Oxford Manor

Located at 2777 SW Archer Road

One of the priciest most "luxurious" apartments we visited also had a strike against it from friends that had previously lived there. We decided to give Oxford Manor a shot anyway. For a two bedroom (ground floor) apartment we'd be paying $899. Included in the rent is cable with HBO and Showtime,  and high speed internet.

The Cons:
The apartment is really "complexy" which is a bad thing judging from the experience I'm having now, because it's like they're breathing down your neck.
It's pricy
While they do have a washer/dryer in the apartment, it's really small.
The living area is small

The Pros:
Amenities such as a pool and gym
They're pet friendly, for a $150 pet fee plus $35 a month, unless you adopt where they drop the deposit and the rent goes down the $20 a month.
Washer and Dryer included
Large walk in closets
Ice maker
a quasi exclusive back yard
There's no chance of having someone above us
good location with plenty of running buses
one bathroom is unattached, with is perfect for guests

Overall, I wouldn't put Oxford Manor at the top of my list, but it's something to keep in mind.

Rocky Point

Located at 3100 Sw 35th Place

We looked at a two bedroom town house at Rocky Point for $700. I can say I was pretty impressed, but while the location was good the neighborhood itself seemed a little run down. The buildings seemed to be a little older, and they had the same basic floor plan every town home has. Again, there was no washer or dryer only hook ups. 

The Pros:

Lots (and lots) of storage

The 1/2 bath downstairs is convenient for guests

The downstairs had tile and the upstairs was carpeted

They have a backyard with a big sliding glass down that leads to it

They're pet friendly (though I don't remember how much they wanted for the pet)

They have a dishwasher

The Cons:

The backyard has zero privacy and is attached to everyones backyard

The appliances are old

There's no washer or dryer

The stairs would be almost impossible to get anything up

The neighborhood is sketch

So Rocky Point's high point is the price. It's affordable until we have to figure out how we're going to wash our clothes.

Homestead

Located at 3611 sw 34th st.

By far one of the most affordable places we looked at was Homestead. For a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment, we'd only be paying $577, and for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom we'd only pay $668. Lance and I really only need one bathroom (and it's not attached to a bedroom so guests can use it too) so we'd probably get the cheaper apartment. It was fairly nice for the price, but I definitely wouldn't call it luxury living. I should mention, though, that the 2/1 doesn't include washer/dryer hookups.

The cons:
No washer/Dryer, only Washer/Dryer hookups. They do have a 24 hour coin facility.
Older appliances
No overhead lighting in the living room
Small rooms

The pros:
Pet friendly,with a $150 deposit and $20 a month.
dishwasher
An area I can call a dining room
Amenities such as swimming pool, fitness center, basketball and volleyball courts (though I didn't see them.)
Even though the rooms were small the closets were pretty big and the room that includes the washer/dryer hook ups can be used for storage.
Fairly good location with the 35 coming by every 15 minutes or so.

Price is definitely pulling for this apartment, but the fact that they don't have a washer/dryer in the apartment is a big let down. I guess well have to see what else our hunt comes up with.

Loft Oasis

Located at: 2515 SW 35th Place


http://www.loftsoasis.com


Lance and I kept seeing this place as we drove down 35th and drooled because it looks so cool. We knew it would be expensive, but we just had to see the inside of this place. The apartments, as the title suggests, are loft style and an entire wall is just glass. I thought that would mean plenty of light and would break away from the traditional college apartment. There were a lot of pros and cons to this place, but if I had all the money in the world I'd probably go for it. The total cost of the apartment was $1000 for a 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom apartment and $1200 for a 3 bedroom 3 1/2 bathroom apartment. The three bedroom actually fits into our price range, where as the 2 bedroom is a little too expensive. 


For the cons:




There was no washer and dryer, but there was a washer and dryer hook up. The lady who gave us the tour said that we might be able to have them provided for an extra $30 a month. 


They want $1000 security deposit. That's a lot of money to put on the table in March.


You have to run a humidifier at all times because of the large window-wall and our tour guide didn't know how that would affect our utility bill.


The utility bill would be high all year round because the large window would let heat in during the summer and the cinder block walls throughout the rest of the apartment made the apartment freezing in the winter. 


There were no amenities 


It would be near impossible to put anything on the walls(i.e. paintings, shelves, etc.) because of the cinder block.


pipes are open and exposed throughout the apartment, and since they only have openings on the bottom story of the apartment, we'd hear water running through the rooms whenever someone flushed a toilet or took a shower.


The apartment overall was pretty dark. We visited at about 9 am, so the sun wasn't too high, but it was still bright outside. Inside, the dark cinder block and lack of lighting (the ceiling fans didn't have lights on them) made the apartment feel cold. The entire apartment would have to be lit with lamps. 


It would cost a pretty penny to make this apartment livable. We would need to by curtains and curtain rods for our window-wall and be able to install them. We'd need floor carpets in many areas because the floors are bare cement. For me to live there, we'd also need to install lights in the ceiling fans, which neither Lance nor myself knows how to do.


The Pros:


The design is different and fresh. It would be like having an apartment in a big city, without actually being in a city.


They are pet friendly, but charge $300 per pet.


The are brand new, so all the appliances are shiny and energy efficient. It even comes with a flat top stove.


The kitchen is huge, and all the living areas are pretty big. The rooms are decent sized. There's plenty of storage.


The location is nice, because it's just a bus ride to campus

I had my eye on these apartments, but they really do have more cons than pros. At the end of the day it comes down to how much we have to spend and we just don't have enough. The $1000 is inclusive, so we'd be paying utilities, internet and cable on top of the $1000. We'd also probably end up putting another grand into making the apartment livable. Money wins this battle and we'll just have to keep looking.