cheap studio or 1bdrm in kc? (Kansas City, California: hardwood floors, real estate, apartments)

[mg335]

Hi all. I've recently moved back to the kc area after school, and am looking for a very cheap studio or 1 bdrm. Ideally $400/mo or less. I know that won't get me anything great, but where would be the best places? My biggest concern at that price point is safety and bugs. I'm thinking someplace around midtown, or out around the 80th-100th and wornall/holmes areas. Recently came across this which looks promising:

Santa Fe Apartments, Kansas City, MO

I'm not too picky. If my car isn't broken into, I'm not mugged, and I don't spend half my day tracking down roaches, I'll be happy. Is it reasonable to think I can do this for $400/mo?

Thanks!

[Sportster]

Kinda depends on where your working. If you're working in the core, then I'd suggest the Historic Northeast area of town. There's decent stuff up here around that price range. As with anything in the urban core - just gotta be careful. Check out the local weekly up here: The Northeast News, they're full of apartments and houses for rent.
northeast news

Sportster
...nice little paper too

[buck75061]

I lived in KCMO in 2005 as a grad student and paid $385 for a studio just about 1/2 block north of 27th St. on Campbell. Keep in mind that it's in sort of a "transitional" neighborhood, but the young Californian who owned it was new to the real estate business and proud to invest money to spruce the place up. He used a local management company (I can't remember the name). I had new appliances, a built-in microwave, and a fairly quiet window air conditioner. The hardwood floors had been refinished and looked great. The bathroom had been redone, too. There were no roaches, which is surprising since really old buildings tend to have a few. I loved being minutes from downtown, the Crossroads arts district, Crown Center, River Market, and the Plaza. Surprisingly, my favorite amenity was a Chinese drive-through on Linwood across from the Home Depot. They would give you a ton of food, enough for two meals, for under $5. This was a great treat for a poor student who doesn’t care for fast-food chains. The sandwiches at Grinders on 18th St. were terrific, too.

My neighbors were a friendly, diverse mix of people who always smiled and said hello whenever you saw them while coming and going. There was an old guy who loved to sit on his balcony for hours in the spring and summer, so I felt like his presence may have deterred criminal activity. I lived there six months and never had a car break-in. Of course, I was driving a modest 2000 Hyundai Elantra. I didn't hear about any break-ins while I was there, though. There was a small, off-street parking lot in full view of the back units. There were a few coin-operated laundry machines in the basement. I rarely had to wait to do my laundry. My one complaint would be that the trash bin in the back would sometimes overflow. I would not have been happy if my apartment faced it. Again, this was a transitional area with urban blight in one direction and new, high-dollar condos & lofts in the other direction, literally blocks apart. I miss urban living and KC.