Hey everybody. Can anyone give me some tips on where to rent an apartment in Austin? Any certain areas' to stay away from etc.. Lookin' to spend around 500.00 mnth. Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

Wow, that's a really broad question. Austin's pretty big, with apartments of various kinds all over the place. Plus personal preference plays a big part (wow, that's alliterative). Anyway, IMO, south Austin (and I mean far south, not SoCo, which I love) would NOT be a great place for someone just moving to Austin to start. The central area is my favorite, and you'll need to decide how close or far you want to live in respect to downtown and the campus. There are lots of apartment locator services, although they might be more student-geared? Anyway, you need to research Austin a little more I think and ask more specifics after that.

We are moving to Austin too and used an apartment locator service to find us the perfect place. All you have to do is google Austin Apartments and you'll get a bunch of locator services. Contact one and they'll work with you to find the perfect place. Their service is free.

One more thing. If you google Austin Apartment Reviews you'll get two websites that offer reviews and ratings of apartments. This might help you narrow your search. My impression when in Austin was that there are TONS of apartments for rent there. It really helped to have someone pick a few complexes that fit our needs and then show them to us. Good luck!

Good luck with the $500. per month - maybe a large box near a freeway.
M

mikemo, your kidding? I've researched a bit on-line and seen a bunch of apartments for 500.00 or less! Am i missing something?

Ditto the reocmmendation for an apartment locator service. If I recall correctly, they tend to specialize in a certain part of town, so you'll need to make a general decision about whether you want to go north or south before you talk with them.

$500/mo is quite low for apartments in the Austin area. I paid just over $700/mo for a 2BR student apartment almost 10 years ago and the accomodations were pretty basic. You may want to think about a roommate to help cut your costs.

yogi1220, I did a little research at AustinApartmentStore.com and came up with almost 300 apartments offered at $500. I am assuming though that you're looking for a one bedroom. If you want to search on that site, the User Name is "Apartment" and the password is "Store".

You won't get something glamorous for $500, but you can find something. The area right next to campus (West Campus) is quite pricey due to the convenience for students, but there are plenty of other areas to live in in Austin! Hyde Park, just north of campus, is a really nice area if you can find something in your budget there. You shouldn't have a problem finding a small apt for $500, esp if you don't mind living a little further out. Several of my friends lived in the Far West or Arboretum areas and were very happy. They're nice neighborhoods, and only real issue was taking a cab to/from downtown at night if they didn't want to drive...about $20 each way in taxi. There's always the bus though! Austin is so full of rental properties, you'll have no problem. Good luck!

Thanks for all the help.Sorry for being vague.I don't really require much.Just a 1br.or studio apt.Will be working in central Austin so anything in the vicinity will do.Maybe look into a roomate even. I'm not opposed to that.That might be the best way to get the lay of the land.I'd love any other suggestions. Maybe even a potential roomate! Thanks again.

If you're looking for a share, try austin.craigslist.com. They also have apartment rentals.

Oh, I also forgot to say that the east side of Austin (ie, east of I-35) is a bit sketchy...not recommended. Also, you might consider getting a short-term sublet to give yourself time to look around and view places before signing a longer term lease.