Housing in Iowa

[kayakman28]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey all,

As August is quickly approaching, I need to find a place to live in Ames. I know cuitlamiztli posted in the "Iowa" thread about some apartment complexes which guided me for my search (thanks for that!)

I was hoping someone would have some knowledge about the areas I am considering...Since I live in NJ, I had to narrow down the list so I can feasibly visit them soon. I would appreciate any info (good or bad) about the following:

Crystal Cove Condos
K and J Cooper Properties (by 4th Street)
Oakwood Apartments
Wessex Apartments
Professional Property Management (Gateway Hills Apartments, Riverbirch)
KCR Properties (Glenbrook Apartments, Brookwood Apartments)

I greatly appreciate any suggestions you might be able to offer. I am trying to fly out in 2 weeks and just want an idea of what complexes would be worth visiting. Thanks in advance!

 

[athane960]

Heya,

Although I decided against apartment complexes and am renting a house, I did visit some while I was down there for my interview so I can comment on a couple.


Worth it:
Wessex- I really like the complex, very neatly kept, really like the layouts in this one, for some reason I did not like their pet policy, can't remember why
Oakwood- awesome pet policy, nice apartments, close to vet school,


I also kept in mind availability of covered parking or garages. I lived most of my life in the North East so when I moved down to TX, naively I did not get covered parking spaces in my first 2 condos I rented and with Texas Storm season, the hail doth come and damaged my car twice before I got it in my head to get covered parking space/garage. It was no big deal, because insurance covers it, just a big pain. I don't know how storms are in Iowa, but I know they are in tornado alley same as I am in DFW area so I am sure they get their share of hail too.

 

[feadog]

Just lurking on this thread a bit, but now it makes sense to me why several of the apartments I've been looking at online have emphasized covered parking.

Thanks athane! I'm moving from the northeast to KS and had not thought about hail at all.

Ok, back to discussing apartments in Iowa.

 

[athane960]

Glad you lurked then! Actually, I have known people who lived through countless hail storms their whole life and never had covered parking and their cars never got damaged by hail so it just might be bad luck on my part. . . . . Figures😳

 

[kayakman28]

I would never have thought about covered parking....I can totally see how this would be a huge benefit when we're covered in 3 feet of snow!

Thanks for the advice. I'm flying out in 2 weeks to visit, so I can hopefully post my thoughts if no one has responded by then.....or in case anyone else is interested....

 

[twelvetigers]

Aw, hail no!

Har har. 🙂

It does hail wherever there are tornadoes. There are always lots of PDR guys around after a storm (paintless dent repair) and it's a good option is your insurance permium is a bit high. But yeah, covered parking is nice.

 

[rugbychick16]

Yeah since this summer I've been driving my pickup around with huge dents in the hood-gives it character I say...

I have no covered parking and no storm cellar/basement. My version of living life dangerously

 

[cuitlamiztli]

I would never have thought about covered parking....I can totally see how this would be a huge benefit when we're covered in 3 feet of snow!

It's the the drifts and not the overall accumulation you need to watch out for; our past few winters have been rather mild... and I think the average annual snowfall is only like 2 or 3 feet. I'd cry or scream if we got all of it at once!

And hail definitely happens, so covered parking is worth it between that and the ice and snow.

Anyway, I second the Oakwood recommendation. I haven't seen those particular apartments but I'd imagine that they're similar to Hickory Ridge (same management)--which were very nice and, like Athane said, had an awesome pet policy. I don't remember the details of it, though. As far as the other options you listed, I'm not too familiar with them so I don't have any input, but I would definitely check out any that you're interested in. You never know which one you'll like the best!

Good luck!

 

[athane960]

No to diverge from the thread, but has any ISU'ers heard back about their financial package yet?

 

[cuitlamiztli]

I believe we'll be getting notification of our aid awards in mid-June.

 

[athane960]

ok, thanks!!🙂

 

[EqSci]

Hey guys, I haven't been on in a while but I just found this thread. I decided to rent a house since I have a large dog and would love the backyard. I think I found a great place whose tenant needs a roommate.

Make sure you guys check out craigslist! There are some great deals. And be sure to look at the ISU housing list if you haven't already, I had quite a few great leads from that.

And how important is the covered parking? I think with this house I'm looking at I'll have to park on the street. Never even thought of hail! What does everyone do when it gets -40 at night?? I can't imagine my car would start in that. My dad mentioned block heaters??

