<p>Any recommendations for off-campus apartments that are close to campus?</p>
<p>Not sure what I'm looking for, so please give me any info.</p>
<p>Get a realtor. They are usually free and will find you some nice apartments.</p>
<p>Well me and my roomate are going tobe at University Commons Apartments in a fully-furnished 2bed/2bath for about $520 per person on the Riverside area. From the reviews I heard it was like living in the ghetto but its right across Longhorn Landing and the area is nice from what Iv’e seen.</p>
<p>Try looking stuff up on Apartment ratings.com</p>
<p>$520 a person at Riverside? You’re getting ripped off.</p>
<p>But yes, I’d say get a realtor. Just google “West Campus apartments Austin” or something like that and a large number of realtor services will pop up.</p>
<p>Realtors aren’t free, though–they get a commission of your rent, which bumps rent up a lot. They don’t get any fees up front, though, and no money until you sign.</p>
<p>I was going to mention that… Yes, they do get paid off commission. I don’t know if they bumped it up very much for me. I am paying $700 a month for an apartment that is a 5 minute walk to campus. It has been remodeled and cable TV is included. I think the complex’s want realtors to sell their vacant spots so they give them a little bit of their profit rather than raising the rent.</p>
<p>That’s average.</p>
<p>But if you were’t paying commission you’d be paying about $50 less a month.</p>
<p>Yeah $700 is a great deal considering what it all includes. I was looking at the West campus apartments (The block, Quarters, ect.) and they run about $800+ a month.</p>
<p>“$700 is a great deal considering what it all includes.” What do they include?</p>
<p>What’s a good monthly price to be paying?</p>
<p>It is fully redone (brand new floors, paint, appliances, ect.). It includes; Cable TV, water, trash, and two covered parking spots. It’s close. Its is a great deal in my opinion. </p>
<p>I haven’t seen anything cheaper than $600 a month. But that also doesn’t include TV, internet, electric, ect. So if you are renting an apartment that costs $600 a month, then you will be paying about $720 a month with cable, internet, electric added in.</p>
<p>I used a realtor and it was the best decision I could have made. I called a super nice lady, told her what I was looking for and within 5 minutes had a link to 13 apartments that fit my criteria. Now, I have a 1 bedroom on the corner of 290 & 35 for $570 a month, first month free, and I can throw a rock from my place and hit the UT Shuttle sign. (i wouldn’t really do that)</p>
<p>And while yes the realtor does get a cut, I doubt the apartments hike the rates for the people that use realtors. Every apartment my realtor sent me with prices, I’d go on the website and there would be the same prices. </p>
<p>I could give anyone her info if interested.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t mind getting her info. I was thinking about one of the three off campus dorms I had in mind b/c on campus is all full as u know. But if I don’t seem to like the off campus dorms on July 5th, then I’ll visit the apartments. How much does she charge? Just post the info on next reply or pm</p>
<p>Realtors don’t “charge.” They get a commission of your rent, usually 6%.</p>
<p>theloneranger who are you man … you’re freaking loaded with all sorts of information…what major are you?</p>
<p>He knows how to use google and wikipedia :P. Or he has used a realtor before. The place I used said that they give a 70/30 split to its realtors… seems like a lot though.</p>
<p>Should I get I realtor?
I would just be looking for a dorm room / apartment off campus and if I find a nice deal nearby, Ill rent it. If price is up or down a few dollars / month for the apartment / dorm, I am not that concerned about it since I might only be living there for my sophomore year.</p>
<p>That site doesn’t have any complexes near campus.</p>
<p>IDK if $520 is a rip off for Riverside. Longhorn Landing which is across from where I live costs more then that ($599+). The UC Apartments where I’m gonna stay at is fully furnished and they pay your cable and water bills for you.</p>
<p>I’m gonna try it for a year and then if I don’t like it I’ll probably move.</p>
<p>Realtors and the internet are both perfectly good ways to find housing in my opinion. If you want to rent just a room from somebody and don’t care who you’re living with, you can always look for people searching for roommates on Uloop.com and Craigslist.com. This is often a good way to find the cheapest deals available.
If you really want an off-campus “dorm,” then you may as well go view them all if you’re going to be in town. There aren’t a staggering number of them. There’s Castillian, Dobie, University Towers (which are really apartments), Scottish Rite (girls only), and maybe a couple others.</p>
<p>It really just comes down to what you want in convenience vs. cost. If you need cheap places, they’re available, but they’re far away. You can also cut costs by sharing the apartment with more people. You can double up in a room, turn the living room into a bedroom, whatever you need to do to fit your budget. You can also take the dangerous route as I did this past year. You can wait until right before school starts to sign a lease. This way, if a complex that caters to students still has open rooms, their prices will plummet. By doing this, I now live in the Villas on Guad (a few feet from campus) Luxury apartments for $375/month in my own room. The downside to this is that there may be little to no housing left to rent by this point. Thus my use of the term, “dangerous route.” Also, when people find out what your paying for your place, they may want to strangle you on the spot out of jealousy. And by the way, I used a realtor to find that amazing deal. So, that’s one point for realtors. However, I didn’t go find the realtor. I was getting occasional E-mails from him by somehow inadvertently ending up on his mailing list.</p>
<p>For the most part, though, the closer you are to campus, the more your housing will cost. Some places are also nicer than others, of course. But for the most part, places that cater to students are all very similar.</p>
<p>And yes, if you’re paying $500 or more per month in the Riverside area, you’re definitely being ripped off. Riverside is known as THE place for discount student housing. If you need a place that costs $400/month or maybe even less, then that’s usually the place to look. There are other places even farther away with similar deals, but Riverside has the bonus of being a large student-oriented residential area with frequent shuttles to and from campus.</p>
<p>The only guy I know at Lonhorn Landing paid $349 per month last year. It was a 4 bedroom. A one-bedroom at LHL may cost more that $600, but if you can afford a one-bedroom on Riverside there’s no reason you shouldn’t pay that much money to live in West Campus where it’s closer and safer.</p>
<p>The advantage is that they do most leases on a per-room, not per-unit, basis, so if one of your roommates bounces without paying rent, you don’t have the risk of eviction.</p>
<p>There are places on Riverside and the campus area that lease by the room. I would say it’s not the norm, but it’s certainly convenient. My building was leased by the room this past year and we had a free room for a couple months because nobody rented it.</p>