moving to iowa city/coralville, apartment help? (Cedar Rapids, North Liberty: rental, landlord)

[owlpocalpyse]

hello! i'm looking to move to the iowa city area very shortly, end of march/early april if i can swing it, and i would really appreciate some help in finding an apartment.

i'm looking for a small apartment (1bd, studio, efficiency, i'm not too picky about which) that's near a bus stop (as i don't drive and am a big supporter of public transit), and which allows cats (i don't have one at the moment, but am looking to get one later in the year). on-site laundry and a dishwasher are musts as well. other that that i'm not particularly picky, and am open to a lot of options and can deal with uncovered utilities.

unfortunately, of the apartment listings i've looked at so far, 90% have august leases (yay college town), and most of the rental management agencies for the rest have multiple bad reviews. i know there's no such thing as a perfect landlord and that there are good places available this time of year that exist somewhere out there, but i've had trouble finding something decent and affordable with a lease that starts in april.

if anybody has any good suggestions or leads, i would love to hear from you! i'm on a tight schedule and really need to find something! thank you very much for your time!

[601halfdozen0theother]

Craigslist for Iowa City. Limit search to "Cats ok" (button on the left.) Use "Now" as a limiting search term (box at top.)

There are a few things available now similar to what you want. You'll probably end up out of town in someplace nearby like Hills or North Liberty.

If I were you I'd look at Cedar Rapids, too. Much more affordable housing is available there, and it's an easy commute to Coralville and IC. You're more likely to find something bigger and with garage in CR for the same amount of money that would get you something teeny and yucky in IC.

There is public transit in CR, but I'm not sure if there are buses between IC and CR yet. There sure should be!

You might get a deal on rent if you'll agree to a long lease which will allow the landlord to get the apartment back on the typical university related cycle. At least bring this up as a possibility - doesn't hurt to ask!

[lunagirl88]

Hey! I am moving to iowa city/coralville or wherever I can get a place too. I am running into same problem. I start my new job in May. Care to chat and compare places?