Advice on Rental Near Montrose/Midtown/Upper Kirby/etc. (Houston: apartment complex, rentals)

[DreamingDog]

I made a post a few days ago asking about areas of Houston to live. I just took a trip down to the inner loop based on advice I received here. I loved it! I drove through a lot of Montrose, Upper Kirby, and Midtown. All of the areas seemed fun. Very busy. Quite urban. I didn't even know Houston had neighborhoods like that since I grew up in suburbia. I really liked the River Oaks shopping center at South Shepherd and West Gray.

Anyways, I was wondering if you all had any recommendations on specific areas of those neighborhoods to look for a rental. Here is some info. on me and what I'm looking for:

• Mid/Late-20s engineer
• Job in Sugar Land
• Own a big 95-lb Labrador Retriever mix
• Would like to keep rent at or below $2k/month. Will go a bit over for the right place.
• I think I'd prefer a small house as opposed to an apartment. This just stems from having a big dog. If an apartment complex had a nice outdoor area for pets, that would be cool, too.
• Would prefer having a small, private outdoor space for the pup.
• Would like to be near some parks.
• Would like to be within walking distance or taxi ride from bars and restaurants.
• Would like to be near other young professional folks.

Thanks for the advice so far and thanks for reading. Any help at all would be appreciated.

[Meyerland]

Use har.com to look up rentals. You can use a realtor to help you. Rentals are hot right now, so you will need help. Your budget is good for an apt or town home possibly. A home in those areas will rent for more. Go ahead and check though, because you might find a small home in original condition.

[DreamingDog]

Thanks for the quick response. I've been looking at HAR and Zillow. Most of the houses I've seen are way more than $2k/month so I'm not too hopeful on being able to land something. I'll get in touch with a realtor. Thanks for the advice.

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by DreamingDog

Thanks for the quick response. I've been looking at HAR and Zillow. Most of the houses I've seen are way more than $2k/month so I'm not too hopeful on being able to land something. I'll get in touch with a realtor. Thanks for the advice.

Use the green sheet and the Houstn Press. Or sometimes you might have to drive around and look for "for rent" signs. Not all people who rent their properties are going to use a realtor..

[DreamingDog]

Thanks 14. I'll look into those two sources.

I've actually just realized that I can search HAR for the entire area I'm interested in by using MLS area 16, which covers Midtown, Montrose, River Oaks, etc. There are actually plenty of places on the site within my budget. Zillow had prices that were much higher so not sure why that was. Thanks for the help.

Do any of y'all have recs on what specific areas within the loop are best? It's just such a large area. I remember one thread stating something off of West Gray would be ideal.

[Mr. Krinkle]

Don't use Zillow. I found my place on accident by driving/biking around and got a good deal.

Anything in Montrose/Midtown/West Gray are would be good. Use zip code 77006, 77098, and 77019 when looking if you want that side of town.

[Schumacher713]

Anything in area 16 will do. Finding a house to rent at that price won't be that easy. I would get a realtor. The young fun areas are Montrose, Midtown, and the Heights.