My D will be moving to Columbia in August to start a PhD program at USC. She is looking for a one bedroom apt for around $650/month, within 20 minutes of campus. What areas should she look in? As a mom, I’d like a relatively safe area, although right now she lives in a dodgy part of DC.
I am not an expert on the Cola rental market. But from what I know the Shandon neighborhood should have affordable rentals. Shandon abuts 5 Points and runs up Devine to about the Piggly Wiggly and then over to Rosewood Drive. Rents on the other side of Rosewood should be lower as the houses/lots are smaller. These accommodations will be older so any house/apartment should probably be seen before leasing. Cornell Arms Apts are right across from the Horseshoe – the building built in 1949 is not for everyone. Hopefully someone else has some suggestions.
OK, I assume she has car and definitely wants to live alone. I have to tell you that for nicer complexes that’s not much budget for a one bedroom but plenty if she has a roommate. I live here and my oldest will probably move out in the fall when she gets a teaching job and we have started to look at potential areas. She would also prefer to live alone and not around undergrads. Is this your situation?
My first stop would be the off-campus housing site at USC, which will have some resources. I’ve never looked at it since you have to sign up with school id and D never needed it. Also check to see if graduate school has some resources.
Can you visit and look? The biggest issue is that how nice the area is can change from block to block. For instance, D will probably look at the two complexes, Hampton Courts and Hampton Greene, that are kind of behind Target on Garners Ferry. Both would be over your budget but nice and safe. Not a mile away are older apts that look affordable, Hampton Park and Bloomwood, but I wouldn’t recommend either of these unless you visit and they’ve had recent improvements. Same issue with Rosewood area - some blocks have charming bungalows and are young professionals…three blocks in wrong direction and things look run down. Streetview on Google might help some.
42 Magnolia and 5000 Forest are also very nice but over budget unless you have roommate. West Columbia is up and coming and has some cool areas, but lots of apartments are geared towards students and have individual leases and probably no one bedrooms. The upside is that cost includes most utilities. Garnet Riverwalk is one of those that’s pretty nice. There’s another complex next to it that is, I think, less student oriented. Lots of new downtown/Vistas complexes that are not geared to undergrads, but again…cost. Area out past Target on Garners Ferry might be a possibility and apartments/rentals in that area are also marketing to the med school students.
Agree that cornell arms is old but close. Also look at Claire Towers. Maybe block from Horseshoe. Over budget by a little but may include utilities and parking. Parking is big. If your D is commuting, she needs to consider cost of parking. There is very little surface parking and it is a hassle. If you get a garage spot you are looking at around $350 a semester. If you stay close enough to walk at a place that provides parking you can save some money. Senate Plaza is also beside campus with parking but is more expensive and does have a number of students but not a party place like some of student complexes - 25 years ago it was condos for professionals.
Look on apartments.com if USC resources don’t connect you with anything other than complexes. Some of best garage apt. type situations are found by driving around the neighborhoods and seeing signs out. I’ve seen several that we would contact if D were ready to move today. Don’t know if USC off-campus points you to management companies, but check out rentals on Bollin-Ligon realty. I see at least one that might work and they are reputable.
Good luck. Feel free to PM me about specific places you might want to consider.
Thanks for the advice. I’ll pass it on to D. She is planning a visit in June to look. I’m sure she’ll also use the USC housing site, but since she doesn’t want to live with a bunch of undergrads, she also wants to look on her own. She can go up to $1000/month for total housing/utilities/internet/renters insurance. She’s moving out of a 4 br house in DC shared with friends, so I think she wants some peace and quiet of her own space, but roommates are a possibility.
Moving is always a hassle, but if she’s doing a PhD then she’ll be here for awhile and it might be worth it to pick something safe and nice (even if slightly more expensive) and look toward finding a roommate or cheaper housing down the line when she gets to know the area better.
$650 is totally doable with even just one roommate. But it’s going to be a pain to find something that low in cost with no roommates.
She should see if she can find another grad student with similar interests. Perhaps a law school or med school student? Or maybe another young professional?
But if she increases her budget to $1000 a month, she’ll have an easier time. I know a lot of grad students live out in Irmo, but I know nothing about Irmo.
The only problem with Irmo area is traffic at rush hours. It creeps on the interstate. You’d be fine if you can come into town later in morning but if you come in at normal rush hour or go home from 4:30 on its a mess
Thanks for the info. D has made contact with another new PhD candidate and they are thinking of sharing. They like the Shandon area. Hopefully, she’ll find something when she visits in June.
Did your daughter find a roommate or still need one? I am going to be a grad student in the fall as USC and am from South Carolina originally.
For future reference for any grad students looking for apartments in Columbia. My D just got back from her house hunting trip and had these opinions.
Landmark on Broad River: Sketchy neighborhood, not enough security on property, broken beer bottles on stairs.
Biltmore: nice neighborhood but parking lot was not secure and she didn’t think she’d feel safe at night
Hampton Greene: very good security (gated), apartments were small, especially the kitchens but included washer/dryer
Hampton Courts: great neighborhood (same as Hampton Greene), not “gated” even though there was a gate, apartments were bigger than Hampton Greene, but no washer/dryer.
She ended up getting a one bedroom at Hampton Greene for $750/month. It seems to be a truly “gated” complex so Mom is happy. She got an updated model with a full sized washer/dryer. She would still like to find an apartment in Shandon but since she only had one day to look, she had to settle for what was available at the bigger complexes. She decided to try living alone for a while, but might take a roommate next year. So, good luck to everyone trying to find housing.
Good choice. That would be my “mom” choice as well!