Easy to find housing in Philly in Sept?

[missmod]

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Hi everyone,
I just got into Penn a couple of days ago and now I'm in a housing bind. Basically, I'm leaving for Europe in 4 days and I'm coming back 2 weeks before school starts on Aug 11. I think I'd like either like a studio or small 1BR in center city, around $600-700 but I'm not sure if I have the time to go down to Philly to look at apartments (I also think it would be kind of rushed to sign a lease after looking around for 1 day). Roommates would be OK too but I don't have the time to coordinate apt-seeing with anybody...

So, my question is, is it still possible to find a good deal on an apartment in August for a lease that starts in Sept? (I would stay at my boyfriend's for a while first)... Or would you guys suggest just signing something now? If anybody could share their experiences... 🙂

 

[japhy]

it is possible, but it will be very tough. there are so many schools in the philadelphia area that all start late august/early sept. i had a similar situation happen last year and it worked out.

 

[Neuronix]

Congrats on your acceptance!

I will be honest with you--you need to come here and look at apartments. If you rent a place sight-unseen you never know what you're going to get. It's just not a good idea, as I've seen several people burned that way. Also, you are not going to get a small 1BR for $600 - $700 in Center City--the only possibility would be to share a cheap 2BR with someone. The cheapest, smallest 1BRs I've seen are in the $700s, but most are in the $800s and up. A studio is certainly possible in that price range.

As for when you should start looking, a month in advance is fine. Some landlords only require 30 days notice, and honestly you will see that if you look at listings now there will be alot of stuff available immediately or very soon. If you start looking now for September, you will probably find very little. August sure, but September stuff won't even start until July.

A very useful resource is the Penn off campus living site at http://www.upenn.edu/offcampusliving. There you can search apartment and roommate wanted listings. Another useful site is the Philadelphia Weekly Classifieds at http://www.phillyweekly.com/classifieds/reforrent/. I just got done apartment hunting myself, and the way I found the apartment I'm moving into this year is just by walking around and calling the numbers on the for rent signs. It's a popular technique here. One thing to avoid; don't pay any cash just for a listing. There's a bunch of scams going on where "listers" post ridiculously cheap apartments, and if you call they want you to pay a few bucks to get their listings of places that are already taken or that don't exist. Don't be fooled! There are some legitimate listers, but they won't ask for money (they work on commission from the people they're renting for).

If you have any questions I'd be happy to help. Good luck!

Edit: Indeed, if you must live in an apartment building, increase the prices I quoted you earlier and be prepared to be ripped off. Alot of the Penn Med students live in 2400 Chestnut, but it's very expensive (parent money!). Some other students such as the poster below me are looking in the immediate area around Rittenhouse Sq, but this is the most expensive area in the city. Only in the ritsy areas of the city (Rittenhouse, Society Hill, Old City) or in many buildings do studios cost well over $800. Personally, I'd much rather live in a brownstone or other arrangement (I live a cute little condo complex with flowered courtyard now), but then again I'm used to the city and don't feel the need to be with half of my class. Other places to consider within walking distance of Penn are The Roosevelt (23rd and Walnut) or The Ambassador (20th and Chestnut I think). The Roosevelt is fairly cheap, but nobody I know who lives there is happy with it. The Ambassador is reasonably priced and gets mixed reviews.

I will be living near 13th and Spruce and commuting in by subway-trolley (drops off one block from the med school). A viable option to consider if you don't mind the commute.

 

[ForensicPath]

I just finished finding a studio apartment in philly. I have been told by landlords that this is a very busy time of year and places are being rented fast. Don't forget that besides the med schools there are also the undergrad schools of Drexel, Temple, and UPenn and the many graduate programs at Jeff, Drexel, Temple and Penn. The point is that Philadelphia see a large influx of students at this time of year as well as recent graduates who are starting jobs.

