Moving to Minneapolis soon! Please help! (St. Paul, Marshall: for sale, real estate market, apartment)

[thaiangel9008]

Hi, my fiance and I area moving to the area pretty soon and we're looking for housing in the North Loop/Whittier neighborhoods. Does anyone know of a good property management company that could help out 2 people just moving out with a very limited income?

[xandrex]

No companies come immediately to mind, but it seems you're looking at two very different areas. The North Loop is mostly condos (so if you rent, you're likely renting from the owner) and is a fairly expensive, gentrified place. Whittier is south of downtown, dense, and I daresay less yuppie than North Loop.

Perhaps equally important is to know what exactly you're looking for and the type of people you and your fiance are.

[GBCommenter]

Two management companies I have heard of that seem to be relatively larger (though I cannot guarantee they have properties in the areas you're looking) would be Steven Scott Management or Kleinman Realty. Google those names for the specific websites.

I would agree with Xandrex on the neighborhoods. Both have their plusses and minuses but are pretty much different neighborhoods. Is price your highest decision factor or are there other decision factors important for you? What is drawing you to those neighborhoods? When you say "limited income" what is your price range for rent?

I think you will get better quality answers if you share with us a bit more on what you're looking for...

[maqncheese]

If you're considering Whittier, don't, at all costs, move into stevens square I lived in a slum there where people sold crack. Stay closer to Nicollet south of franklin and not west of lyndlae. Don't rent from The Apartment shop, the building are fine, but they will try to fine you, any chance they get. Don't rent from a Marshall B. Jackson or anything he may be associated with. Putnum properties would be my recommendation, they have a straightforward-no-nonsense lease and the people that live in their buildings are couples and small families-all very nice. Check out their building on pleasant and 25th, I lived there before my roommate left and I had to relocate, otherwise I'd still be there. It was hands down, the best apartment I've rented.

[plain and simple]

I second, third, fourth and fifth the warning about Steven's Square. Just... don't.

[west336]

Boy....I'd LOVE to buy a rental property there and try to turn things around! That area rents very well and it's a great location, but I see no reason to screw over lessees. Ahhhhh, if only I had money.....

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by west336

Boy....I'd LOVE to buy a rental property there and try to turn things around! That area rents very well and it's a great location, but I see no reason to screw over lessees. Ahhhhh, if only I had money.....

I was actually just in this area today and was thinking the same thing. There is a large empty lot for sale off of Nicollet Ave right at the bridge that crosses I-94. It'd be a prime location to put up a nice 10-15 story mixed-use building overlooking the downtown skyway. It's a prime location in my opinion, located directly in between downtown (specifically the Nicollet Mall stretch) and Eat Street. Once you and I get some money maybe we should invest in this idea, eh? Guaranteed that piece of land is cheaper than it should be, considering the current real estate market and the reputation of the area.

[west336]

Originally Posted by Slig

I was actually just in this area today and was thinking the same thing. There is a large empty lot for sale off of Nicollet Ave right at the bridge that crosses I-94. It'd be a prime location to put up a nice 10-15 story mixed-use building overlooking the downtown skyway. It's a prime location in my opinion, located directly in between downtown (specifically the Nicollet Mall stretch) and Eat Street. Once you and I get some money maybe we should invest in this idea, eh? Guaranteed that piece of land is cheaper than it should be, considering the current real estate market and the reputation of the area.

I KNOW! Between you and I, I think it's a steal, but neither of us are ready to pounce on a whim alone (unless you are rich or are already an experienced investor). The reason I brought it up is because this is what I want to do with my career (at the start) and eventually make neighborhoods more interesting and inviting places to live, if I can do so!

But will I never invest in a spec. space with no Capitilization calculations....ever! I don't ever want to be in the business of predicting the market....rather, making value that both the customer and myself can prosper off of. If you want to talk more, please PM me, Slig (differences aside).

[CalitoMini]

Yes, the management group you want to look into is called the Downtown Resource Group. They pretty much manage everything. My husband and I were in the same position and went for a weekend trip to find that the average rent is about $2,500 for 1,000 sf. and no I am not joking.
We looked at about 30 places and decided to start driving around neighborhoods for signs in windows and yards in hopes of something we might have missed. We rented the last place we looked at.

DRG is expensive by all means and they are pretty rude but they have all the rentals. What everyone said about the area is true. Stick to craigslist if you are loking for affordable. You should really consider the Uptown neighborhood or St. Paul. We found these neighborhoods to be great. We are in our mid 30's moving from San Diego.

[url=http://drgmpls.com/]Downtown Resource Group[/url]

Best of luck!

[l12]

I recommend using padmapper.com, you can set it up to get alerts of any new properties in your area, price range, etc. so you can be first to check them out.

Find the place first, then do your research about the management company.