Good apartment complexes... is it a hopeless search?

[TridenT]

I've been thinking of moving to Austin (Saving $400-500/month in taxes, lower rents, and relatively easy to get around thanks to highspeed highways during my typical commute times (8:00PM to 2:00AM)). However, I'm having the hardest time finding apartment complexes that have even a few positive reviews that don't sound like they were written under a sock account by a manager. Even then, it feels like the horror stories I read about management and the building are always outweighing the good.

Are most apartment buildings just a horror show in general? I am having a really hard time finding one where people were like, "Yeah, it's not perfect but it is relatively quiet and my maintenance requests do get responded to decently. Also, they let me know in advance when shit is going down and stuff isn't breaking all the time." Instead it's mostly, "They turn off the water everyday without warning. AC breaks down every month for multiple days. Neighbors leave dog shit everywhere. Kids are running rampant everywhere. My noise disturbance requests are never answered, I constantly have to call the cops. Walls are paper thin. Maintenance guys actually stole shit out of my apartment but I can't prove it because I don't have cameras. And it takes multiple months for those maintenance guys to even show up for serious problems. Something died in my walls. We have black mold. Almost no parking. STAY AWAY!!!!" <-- Very typical review for almost every complex that I've looked at.

Compared to what I had in Seattle, I feel spoiled. I knew what I had was good but holy shit... I had the best thing ever. I wish I didn't have to leave there... it was so nice.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Are you still living out of your car at the moment?

 

[saratoga172]

In my experience people that have a bad experience or issues with their complex are the ones that go online and write reviews about them. I live in Dallas and of the 3 complexes I've been in, only one had higher than 50% positive reviews. And that's because it was brand new with one review.

I've had no issues with any of the complexes I've been in. I've rarely had to deal with management and the few times I've had to call for maintenance they've been very responsive.

Overall most are pretty good but you'll want to go tour.

 

[TridenT]

Are you still living out of your car at the moment?

Yeah, my car actually sounds nicer than a lot of these places.

I'm staying in places via friends or AirBNB though. I haven't slept in my car in about a month.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'd say to look for an Avalon property but they are only in Houston, they've yet to reach the Austin city limits.

The two Avalon properties I've lived in here are both managed very well.

 

[Ns1]

Good / Cheap / Convenient

pick 2.

 

[MongGrel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pafY6sZt0FE

 

[sze5003]

I'm going to Dallas next week. I'll ask my buddy what he reccomends. He lives in a nice complex. Pays about 780-795 for a one bedroom with washer and drier, decent space.

My complex here in Philly you needed a reccomendation to live here as it's mostly older people but there are more younger people now. I also have a really good amount of space, decent kitchen, washer and dryer in the bathroom, and 2 decent size closets, one walk in closet in my bedroom. I pay $795 and around $80 for electric. Gas heat and central air and water are paid for by the complex.

 

[Brainonska511]

In my experience people that have a bad experience or issues with their complex are the ones that go online and write reviews about them. I live in Dallas and of the 3 complexes I've been in, only one had higher than 50% positive reviews. And that's because it was brand new with one review.

That's my view, especially when it comes to apartments. If they're fine or good, you probably won't bother hopping on Yelp (or another site) to say how great your apartment is. On the other hand, if you have a crappy experience, you'll probably want to plaster it all over the web. If possible, go see the complexes yourself. Find some time to get into the area, walk around, see an apartment or two. You'll probably get a much better feel than reading reviews online.

 

[TridenT]

I'd say to look for an Avalon property but they are only in Houston, they've yet to reach the Austin city limits.

The two Avalon properties I've lived in here are both managed very well.

I think luxury apartment buildings are beyond my budget at the moment. Unless I start netting well over $5000/month (In Austin that would require a gross salary of at least $82k/yr) then those are going to be out of my reach. $1500/month for a 1 bedroom is just not something I'm feeling up for at this point. If you're splitting it with someone then no big deal but I'd be swallowing that whole cost. I'd rather pay no more than $1000/month and use the extra $6k/yr to get furniture and pay for flights. Even then, I'd like to find a decent studio (space for bedroom/living to be about 15x20, ideally) for ~$700/month and save even more... again so that I could fly around the country and spend that money on some stuff I've been wanting. It would also be nice to have extra cash for savings.

 

[Ns1]

I think luxury apartment buildings are beyond my budget at the moment. Unless I start netting well over $5000/month (In Austin that would require a gross salary of at least $82k/yr) then those are going to be out of my reach. $1500/month for a 1 bedroom is just not something I'm feeling up for at this point. If you're splitting it with someone then no big deal but I'd be swallowing that whole cost. I'd rather pay no more than $1000/month and use the extra $6k/yr to get furniture and pay for flights. Even then, I'd like to find a decent studio (space for bedroom/living to be about 15x20, ideally) for ~$700/month and save even more... again so that I could fly around the country and spend that money on some stuff I've been wanting. It would also be nice to have extra cash for savings.

Good / Cheap / Convenient

pick 2.

somebody else said it, I'll repeat it: champagne tastes, beer budget.