 

[athane960]

While covered parking is great, it is definitely not a necessity. There are other things to do that you can protect your car if it hails. I even think they sell padded car coverings. It does not hail that often to always have to have your car in a car port, mostly hail is small enough that it is non damaging.

I am not sure about laws in Ames, but I know that in Rhode Island when it snowed very heavily, you had to get your car out of the street to make room for the plows. Else you would find your car under 3 feet of snow due to the plows and you risk getting a parking ticket. That may be something to inquire about with your new roommate.

Good luck!

 

[EqSci]

Good to know. I wasn't sure how often it hailed. We get hail occasionally but not tornado hail.

Where is your house at? Are you renting it with people already living there or are you renting one yourself and finding roommates?

 

[cuitlamiztli]

And how important is the covered parking? I think with this house I'm looking at I'll have to park on the street. Never even thought of hail! What does everyone do when it gets -40 at night?? I can't imagine my car would start in that. My dad mentioned block heaters??

I agree with Athane that covered parking is nice, but not a necessity. I'd like to have it more for not having to clear my car off in the winter than to protect my car from hail.

As far as preparing your car for cold weather (not quite -40!), my advice is to get a battery with the highest CCA (cold cranking amps) that you can find. I think some brands also put "rated XX-XX*F" on the label, which can help you pinpoint the batteries to consider. I don't know too much about block heaters, but they are certainly another option.

 

[athane960]

Ironically, after writing my last post, hail just came through my neighborhood with a severe thunderstorm. . . nothing damaging though . .

Careful what you write about on here . . comes true . . .😀

 

[cuitlamiztli]

Careful what you write about on here . . comes true . . .😀

Iowa never has tornadoes, seasonal changes are nice and gradual, humidity is non-existent, and there is no wind chill during the winter.

Now let's see if this works 😎

 

[Pointer1330]

The Wessex apartments are very nice, there are a ton of good options around but it just depends on your pet situations. As far as the -40, that would be with the windchill and pretty rare. If you have good antifreeze in your car and a good cranking battery (as previously mentioned), you should be fine. Carports or garages are great, but not a necessity. There are some hailstorms but usually nothing too serious (plus, as broke students we should be driving beaters anyway, right? 🙂). Drifts suck, but you just have to be prepared to get out and break a winter sweat with a shovel some mornings. A lot of the students live in the trailer parks and they get along fine without covered parking.

 

[twelvetigers]

Iowa never has tornadoes, seasonal changes are nice and gradual, humidity is non-existent, and there is no wind chill during the winter.

Now let's see if this works 😎

Be careful with the tornadoes - I regretted saying something about those!

"Tornadoes, oh whatever, who's scared of those anyway?"

Next day, as sirens are going off: "Oh man, I must have ticked someone off or something..."

 

[EqSci]

Thanks for the tips about the cranking battery thing guys! Writing it down. 🙂

Good to know -40 doesn't happen too often. I'm used to quite a bit of snow but not those cold temps. The night before my interview it was -27, which is where I got that number from. Luckily the day of my interview it was about 20, same temps as PA was having. I don't think it'll be too big of an adjustment, other than all that wind and no mountains.

 

[CurrySpice]

Do any of you know the specifics in living in one of the vet student trailer parks? I wouldn't want to get there and realize it was a crazy party zone. Also, any clue how much they run? I'm guessing you purchase the trailer up front and then rent the lot space?

 

[cuitlamiztli]

Do any of you know the specifics in living in one of the vet student trailer parks? I wouldn't want to get there and realize it was a crazy party zone. Also, any clue how much they run? I'm guessing you purchase the trailer up front and then rent the lot space?

I'll be living in Old Orchard (the closest mobile home park to vet med) starting in July, so I can only sort of speak for it, but here goes:

It is definitely not a crazy party zone! There are a few non-students but the vast majority of its residents are veterinary or graduate students... and it's very far removed from Welch, which is party central for undergrads. All of the students I've talked with have said that it is a quiet place to live.

You've got the right idea as far as purchasing goes--you buy the trailer from an outgoing student and then pay rent on the lot. However, you will need to contact the management office before your purchase is finalized (or any time after you start looking, really) and fill out a park application. They'll run a background check and a few other things, but you should be fine as long as you've not had any legal trouble or anything.

Trailers run anywhere from $5,000-20,000+. In general, the more expensive trailers will be newer, larger, and/or have been updated (appliances, windows, etc). You can go here to get an idea of what's available. And don't forget about Craigslist, either--that's where I found the trailer I'm purchasing. Lot rent varies from trailer to trailer but will always include water and garbage; I want to say that it also includes sewer, but I could be mis-remembering. Dogs and some large, outside things like hot tubs are an additional $10/month.

