Moving to midtown... determining deal breakers for rental properties. (Fresno: apartments, rentals)

[elizabeth412]

Hi everyone,

I just accepted a job in the Sac area, and my husband and I are planning to move to midtown in July. We've done some research, but I still have some questions that might be best answered by locals... I thought I'd see if you guys could help me out.

We are planning to move in July, and have already started to look at rentals (although it seems we are a little early as no one wants to hold properties for a month, understandably!). We are weighing the pros and cons of the types of rentals we have seen available... we have a taste for modern decor and a lot of furniture to go with it in our current 2 bedroom (about 830 sf) apartment, but we would like to pay less than $1300 for a 1 or 2 bedroom. We like some of the older units we've seen as long as they are updated and jive well with modern style. Here are some questions:

1) Should we make central heating and air a priority? We've lived in Fresno our whole lives, so are used to 100+ degree heat, but with air conditioning. I'm sure it depends on the unit (whether it has dual pane windows, how many wall units we install, etc.), but I'm curious about others' experiences since I've always lived with modern heating and cooling. I might honestly be more worried about freezing my a** off in the winter...

2) How is parking in most areas? A lot of units come with 1 space (if any), but we've got 2 cars that we will be driving to work daily.

3) Are there any of the modern fancy pants lofts that are actually worth the price range?

I might think of more, but that's all for now...


Thanks!
Liz

[wburg]

The closer you are to the middle of Midtown (roughly speaking, H to R Street) the more important off-street parking is, but finding an apartment that comes with 2 parking spaces is highly unlikely unless you rent the second from somebody. Heck, finding an apartment with 1 parking space can be kind of tough--let alone two.

Sacramento gets almost as hot as Fresno, and not much colder. You'll need A/C but if it's not a huge place not necessarily central, wall A/C can work pretty well if it's a relatively new unit.

[elizabeth412]

Thanks for the response. Isn't H to R pretty much all of midtown? What is the worst case scenario if living in the heart of things and not having an off street space? I know you can get a permit from the city, but is it a matter of having to search for space and walking far back to your place?

[Mr. Ozo]

If you work standard hours then off street parking isn't that big of deal. Again it depends on the block, but most of midtown isn't particularly hard to find a parking spot. The later you need to find a spot a spot the harder it becomes. Once you get home from work, you can park then walk or bike around town.

[wburg]

The neighborhoods north and south of that point (Boulevard Park, New Era Park, Newton Booth, Poverty Ridge etc.) are more residential and quieter, with less parking pressure, but still within a short walk of the action (and jobs.) "Midtown" is often used to generically describe the eastern half of the central city, with "Downtown" being the western half (although a lot of the "downtown" half is residential neighborhoods like Southside Park that look pretty much the same as Midtown.) If you live in the neighborhood you can get a street parking permit, worst case scenario is parking a block or two from home. Mr. Ozo has it right regarding parking during the day, but in most of the central city residential parking permit hours stop at 6 PM, so weekend nights are when things really fill up (the clubs don't have parking lots and there is no time limit for visitor parking.) Generally if we decide to go out on the weekend it tends to be within walking distance, because if we drive somewhere on a Friday or Saturday there won't be a parking spot on our block when we get back! Fortunately, we have plenty of options just in our neighborhood...

[la_cavalière]

My husband and I just signed a lease on a great house in Midtown near Marshall Park and are moving in June.

When we were in Sacramento last month, we checked out several of the newer Midtown-area apartments: 1801L, L Street Lofts, the Fremont Mews, the Fremont Building and Alexan Midtown. We also stayed in a furnished apartment in the Cathedral Building downtown. Whether or not these places are worth the price depends on how much you value amenities (some have pools & workout rooms) and more contemporary design and whether you prefer living in a large complex. Also, keep in mind that parking is usually an extra $100/month or so.

1801L: Great location in the heart of Midtown, variety of floor plans, pretty new, nice pool & workout room. Bedrooms seemed a bit on the small size.

L Street Lofts: Great location (across from 1801L). Really, really cool. Really, really expensive. No real amenities (except for a concierge.) Perfect if you have the money and you're not into walls.

Fremont Mews: Fairly new, contemporary design, big windows, nice location. Living/dining area is pretty small in the 2-bedroom units. No amenities.

Fremont Building: Nice location except for construction noise from building going up across the street. Units are a bit dated. OK but nothing special.

Alexan Midtown: Very new, great pool and workout room, variety of floorplans. Despite the name, it's not that close to Midtown.

Cathedral Building: Spacious, large windows, high ceilings, nice bathrooms & kitchens. Good downtown location just north of the Capitol, close to Midtown. Some apartments are right next to the light rail line, though, and the garage is tiny.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll be able to find the place that's perfect for you.

[wburg]

The name "Midtown" has so much cachet that buildings outside Midtown have started adopting it--like Alexan Midtown, located in the Alhambra Triangle neighborhood between Midtown and East Sacramento.

[la_cavalière]

Originally Posted by wburg

The name "Midtown" has so much cachet that buildings outside Midtown have started adopting it--like Alexan Midtown, located in the Alhambra Triangle neighborhood between Midtown and East Sacramento.

I get that, but it still feels a bit disingenuous. I suppose you could argue it's located near the "middle of town," and thus "midtown."

[KC6ZLV]

It is normal to run the air conditioner 24/7 in Fresno. In Sacramento outdoor temperatures are often cooler that what you would set your air conditioner at until about noon (maybe 11:00 AM on the hotter days), and falls back below 80 sometime between about 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM on the hottest evenings. Most people utilize window box fans for air conditioning overnight here, often getting up at some point in the night to close the windows because it isn't unusual for temperatures to fall below 60 late at night in the summer. So, those 80-something degree nights in Fresno are about 15 to 20 degrees cooler here.

If you are on the top floor expect it to be hot in the apartment during the late afternoon. I managed to do OK on the top floor with a wall air conditioner. I had two of them. I ran the small 5000 btu unit about 80 percent of the time.

[wburg]

Originally Posted by la_cavalière

I get that, but it still feels a bit disingenuous. I suppose you could argue it's located near the "middle of town," and thus "midtown."

You're right, it's quite disingenuous, but the line there is at least somewhat fuzzy. The Alhambra Triangle has always been kind of the forgotten corner of Midtown--East Sac doesn't acknowledge it, and it is separated from Oak Park by Highway 50, so it shares a neighborhood association with Newton Booth and Poverty Ridge, who are both more technically "midtown." But I have even seen homes on MLK Jr. Boulevard, the southern end of Oak Park, advertised as a "Midtown bungalow." And others (here, actually) have told me that Fremont Park at 15th and Q is the geographic center of Midtown, which would mean it also encompasses Downtown.

I figure it's mostly a state of mind. If by "Midtown" they generically mean the interesting and desirable parts of Sacramento, then it really is expanding, because the city as a whole is growing more interesting and desirable.