 

[sze5003]

I've been thinking about moving to Texas. My buddy tells me it will be cheaper than Philly. But I won't even move closer to work here since apartments by my company are a little over 1k a month not including utilities and I also have a large student loan payment every month plus other bills.

 

[TridenT]

I've been thinking about moving to Texas. My buddy tells me it will be cheaper than Philly. But I won't even move closer to work here since apartments by my company are a little over 1k a month not including utilities and I also have a large student loan payment every month plus other bills.

Really depends on where you end up living. Texas is supposed to be cheaper but Austin rents are climbing fast from what I've read. If it wasn't for ridiculous taxes, I'd say Philadelphia could be cheaper in some parts. A lot of the city is getting torn down and then rebuilt. Part of that means the buildings are going to be newer/possibly-nicer but also more expensive. And then because more people are wanting to move into Austin, the supply is going to not be as high as the demand. I think demand is heavily outweighing supply at this point and the rent is going to just keep increasing. Hopefully Austin will be more liberal with its apartment building policies and allow for many new tall buildings to be constructed for housing...

I wanted to move to Portland but the bar to entry for a 1-bedroom there is about $1k/month. (At least for anything near center of the city. It takes too long to get anywhere otherwise.) Even then, the amount of listings for anything is just absurdly low. So few listings for any places. Compared to Austin it's amazing how few listings there are. Housing is just growing increasingly scarce. Similar to NYC and SF. Places go up and immediately vanish. The reasons for that in Portland are poor zoning regulations and ridiculously aggressive house owners. (They refuse to be rezoned for apartment buildings to be built near their houses because that would lower their property values. By refusing to cooperate, their housing values just sky rocket and they make a massive profit.)

 

[Zeze]

I'm confused. Are you working now?

 

[sze5003]

Really depends on where you end up living. Texas is supposed to be cheaper but Austin rents are climbing fast from what I've read. If it wasn't for ridiculous taxes, I'd say Philadelphia could be cheaper in some parts. A lot of the city is getting torn down and then rebuilt. Part of that means the buildings are going to be newer/possibly-nicer but also more expensive. And then because more people are wanting to move into Austin, the supply is going to not be as high as the demand. I think demand is heavily outweighing supply at this point and the rent is going to just keep increasing. Hopefully Austin will be more liberal with its apartment building policies and allow for many new tall buildings to be constructed for housing...

I wanted to move to Portland but the bar to entry for a 1-bedroom there is about $1k/month. (At least for anything near center of the city. It takes too long to get anywhere otherwise.) Even then, the amount of listings for anything is just absurdly low. So few listings for any places. Compared to Austin it's amazing how few listings there are. Housing is just growing increasingly scarce. Similar to NYC and SF. Places go up and immediately vanish. The reasons for that in Portland are poor zoning regulations and ridiculously aggressive house owners. (They refuse to be rezoned for apartment buildings to be built near their houses because that would lower their property values. By refusing to cooperate, their housing values just sky rocket and they make a massive profit.)

My friend who I'll be staying with for two weeks starting next week lives in Dallas. So I would probably move there. I also have a friend in Austin and she's been asking me to come check it out because she thinks it's better than Dallas.

But if rent is over 1k or so I would need a good raise if I move. The thing about Philly is the stupid city wage tax of 3% and it comes out of your check weather you live in the county or work in the area. It's such a pain and because apartments where I work are too expensive I put up with the commute.

 

[rsbennett00]

Look for a house to rent instead of an apartment. Around here the same square footage is 3/4 the price and you get all the benefits of things like no shared walls, attached garage, etc... while the only normal downside is lawn care.

 

[Wreckem]

My friend who I'll be staying with for two weeks starting next week lives in Dallas. So I would probably move there. I also have a friend in Austin and she's been asking me to come check it out because she thinks it's better than Dallas.

But if rent is over 1k or so I would need a good raise if I move. The thing about Philly is the stupid city wage tax of 3% and it comes out of your check weather you live in the county or work in the area. It's such a pain and because apartments where I work are too expensive I put up with the commute.

Dallas is a big area. Get a job then find an apartment close to where you work. You will find something under $1k. Won't be luxury. May or May not have a great commute.

Same goes for Austin.

 

[TridenT]

My friend who I'll be staying with for two weeks starting next week lives in Dallas. So I would probably move there. I also have a friend in Austin and she's been asking me to come check it out because she thinks it's better than Dallas.

But if rent is over 1k or so I would need a good raise if I move. The thing about Philly is the stupid city wage tax of 3% and it comes out of your check weather you live in the county or work in the area. It's such a pain and because apartments where I work are too expensive I put up with the commute.

If your gross wage is the same, you'll be able to afford a place in Austin even if the rent is a bit higher. The income taxes in Philadelphia account to a ridiculous amount. (Something close to 10% of your wage when I checked on net income for a gross income of $70k/yr in Austin and Philadelphia)

You can find plenty of places for under $1000/month in Austin. I can't speak to how close they'll be to downtown or wherever you want to be but they do exist. Austin is also a geographically large city. (380 square miles or something) The population density is also pretty low in many parts because of that. Dallas and Houston are much worse though... they sprawl forever. (Houston especially. 600 square miles of land.)

