Looking for temporary housing in Austin
January 14, 2011 11:46 AM   Subscribe

It looks like I'll be ready to move to Austin in a few weeks. Yay! I'm looking for cheap, temporary housing for me and my cat.

Ideally, I'd be renting a room in someone's house on a month-to-month basis. I would keep the cat in my room if necessary (she's very shy anyway).

Another option would be to rent a weekly suite or apartment. My budget is $400 or less for monthly rent, $100 for weekly.

I can't be around cigarette smoke (allergies). And I don't want to be in a sketchy neighborhood. I'm a quiet person and don't want to be in a loud household or neighborhood.

Austin MeFites, please advise me. Where can I find affordable, smoke-free, quiet, cat-friendly, temporary accommodations while I settle in?
posted by xenophile to Grab Bag (11 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I love the Clarksville area.
posted by jchaw at 11:55 AM on January 14, 2011


Yay! I'm so glad you'll be making the move :]

It may be obvious, but I have a lot of friends who have found good living situations like you're looking for on Craiglist; the Craigslist housing scene in Austin is very active.
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:17 PM on January 14, 2011


I hate to say this, but $400 doesn't buy what it used to buy in Austin. Contra jchaw, I don't think that Clarksville will be an option, as it is mostly yuppified and quite pricey now. Campus area rooms might be available in that range, but the noise would definitely be an issue. You could probably find something with these requirements in south Austin, anywhere from about Oltorf to Ben White in the neighborhoods around S. 1st, and S. Lamar (yuppified, but still a little bit funky). Hyde Park (just north of campus) might be an option, but it's a longshot as it is also shifting from student land to land of rich people. Your surest bet will probably be far south or far north.
posted by Gilbert at 4:26 PM on January 14, 2011


Will you have a car or will you be relying on public transportation?
posted by lefty lucky cat at 4:28 PM on January 14, 2011


Manchaca (pronounced Manshack) south of Ben White is a good area. Good bus line to downtown. Nthg Craigslist.
You will have to be lucky to find something in your price range. Good Luck!
posted by Pecantree at 8:36 PM on January 14, 2011


Can any Austin area MeFites help you out? I have a spare bedroom, but I live in San Marcos, which is a 30 mile or so drive to the Austin area. Also, I don't think my place allows cats. =(
posted by King Bee at 8:35 AM on January 15, 2011


Would love to help out and have the room, but we have 3 dogs, 3 cats and a baby. That does not bode well for "quiet" living and I am fearful a new kitty in the house will throw off the delicate balance of our carefully controlled chaos.

If you are interested, I will check with my neighbor who recently rented a garage apt. just around the corner from us--it was for her mom who was visiting for a few months and just left. We live a stone's throw north of Clarksville, and are a block from the bus line. I don't know what they charged and the Clarksville area is generally quite pricey, but I know the apt. was small, so perhaps it would fall within your budget. But if you are new to town, the Clarksville area is a great area of Austin to live in since it is so central and close to downtown.

Memail me if you want more information and I will check with my neighbor on the details.
posted by murrey at 12:02 PM on January 15, 2011


Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses so far. I do have a car, so anywhere in the Austin area is doable.
posted by xenophile at 2:34 PM on January 15, 2011


Gilbert: "Hyde Park (just north of campus) might be an option, but it's a longshot as it is also shifting from student land to land of rich people.

Hate to burst the bubble [yours & mine] but I've personally seen tiny apartments in Hyde Park go for at least $100+ above xenophile's price range. The crappy efficiencies aren't much cheaper.
posted by MuChao at 8:49 PM on January 15, 2011


I was just corrected, the area I'm thinking about is just north of Hyde Park by a little bit, but I don't honestly see Hyde Park being in the $400/mo price range.
posted by MuChao at 10:07 PM on January 15, 2011


You may get lucky, but be prepared to compromise on one or more of your requirements at that price point, especially if you want to lease month-to-month.

For renting one bedroom in a house, look on the east side of I-35 from around Manor Road up to 290, in neighborhoods called French Place, Cherrywood and Windsor Park. Also between Mopac and Lamar Blvd, north of 38th and south of Anderson Lane in neighborhoods called Allandale, Crestview, and Rosedale. These are basically suburbs close to the center of town, quiet and mostly safe (they border much more sketchy neighborhoods, so property crime is common). Hyde Park, West and North Campus, Downtown, Travis Heights and South Congress will probably be out of your price range. Since you've got a car, consider far south and far north... South of Oltorf between I-35 and Mopac, or north of Anderson along 183. Avoid apartment complexes along I-35 north of about 51st street.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 9:23 AM on January 16, 2011 [1 favorite]


« Older Retrieving a novel from 3.5 inch diskettes   |   Help me fix my computer, please Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.