<p>Where would you recommend living?</p>
<p>How much can you afford for rent and utilities? What kind of place are you looking for (quiet and nicer for studying or fun and rowdy for socializing)? Do you care if you have to take a bus to school or do you need to be within a few blocks of campus so you can walk? Do you care if the parking is assigned (and/or if you have to pay extra) or if anyone can park anywhere?</p>
<p>I’m actually wondering the same thing. Right now I am leaning towards Jefferson at 2nd Ave.</p>
<p>I would like a place that doesn’t go over 650 a month and includes all utilities. I won’t have a car on campus, therefore distance is a big factor for me. I will probably be walking, or maybe riding a bike, but I will have to take the bus sometimes (bad weather). </p>
<p>The main reason I want to stay off campus is because I would like the privacy of having my own bedroom/bathroom. I also want a place where I can socialize, but still have time to relax and study.</p>
<p>If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! =]</p>
<p>Nena, we toured many places last weekend and have had the lease drawn up for Jefferson 2nd Ave. You can’t beat the specials they have going right now and it’s walking distance to campus close.</p>
<p>Are you a freshman and when are you starting?</p>
<p>It depends on how close you want to be to campus and what kind of atmosphere you want. Some of the big places, like Cabana Beach, Estates, Gainesville Place and Campus Lodge are huge and have lots of amenities but they are noisy, parties all the time and some are a long bus ride from campus. It also depends on how many bed/bath apt you want. Most places do individual leases, but a 2/2 will cost you more than a 4/4. If you are looking for quiet, look at some of the smaller complexes.</p>
<p>I want to be as close to campus as I can be lol. I would also like a 4/4 because it’s more probability of finding a person I can connect with.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman and I’m starting in the summer but I need housing for the fall, since I am living on campus over the summer. </p>
<p>Is there a bus stop by Jefferson at 2nd Ave? And do you know if they do roommate matching, because I would like to have freshman roommates at least…</p>
<p>Nena, there is a bus #1 stop right out front. I was told by residents and on the tour that most people just walk though. It was an 8-10 minute walk. They do roommate matching. My daughter is also going to be a freshman. We also liked the 4/4s due to meeting more people. My D was going to live in the dorms over Summer too if she gets her term changed, but Jefferson said she could stay all summer for free, so that’s hard to pass up.</p>
<p>WOw that sounds incredible! Do they let anyone stay over the summer for free, if they sign a contract for the fall??</p>
<p>It sounds like your daughter and I are in the same situation! lol I will check out Jefferson when I go to Gainesville for Preview on May 14. Do you think they will still have rooms available? Or should I convince my parents to drive up there soon??</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your input!</p>
<p>Nena, I’m not sure about offering the free summer, but I just told them D was trying to change her term from Fall to Summer and if so, she may need a place over the summer. The leasing agent we were with said she could basically move in anytime starting in May and there would be no charge until August. So I told the girl I’m working with on the lease (someone else in the leasing office) that he said that and she wrote it into the lease. It’s worth asking. </p>
<p>They said they won’t know about the availability of each unit until June, when the current residents have to say if they’re renewing for August. There’s an excess of new apartments in Gainesville, so they’re offering the best deals. They also are giving a free month’s rent and waiving all application and deposit fees. You don’t have to pay anything until August.</p>
<p>It would be great if you could meet up with my D if you both end up there. She won’t know anyone either.</p>
<p>You might want to call them and see about their occupancy rates and whether there will be any problem waiting until May when you go to preview.</p>
<p>oh okay! thank you. I will definitely call them soon and find out.</p>
<p>Let me know (you can PM me) if you end up there and I’ll get you in contact with my daughter. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m looking for a quiet, 1 bedroom or studio apt</p>
<p>Freeway, you still haven’t answered any of my questions from post #2. We can’t really help you until you do. The most important question is how much you are willing to pay. With or without utilities? With or without parking? With or without amenities (fitness room, pool etc)? Pets/no pets?</p>
<p>[Gainesville</a> Apartments and Condominiums Guide Apartments and Condos for rent - Home](<a href=“http://www.gainesville-rent.com/]Gainesville”>http://www.gainesville-rent.com/)</p>
<p>go to this website and it will show you where everything is located and whether the rent includes all utilities and a fully furnished apartment, and if there is a bus route to UF, which most have. You can also request for them to mail the guide book to your address.</p>
<p>i personally liked Cabana Beach and The woodlands at Gainesville. Both fully furnished and included utilities. and for a 4/4 it was $460 at Cabana and $ 560 at The woodlands. the woodlands interior was amazing, i would have applied there but it was a bit expensive for my room mate, but all around great looking communitty.</p>
<p>re:utilities, take a close look at exactly what utilities are included. Most of the places we looked at did not include electric, including Cabana Beach. What many places do is to charge a 10-20 dollar allowance along with your rent to cover utilities. Ask anyone who has paid an electric bill in Gainesville and they will tell you that those allowances NEVER cover your entire electric bill, so what the management does is to bill you the overage each month. My d lives in a 4/4 and their combined electric is about $200/month, so about 50 dollars a person. And they try not to run the A/C unless it is boiling out. </p>
<p>Again, juts make sure that you factor the real cost of utilities into your budget, not the imaginary numbers the leasing company tries to lead you to believe.</p>
<p>We looked at several apartments two weekends ago. The electricity allowances they were giving were $35-40 per each bedroom. We signed with Jefferson 2nd Ave who gives a $40 electric allowance. Unlimited water, cable and internet were pretty much the norm in all the complexes we looked at.</p>
<p>Electric bill and water for a 1200 sq ft condo, 200 a month in the winter and as high as 337 in the summer. S and roomate were running 4 computers, 3 game systems, a 113 inch HD projector and the AC at 72 degrees. After lots of screaming, the bill has gone from 1700 Kwh to 1100 Kwh a month. I had change a the bulbs to CFLs before they moved in, they have learned to turn off the computers and game machines. The water portion of the bill is about 40 a month.</p>
<p>The GRU bill on my daughter’s 2 bed/2bath apt runs from 75 to $100/month (for water and electric. It is usually around $100 though (the bill is sent to me). My daughter has to pay for her own cable too and that cost’s $50/month for basic plus expanded cable (but NO HBO/movies channels).</p>
<p>For any of you looking for a place to live off campus, my son currently has 2 rooms available in a 4 bed room apartment. My son is an accounting major and his other room mate is an engineering major, so they are both pretty serious students and don’t party a whole lot. University Commons is about a mile from campus and there are several bus stops right next to his apartment that takes you right to campus; very convenient.</p>
<p>Rent is only $450 per month and includes utilities. Message me if you want more information.</p>