My goal is to live near work, which is hopefully not downtown and closer to somewhere like where 183 and Loop 1 meet, and then drive down at night to anything I need to go to. (When traffic is not as much of an issue) Maybe close to the Trader Joe's up near there. Trader Joe's tend to be in nicer areas, from my experience.

 

[TridenT]

Look for a house to rent instead of an apartment. Around here the same square footage is 3/4 the price and you get all the benefits of things like no shared walls, attached garage, etc... while the only normal downside is lawn care.

The only problem with a house is the barrier to entry. I can't get a 1 bedroom house for $1000/month. Those just don't really exist. I can find a dinky little cottage 2 bedroom for $1500/month.

Houses for rent in Austin don't seem to really be a thing until $1500/month and even then... it's in East Austin or some far out area. (Which is not necessarily a bad thing unless there's no freeway nearby to make the commute in quick... but frequently it's buried in city streets, which makes the commute stupid long.)

 

[sze5003]

OP I'll ask my buddy next week when I'm in Texas about apartments. I have quite a few friends living there. I always visit every summer and I have a blast. Only thing that I would worry about is how to get a job from one state to another.

I'll probably stay with the company here to make 4 years there next year and that would include another 1.5 years including two other places besides the one I'm working at now.

I'll have to study up on my development interviews because what we develop at my company is so specific and internal that you don't really learn what you need to besides how to code for them.

 

[minendo]

The only problem with a house is the barrier to entry. I can't get a 1 bedroom house for $1000/month. Those just don't really exist. I can find a dinky little cottage 2 bedroom for $1500/month.

Houses for rent in Austin don't seem to really be a thing until $1500/month and even then... it's in East Austin or some far out area. (Which is not necessarily a bad thing unless there's no freeway nearby to make the commute in quick... but frequently it's buried in city streets, which makes the commute stupid long.)

Look in areas around Austin like Round Rock, Georgetown, etc. They are still relatively close and should be much more affordable. $1000+/month is insane for a 1 bedroom apartment. I bought a 2100sqft 3 bedroom house in Houston and my mortgage doesn't even hit that much.

 

[Mayne]

I'm not even going to read the op or other replies.

An apartment is only good as you make it. If that requires you put fresh sticky tiles down in the kitchen or painting the walls. You only make it as good as you want to feel.

enough said.

 

[TridenT]

Look in areas around Austin like Round Rock, Georgetown, etc. They are still relatively close and should be much more affordable. $1000+/month is insane for a 1 bedroom apartment. I bought a 2100sqft 3 bedroom house in Houston and my mortgage doesn't even hit that much.

Yeah.. "or some far out area". Round Rock and Georgetown being very far out. Unless I worked in Round Rock (unlikely, IMO), it would be a long ass commute to my job. I'd be spending over an hour everyday commuting. It just doesn't work for me. I'm used to riding my bike a few blocks and being at work. Being able to just walk home for lunch and eat what I want. Walking a block to the grocery store and back. And only having to drive for 10-15 minutes one way when I go out at night.

I don't think doubling or tripling or even more for all my commutes is worth it to me. I've lived in suburbia before. It makes it very difficult to do shit and you have to plan a lot in advance because of that commute. And with the people I tend to associate with, I can't bother with trying to plan shit so far in advance. Very few people I ever meet are like, "Yeah, we're doing this at X time on Saturday and it'll last at least 4 hours." Like, no, that shit never fucking happens. It's basically, "Yeah, I'm free. You want to hang out for a couple hours?" And then doing that, but if I have to be like, "Well, shit. It's going to be a 35 minute drive and I ain't ready. So, another 30 minutes on that..." It just becomes too cumbersome. I'd spend an hour driving just to see this person for an hour rather than living 10 minutes away and spending at least 1.5 hours.

It's just difficult. There's plenty of shit that I do like that too. Small meetings over the weekends or whatever and I don't have anything else planned. So, I go into town for an hour or two meeting but have to spend over an hour driving to fucking do that. For me, that shit doesn't work. I hate having to spend so much time driving like that. If I was on a literbike topping out at 190mph, sure... whatever, I'd have fun, but I'll be driving in my 15 year old honda civic instead. And while I like the car, it's not a super joyful experience.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That's why I skipped the whole apartment thing and just bought a house. Have to remember that renters are doing it for money, so if they can get away with stuff like leaving it ugly but still to code, they will. They don't have a reason to spend money on it unless they have to. Of course you do get some that care and will make everything look nice and stuff but you pay a premium for that.

And why did you leave Seattle? If you're trying to get into development, isin't that where lot of the jobs are given that's where Microsoft is?

 

[MrPickins]

Good luck trying to find champagne housing on a beer budget in Austin.

The apartment occupancy rates are in the high 90% range, and the new units that are being constructed are mostly luxury apartments.