Hope that helps!

 

[kayakman28]

Well, I recently got back from a trip to Ames to find a place to live...I looked at 11 different units/complexes and finally signed a lease.

If anyone has any questions about apartments out there, don't hesitate to ask because I now have the "experience"

Can't wait to meet everyone in 74 days!!! (not that I'm counting)

 

[willbeavet]

Well, I recently got back from a trip to Ames to find a place to live...I looked at 11 different units/complexes and finally signed a lease.

If anyone has any questions about apartments out there, don't hesitate to ask because I now have the "experience"

Can't wait to meet everyone in 74 days!!! (not that I'm counting)

Any extra opinion would be welcome, but are there any places you really did not like? I feel so far behind, I really have to find a place!

 

[kayakman28]

Any extra opinion would be welcome, but are there any places you really did not like? I feel so far behind, I really have to find a place!

When it comes down to it....no place was truly awful. It depends on what you are looking for, I suppose.

Oakwood was probably the worst that I saw...it just seemed really dirty and the management seemed to not care about the possibility that I could be a future tenant. They were ruled out immediately.

K and J Cooper Properties had a few nice units, but it seemed as if it was more of a dorm than an apt complex. The units that I saw were virtually trashed, and I just got the feeling it was a "party place" - not something I was looking for going into vet school....

Professional Property Management had older units. They seemed to be putting on a show - not taking time to show units except the one that had new carpets/fresh paint because "all units are virtually the same". These units were also a decent distance from the Vet Med Building. I liked them, but price wise ($510) it didn't seem worth it compared to other places.

KCR Properties seemed to have buildings located in what looked like a "party section"...at least that's the vibe I got. It just had the appearance of being loud once the undergrads came to town.

Crystal Street Apartments were nice. I liked these a lot. They are fairly close to the campus and had washer/dryers in each unit. The buildings were nicely kept and seemed to be well built. But a price comparison led me to go elsewhere when I realized all that I would be getting.

Crystal Cove Condos are very nice. They, unfortunately, did not have any one bedroom units available and I don't need a 2-bedroom...so I passed on these.

Wessex was BEAUTIFUL (it's where I signed a lease). They are just amazing...a little bit more expensive than the other complexes, but the amenities more than make up for it. All units have detached garages w/ automatic doors, gated community, 9' ceilings (gave it a nice "homey" feel), no undergrads, and I could keep going.

Hopefully this isn't too biased of a list and gives a little insight to what's available out there. There are all kinds of other places I didn't even look at: Pheasant Run, Tall Timber Apartments, Fountain View, Country Club Apartments, Aspen Ridge....

Don't feel like you are behind - there are PLENTY of places available. Are you going to be taking a trip to Ames to figure stuff out in the near future??

 

[EqSci]

Hey guys, bumping this up because the girl I was going to live with just backed out and I'm once again homeless for the fall. Anyone still looking for a place? We could join forces since splitting rent seems to always be cheaper than a one-bedroom. Or if anyone has/knows of anything available let me know and I'll check it out!

I'd really rather have a house with a yard instead of an apartment, but if worse comes to worse I can do the apartment thing again (it gets old walking your dog on a leash 6 times a day plus my dog is high energy and really benefits from a backyard on those days I'm super busy).

 

[MNdvm2013]

Hey guys! I will be an incoming freshman this fall...and I was just wondering if anyone out there was still looking for a place to live? My roommate just got accepted to her IS, so I am back in the market for a roomie! I am looking for someone to share a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment less than a 5 min. drive from campus. Here's the link to the apartment:

http://www.jensengroup.net/fountain-view-apartments/

If anyone is interested, or wants more info, feel free to message me, or shoot me an email at [email protected]. 🙂 Can't wait to meet you all in just a little bit over a month!!

 

[willbeavet]

When it comes down to it....no place was truly awful. It depends on what you are looking for, I suppose.

Wessex was BEAUTIFUL (it's where I signed a lease). They are just amazing...a little bit more expensive than the other complexes, but the amenities more than make up for it. All units have detached garages w/ automatic doors, gated community, 9' ceilings (gave it a nice "homey" feel), no undergrads, and I could keep going.

After a long search and much procrastination, I also signed a lease at Wessex. Thanks for the initial reccomendations, it finally got me going!