Should have given you the apartment details, about 800 sq ft, 1 bed 1 bath, carpet, nice size balcony. Comparing it to all the apartments I have lived in, this is by far the nicest. Then again, living in West/North Campus of Austin for 4 years isn't setting the bar to high.
In Houston I paid about $850 for 1 bedroom in MedCenter. In NYC I paid about $2100 for a tiny studio (albeit doorman modern high ceilings building with ceiling to floor windows, on 23rd fl with amazing view in Times Sq.) My place in Houston was nice, pool view balcony with palm trees discreetly providing shade.
There are definitely some pretty good deals out there is you do your due diligence...i'm pretty shocked that people are paying $2k for rent in houston
I have never paid more than $900 for my portion of rent in any major metropolitan city I have ever lived in, including Austin, New York, or Los Angeles. this includes a studio apt in Hollywood for $850, a one bedroom summer sublet in the West University area of Austin for about $400 in the late 90's, and all kinds of two and three bedroom situations living all over Manhattan- including Stuyvesant Town and the Upper East Side. ( I named the nice areas and not the ghettos) due diligence. DonkeyMagic said it above and I concur. I always chime in on these threads whenever someone tells the story of their cousin or brother or whoever they know who got duped by a NYC Apt Locater service who would charge broker fees and jacked up rent. I've never independently lived in Houston so I'm not an expert on those matters.
You will want to find a place that is roughly $750-900. You can find 1-bedrooms and efficiencies for as low as $400-500, but you will likely sacrifice quality/comfort. I'd say you can find a nice 1-bedroom for $850.
For those of you that are citing rent in Texas, rent went up by quite a bit after the housing market collapsed. I remember when I went to UT, I got a 2 bedroom apartment in Far West (in a brand new complex) in Austin for $620 or something like that. That same apartment will run for over $900 today. Apartment prices spiked by quite a bit post-2008.
It's all relative, but above 1600 (cable, bills, ect) is a little much and you could be paying less. These new "luxury" apt complexes serve tere purpose, but much of what you pay for in the gym, parking, lounge, and pool go under utilized. If you need them and plan to take advantage fully it is nice. That being said a gym membership costs ~50 bucks and most companies will pay it for you. I would take the route of looking for a nice duplex where you can get an older place and pay under 1000 and have relatively the same life.
Donkey story of the day. You will magically have money to buy one when you have been renting for yourself. Hey rezdawg pay me 2300 a month ill make sure yu get the one with wood floors
All the better complexes with hard wood floors, great appliances, granite countertops, etc... They all go for ~2k a month for a 900+ sq ft apt. West Ave Gables, Millenium, The Hanover, etc... Ultimately, you pay for what you get...whether it's in terms of amenities or convenience/location. There is a reason why apartments go for those prices while being 98% occupied, because the demand for luxury apartments is there. Houston house prices have risen dramatically over the last year...so for many, buying is currently not an option if you want to be inside the loop, near West U or River Oaks. As for me, the West Ave location is ideal. I get to go downstairs to the numerous restaurants for food and drinks, which means my lazy ass doesnt need to drive much on the weekends...and if I do, everything I want is within a mile. I get a very nice pool, gym, and business center. Other amenities include a concierge service, laundry/dry clean service, media/theater room, gourmet kitchen for private parties, etc... It's true that other apartments can offer some of the same things, but things are stepped up a notch, which results in the increase in price. For some people, the luxury is worth it while for others, it makes no difference.
Not sure what a donkey story is? But yeah, I can buy one. If a renter was lined up at the right price I'd probably pull the trigger.
Do you know what part of the loop? Inside the loop has the nicest part of Houston and the worst parts of Houston.
$1200 in The Woodlands in an apartment with garage, a newly-built complex. A good way to tell if an apartment is good, or not is look at the cars. You will not see cars like an Oldsmobile with 20"+, a Caddy with cracked windshield, or a Civic with cannons on the rear end at a well-to do apartment.
Depends on how much you have, what you're willing to pay, if others are willing to take that amount and whether or not they own or are willing to build or acquire the product beforehand.
I pay $860 for mine in Jersey Village. Pretty nice and quiet apartment complex. I could've gotten something cheaper in the area but my peace of mind was worth the extra money.
