How bad/rare are the $700-or-less apartments near Midtown/Downtown? (Sacramento: hardwood floors, 2013)

[Koray]

I've searched some threads and people say $800 should be doable without too much sacrifice... but what if I wanted to spend, say, 2-4 weeks looking for an apartment with fairly easy access to a restaurants-and-nightlife area in Midtown or Downtown, and with a price of $700/month or less? I don't care too much about having a tiny place, and I can probably work around a lack of a good parking space... but I would not like to sacrifice much safety, if that's a possibility. So what would my chance of success be, if I made that search in the near future?

(Apartment-search sites like PadMapper seem to say that this search would succeed, but of course, those sites leave out a lot of crucial details.)

[wburg]

I can be done if you have some time to hunt. $700 is enough for a studio or a small 1-bedroom, but in that price range you will definitely want to visit the apartment and the neighborhood to get a sense as to whether it is comfortable for you. Some of the best apartment deals are small landlords that advertise primarily the old-fashioned way with a FOR RENT sign in front of the property. Taking some time to bike around will also give you a sense of what part of the central city you like best--if you don't have a bike, rent one from Practical Cycle in Old Sacramento. Driving is a bad way to navigate the central city as you'll want to see how things are at a pedestrian pace, but a bike gets you around faster.

If you are seeking cheaper rent because you don't make much money, check out CADA, the Capital Area Development Authority: they manage a large number of affordable apartments but are income-restricted. CADA has the details. They are a highly reputable property manager, screen tenants carefully, and take good care of their properties. Their complexes are all between N and R Street between about 10th and 17th, right near Fremont Park which is one of the most interesting neighborhoods in terms of nightlife but still reasonably safe, with great access to public transit.

[ryuns]

You can definitely do it. Probably one of the less attractive apartment complexes, but should still be able to find something decent, in a decent area, like this ugly place, in a really nice neighborhood: Avail Soon! Cute Downstairs 1 Bed 1 Bath w/ Hardwood Floors! 2320 G St

You probably won't want to do it when you're new, but if you're adventurous or later on, when your first lease is up, you can always look at sharing a place with others. For most people I know, that tends to stretch their dollar a little further and get them a better/more interesting place. Something like the top floor of a nice historic home, or similar, and gets them access to balcony and/or yard space.

[Mr. Ozo]

I lived in a one bedroom apartment for 650$ for years on 23rd and O.


View Our Available Rentals | Sacramento, California Property Management Services by Whisler Land Company

Here's one for $695 so I would say they are out there. If you don't mind living in a "shoebox" style apartment. Certainly fine while one is young and single. Or old and single.

Charming 1 bedroom in quiet complex!
1805 N Street #2, Sacramento, CA 95814

Downstairs apartment in quite building centrally located in the midtown area. This apartment offers newer carpet thro...

Amenities: Refrigerator, Coin op laundry, owner pays water, sewer, trash Available On: 12/27/2013

[anderscl]

It's definitely doable and worth the time.
If you don't mind a studio, you can probably get a pretty neat victorian / craftsman-style for that price. You might find that the layout is reasonably large and that the coolness factor helps with the cramped space.
If you want a 1-bedroom, it will probably need to be in one of those more generic buildings. But you never know.

[Koray]

At the moment I'm more concerned about location than apartment quality, but I do like apartments with character. Regardless, the fact that somebody might think I even have the choice is encouraging. If the answer were "You might be able to do it, if you get pretty lucky and don't mind living in a tiny studio" then I would be concerned.

[oc2sac]

I'm living in a studio in Midtown paying $625 a month. Its an older property but in a relatively good location (never had problems with crime). Only problem is I don't have my own parking spot, but in all honesty parking isn't too difficult to find. Its definitely doable, I would just look on Craigslist everyday, or possibly make a posting of your own stating what type of property and price range you're interested in.

[Koray]

Okay, I'm planning to actually do this soon. I think I will allot myself two weeks. Does that sound too optimistic? I don't have very much experience hunting for apartments. I seem to see 4-6 new relevant ads coming up on Craigslist each day, which I guess is promising.

Maybe this isn't something somebody on a forum can help me with; it's partly just a matter of luck after all. Oh well, if nothing else it'd be a vacation from snow.

[sacite]

I lived in low rent studios in Midtown for 4 yrs before I left due to noise. There are literally prob 100+ options in your price range, but you must be aware that walls are thin in older buildings and you'll be living amongst bartenders, waiters, musucians I.E people that go to bed late and often are louder than you'd prefer. If you are fine with that, then here are the areas to avoid.

Stay away from anything North of "I" ST and south of around "S" ST. East you are fine pretty much as high as you want to go, but west I would say midtown ends around 14th - and you don't want to live in downtown. Oh and for whatever reason there seems to be a bad pocket around "O" ST and 18th/17th.

Prob the safest areas are between K and N ST (north +south), 16th ST to 27th ST (west + east). These areas are closer to businesses as well and very walkable.

[sacite]

Originally Posted by Koray

Okay, I'm planning to actually do this soon. I think I will allot myself two weeks. Does that sound too optimistic? I don't have very much experience hunting for apartments. I seem to see 4-6 new relevant ads coming up on Craigslist each day, which I guess is promising.

Maybe this isn't something somebody on a forum can help me with; it's partly just a matter of luck after all. Oh well, if nothing else it'd be a vacation from snow.

When Ioved here I just drove around and picked an apartment at in 2 hours, literally. I rushed to secure it with a deposit. After I moved in I realized there were like 100 other vacancies, no joke. Lol and I fell for the hard sell "we're not sure if it will be available tomorrow without a deposit". You will have no problem getting a decent place here. None. Just make sure to do plenty of research on the Landlord. Yelp them for sure.