Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello there,
My wife and I will be heading to DC from Toronto in late December for a six-month postdoctoral fellowship around Capitol Hill. I've been researching areas around DC to find a (preferably furnished) apartment. We're late-30's urbanites, not averse to a bit of nightlife but well over the party mode years, so I'm hoping to avoid areas with 20-something bar-hoppers. One thing that I wasn't prepared for was the Manhattan-level rental pricing in DC. But since we're only in town for 6 months we'd prefer to find something in the District rather than in VA or MD. We currently do not have a car, but may get one depending on the parking situation at the rental property. Also safety is a bit of an issue since she's going to be coming home alone at 10 at night. My current upper rent limit is $1500/mo, which doesn't seem to go far in todays rental market, and we do not want to share. My choices are currently Capitol Hill/Eastern Market (1st choice), Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, Woodley Park, and maybe Georgetown. I'll be coming into town for a few days in November to have a look around and hopefully find something. If anyone has any comments or ideas regarding my current list or other potential areas I should look into I would be very much obliged.
Thanks!
David
I have a friend that lives at some apartments located at 215 C St SE. It's a secure building and a 1 bedroom will run around $1500 (they also have large studios). It's two blocks from the Capitol South Metro so you won't need a car.
Thanks Penguin. I agree, I was hoping to find something on the Hill. For half a year I would much rather be in the city. As for Gallery Place, I may be mistaken but the times I've visited the area became pretty deserted after business hours. But I'll take your recommendation and have a look there.
For my price range I've seen some "English Basements" listed in CH on Craigslist -- I guess these are basement apartments under row houses -- Over here these tend to be damp with low ceilings and ducts and beams and I end up having to wear a helmet around the house (I'm 6'). Not sure if this is the case in DC as well. Is $1500 simply out of the question?
The Washington City Paper has quite a bit but almost no sublets, but I'll keep checking.
Thank you, Carrot. That building seems a good option however it seems they require a 1 year lease. Either way, much appreciate the recommendation.
You might want to check to make sure. Another friend moved into the building this summer and is leaving in March; I think she was able to a shorter lease.
Stay on the Hill. Don't waste your time commuting if at all possible. You could also look at Chinatown / Gallery Place.
It's going to be hard to find a six month lease. Would recommend short term rental listings in craigslist and Washington City Paper
Unfortunately, I don't think the OP would have a chance in hell of finding a 1br in Gallery Place for $1500. My wife and I just sold our house and and spent a considerable amount of time looking for a short-term (3-6 months) rental (until we're ready to leave the DC area). We ended up with a furnished 1br condo at 7th & E for $3100/month (including utilities and parking) that we found through Craigslist. Although we could have found something a little cheaper, there wasn't anything available anywhere close to $1500. Prices were a little cheaper north of Mass Ave, but I wanted to be right in the heart of Penn Qtr.
On the bright side for the OP, I found that finding a 6 month lease was not a problem at all - - either in commerical apartment buildings or through private owners. Since we only wanted to commit to 3 months, that eliminated most of the commerical entities for us, but that won't be an issue for the OP. As noted earlier, the issue for the OP will be price.
Did you look under the Temporary Housing/Short Term lease section in Craigslist? There are folks subletting, others who need someone to take over the lease for 2-3 months, rooms to rent by month, by week, and people needing short term roomates. One suggestion is to find a place in Alexandria or Arlington close to the Yellow Line. May be more available over there and it's a quick metro ride to downtown. Good luck!
I'll check out VA areas after looking in DC first, since I'm hoping (somehow) to be within 30 mins walking distance of Federal triangle, near where I'll be working. Thanks for all the tips!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