Plan to spend around $800+ for a studio or a small 1 bedroom in Center City if you want to live in an apartment complex in a nice area. If you go with an independent landlord or with one of the brownstone apartments, you might find something cheaper. However, if this is your first time in philly or a city for that matter, you might feel more comfortable in an apartment complex as you get acclimated.

I have visited a number of the complexes in the Rittenhouse Square area, which is close to Penn in Center City, so if you have questions on any of them feel free to ask. I used the links suggested by Neuronix to get started.

 

[missmod]

Thanks for the help, guys. I actually went down to Philly to look at some places this weekend, but nothing so great that I wanted to sign a lease and put down my money right away.

I'm just worried that when I come back to Philly in August to look (I could then devote a whole 2 weeks to search)... everything will be gone! That's a risk I'm willing to take right now, I guess, since my apartment search this weekend was a little rushed and not very fruitful.

There was on place on South and 9th... very nice place, bi level, 2 BR, everything brand new, fully furnished (the landlord is even providing a tv and coffee maker and even utensils. haha...) 600/mo. Across the street from Whole Foods and Superfresh. 😳 But it's on 9th and South and I can't say that the #40 bus is the most frequent. Would you guys recommend living there as a first year?

 

[thewebthsp]

That sounds cheap! I need 1-2 roommates as I'm getting a house with 2 other roommates (4-5 bdrm) in W. Philly. We're looking at 400-500/person/mo.

 

[Neuronix]

There was on place on South and 9th... very nice place, bi level, 2 BR, everything brand new, fully furnished (the landlord is even providing a tv and coffee maker and even utensils. haha...) 600/mo. Across the street from Whole Foods and Superfresh. 😳 But it's on 9th and South and I can't say that the #40 bus is the most frequent. Would you guys recommend living there as a first year?

You mean $1200 for the 2BR right and you plan on sharing? That's a pretty good price for Center City, but part of that is its distance to Penn. If that were say somewhere between 20th and 27th and South, it would be a couple hundred a month more I bet. It's not a bad neighborhood either (not the greatest however). I looked at some places down there. You would be reliant on the #40 bus every day. You're right in that it only runs every 20 minutes and with the South St. bridge in flux and all the construction going on on South St., the bus gets diverted alot. It's really up to your comfort level for the bus. Some people I know have no problem taking the 40 bus in every day, but I was too hesitant.

 

[LionInTheDark]

an alternative to the #40 is to take the orange line (stop at South and Broad) to city hall, switch to the green line and get off at penn. takes about 25-30 minutes on average (i live in that neighborhood, personally pay about $400 a month for my share of a 2-bedroom, and do that when the weather is bad)- the green line comes frequently, orange isn't quite as reliable...

good luck!

-lion

 

[dnister]

Hi everyone,
I just got into Penn a couple of days ago and now I'm in a housing bind. Basically, I'm leaving for Europe in 4 days and I'm coming back 2 weeks before school starts on Aug 11. I think I'd like either like a studio or small 1BR in center city, around $600-700 but I'm not sure if I have the time to go down to Philly to look at apartments (I also think it would be kind of rushed to sign a lease after looking around for 1 day). Roommates would be OK too but I don't have the time to coordinate apt-seeing with anybody...

So, my question is, is it still possible to find a good deal on an apartment in August for a lease that starts in Sept? (I would stay at my boyfriend's for a while first)... Or would you guys suggest just signing something now? If anybody could share their experiences... 🙂

There are a LOT of apartments in the East Falls area - with all the competition amongst all these places, you know that every room won't be rented out. Anyway, for good results, try Rent.com - they give you a small financial incentive for using them to find an apartment anyway.

 

[Neuronix]

There are a LOT of apartments in the East Falls area

What a huge and somewhat pricey pain in the rear end it would be to get from East Falls to Penn every day!

 

[dnister]

What a huge and somewhat pricey pain in the rear end it would be to get from East Falls to Penn every day!

It's only a 10 minute drive to Temple though. (from where I live)

And if I'm not mistaken, Drexel's (haaahaaaa) medical campus is nearby on Queen Lane as well.