Cheaper apartment in Denver suburbs Parker, Centennial, or Englewood?

September 7, 2012 7:18 PM

Have two days next week to find apartment/partial house on small budget in Parker, Centennial, Englewood area of Colorado (outside Denver). 2 adults, $800-850 (before utilities); 1 or 2 bedroom, washer/dryer preferred, quiet and safe....hopefully space for a mini terrier. I am looking at tons of stuff online but trust MeFites input and steeling for the fact that I am probably not going to find much. I am open for a partial house but not sure if Craigslist is safe or trustworthy to look. Any input is appreciated....truly. Excuse any naiviete on my part.
posted by snap_dragon to home & garden (6 answers total)

Here in the DFW area, there are companies who will help you find an apartment at no cost to you (they get paid referral money from the complex if you sign a lease). Surely there is something similar for the metro Denver area. They ought to be able to take your criteria & spit out a list of apartments that meet them & have vacancies.
posted by AMSBoethius at 8:20 PM on September 7, 2012

Please check your mefi mail.
posted by theobserver at 8:33 PM on September 7, 2012

Housing Helpers is a legit company in the area that can help you find an apartment. My boyfriend and I used them when we moved to Boulder several years ago. We also found an apartment on Craigslist. There were a fair number of scam listings but if something seems too good to be true, it is.
posted by rachums at 6:13 AM on September 8, 2012

Forgot to say that Housing Helpers is free to renters. So NO FEE!
posted by rachums at 6:14 AM on September 8, 2012

I used CL when I moved to Denver five years ago. Have never had a problem.
posted by FlamingBore at 1:20 PM on September 8, 2012

I'm a property manager and I use Craigslist to rent my properties. It's a good place to find housing, but there are also a lot of scams. Criminals will sometimes copy the photos and text from legit ads, make the price of the house lower, and then make up some story - usually that they are missionaries and had to leave for Africa before they had time to rent their house. They will ask you to wire money for keys, which of course you'll never get.

If you see a deal that looks too good to be true, try googling the address. It's likely you'll find that it's for sale or for rent at a higher price and then you can flag the listing and not waste your time on it.
posted by Melsky at 2:04 AM on September 9, 2012