fact that American Properties took care of the building well. And the rooms were larger than the older post WWII apartment buildings in the area that had more charm but even older appliances and flooring.

I also thought of the Hollywood District but it can be a bit expensive since Whole Foods and Trader Joe's has moved into the area. If you live near the MAX it's a plus but farther away the Sandy bus line that serves the neighborhood can be pretty unreliable.

Sullivan's Gulch is great. It's near the MAX and bus lines and the closer to Broadway the closer to shops, restaurants and stores. And it would be minutes to downtown. I don't believe it is too expensive either.

I also like Raliegh Hills and Hillsdale but the one drawback is if the OP wants to use TriMet the bus service from there to downtown isn't all that frequent but she would be closer than NE or SE and wouldn't have to cross bridges. Also the rents would be less expensive. Apartment-wise I think you get more for your money.

[nomrahj]

Thanks for the input, it's helping a lot. A 70's decor/vintage really isn't a big deal; my fiance is actually a fan of the 'retro' look, I grew up in a 1950's era house with pink bathrooms, and the other criteria are more important to us anyway.

It looks like staying roughly, 5th and 82nd (going E/W) and Freemont and Powell (going N/S) would be a pretty safe bet. In the SW area, Hillsday and Multnomah areas look nice, but seem a bit far out for the public transportation to be a frequently-used option. It seems a lot of the SW is sucked up by the university & student-type housing, something we really want to avoid if possible, or by the medical center, but are there decent options there at all?

Also, anyone have experience renting from Capital Management? They appear to have some potential rental options but I've seen them slammed pretty heavily on some of the ratings sites (which, based on my experience in other cities, aren't always the best predictor of how a company actually operates).

[Minervah]

I do not have personal experience with Capital Management but I also have heard only negative things about them. I have heard mostly good things about American Property Management. Only a couple of complaints. They usually handle the 70's buildings but in my SE neighborhood they also manage some older post WWII buildings as well if you like older buildings.

I remember those pink tiles too. With black trim.

I used to rent from a small property owner who used Reliance Property Management and they were okay.

You are correct regarding Hillsdale and Multnomah Village. They are great areas but the bus service is not the best. I loved living around there many years ago but one reason I moved to the SE part of town was because the bus service was better. For the most part, Multnomah Village, at least a number of years ago, was served by buses that wound all around neighborhood after neighborhood and took a long time to get downtown.

Hillsdale is better because it is close to downtown and more buses converge at the bus stops there. But the timing isn't always what you might like it to be and late night and weekend service may be sparse. I am going by the past though, you might want to check Trimet schedules to see if anything has changed.

[oldtintype]

Capital PM's buildings always look nice and they seem to focus a lot on upkeep. APM I think is building by building. They have a lot of complaints about them and having lived there I think a lot are justified. But the rents and locations can't be beat. Just plan on doing your laundry elsewhere because they were broken half the time which drove me nuts. And if you really want a safe bet, try looking more like 60th and below, not up to 82nd. There really isn't a lot to walk to between 60th and 82nd unless you're in Montavilla.

[Minervah]

Well there you go. Unfortunately, I think renting in Portland or probably anywhere for that matter is really a hit or miss situation. Ask several different people about management companies and you will get several different answers but they will all be accurate depending upon individual circumstances and experiences.

Of course the rule of thumb I think is the larger the company, the more tenants and the more room for complaints. You can't please everyone.

So having said that, I am going to say that from my own personal renting experience in Portland over the years to paraphrase and old saying I had to deal with quite a few "frogs" before I found my "prince."

[Steve Pickering]

Well you can't say Portland doesn't have variety.