When should I start looking for an apartment in Albany, NY?
March 29, 2012 10:30 AM Subscribe
I've been admitted to grad school at the University of Albany for the fall semester, starting in late August. When should I start apartment hunting?
Ideally I'd like a lease that starts August 1st. (Is this even possible? Do I have to face the possibility of paying rent for the whole summer?) How long should I wait to look and still get an okay place? If it makes a difference, I'll be looking for a 1 BR or a studio and hopefully living in the downtown area.
Ideally I'd like a lease that starts August 1st. (Is this even possible? Do I have to face the possibility of paying rent for the whole summer?) How long should I wait to look and still get an okay place? If it makes a difference, I'll be looking for a 1 BR or a studio and hopefully living in the downtown area.
Response by poster: Classes start on August 27th, so if I moved in on the 1st or thereabouts I would have almost a month.
posted by eggporkalypse at 11:14 AM on March 29, 2012
posted by eggporkalypse at 11:14 AM on March 29, 2012
Well I don't know Albany, but I live in a college area. There's a rental agency that deals mainly with students and they have apartments with leases starting in June, July, August, and September. I would start now though because the good apartments get grabbed up early (I signed my lease 2 weeks ago and I move in June 1st).
posted by DoubleLune at 11:25 AM on March 29, 2012
posted by DoubleLune at 11:25 AM on March 29, 2012
I have never lived in Albany, but an ex-girlfriend of mine (long-distance relationship) went to grad school at U. Albany and had an apartment rather close to the campus. I therefore know a little bit about the layout of that city but it is by no means comprehensive.
The rest of this is more general advice, probably applicable to any place where a lot of college students are looking for apartments before classes start.
It's generally possible in most areas to get an apartment lease starting about a month or so after when you choose a place. However, since you'll be competing with lots of college students (at least close to campus) I'd suggest starting a bit earlier; perhaps in June.
That said, it's not too soon to start looking at Albany Craig's List, or looking at the local paper (I believe it is called the Albany Times-Union), if they make their classifieds available online. Also, if you can afford it and would like to, you can find managed apartment complexes on rent.com and websites of their ilk. Most colleges have an off-campus housing office that may have some advice/leads on apartments. If you know any current or former students, ask them.
I'm not sure where in New York State you are (I'm assuming you live in NYS as U. Albany is in the SUNY system), but if you're close enough, take a few visits and investigate the neighborhoods in person to see where you'd like to live.
posted by tckma at 12:17 PM on March 29, 2012
The rest of this is more general advice, probably applicable to any place where a lot of college students are looking for apartments before classes start.
It's generally possible in most areas to get an apartment lease starting about a month or so after when you choose a place. However, since you'll be competing with lots of college students (at least close to campus) I'd suggest starting a bit earlier; perhaps in June.
That said, it's not too soon to start looking at Albany Craig's List, or looking at the local paper (I believe it is called the Albany Times-Union), if they make their classifieds available online. Also, if you can afford it and would like to, you can find managed apartment complexes on rent.com and websites of their ilk. Most colleges have an off-campus housing office that may have some advice/leads on apartments. If you know any current or former students, ask them.
I'm not sure where in New York State you are (I'm assuming you live in NYS as U. Albany is in the SUNY system), but if you're close enough, take a few visits and investigate the neighborhoods in person to see where you'd like to live.
posted by tckma at 12:17 PM on March 29, 2012
I'm from Albany! And I lived for a year in the downtown area around Lark Street. We lived in a one bedroom with a lease starting in July. Albany is a huge college town; there will be lots more competition for apartments in August than there would be in July. But I think you will also have a leg up with landlords as a grad student, and I think overall you won't have too large of a problem if you look for August 1St. I would say you should be able to find something within two weeks, though you might want to give it three to be on the safe side and feel like you can be kind of picky. We noticed that quality could vary drastically within the same price range, so don't get really discouraged if you're seeing some awful looking places. We paid $825 a month for a decently-sized one bedroom that was in great shape and had a huge kitchen. Prior to finding it we saw places for $800-$850 that were tiny and/or disgusting.
In addition to craigslist, I would suggest walking around the downtown area and looking for rental signs.
Some things to be aware of:
-- It seemed to us that we ran into lots of kind of scuzzy landlords in Albany. Do be careful about vetting the landlord and don't be afraid to ask if you can speak with other tenants.
-- As I mentioned, Albany is a big college town. That means lots of potential noise. Try to live in an apt building with other grad students or professionals. also, an apartment right on Lark Street is going to be subject to lots of uh, ambient nose at night.
-- Do not, for the love of all things holy, live in the student ghetto. Give it a Google. It's the pit of hell (and vomit, and garbage, oh and of this lovely incident).
-- To be on the safe side, do not live East of Washington/Central aves in downtown (the neighborhood is called Arbor Hill). Also stay North of the empire state plaza. Things can also get a bit sketchy East of Madison ave.
-- Washington Park is beautiful, especially around Tulip Festival! Parking downtown can be a pain, but living near the park makes up for it :)
Please memail if you have any questions!
posted by imalaowai at 12:18 AM on March 30, 2012
In addition to craigslist, I would suggest walking around the downtown area and looking for rental signs.
Some things to be aware of:
-- It seemed to us that we ran into lots of kind of scuzzy landlords in Albany. Do be careful about vetting the landlord and don't be afraid to ask if you can speak with other tenants.
-- As I mentioned, Albany is a big college town. That means lots of potential noise. Try to live in an apt building with other grad students or professionals. also, an apartment right on Lark Street is going to be subject to lots of uh, ambient nose at night.
-- Do not, for the love of all things holy, live in the student ghetto. Give it a Google. It's the pit of hell (and vomit, and garbage, oh and of this lovely incident).
-- To be on the safe side, do not live East of Washington/Central aves in downtown (the neighborhood is called Arbor Hill). Also stay North of the empire state plaza. Things can also get a bit sketchy East of Madison ave.
-- Washington Park is beautiful, especially around Tulip Festival! Parking downtown can be a pain, but living near the park makes up for it :)
Please memail if you have any questions!
posted by imalaowai at 12:18 AM on March 30, 2012
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posted by BobbyDigital at 10:57 AM on March 29, 2012