Finding an apartment in DC help.. Forum

[Anonymous User]

Start work in DC in less than a month now. Need to find an apartment in DC. Any suggestions on where to start looking for a place online (besides craigslist)?

[Aston2412]

Little late in the game. Where are you working? BigLaw salary will give you many more options.

[bk1]

http://www.padmapper.com
http://www.hotpads.com

[What the f.supp?]

This summer I'm renting an awesome fully furnished studio two blocks from Union Station on Cap Hill (think granite and stainless). I'm moving out on the 15th and the lease ends August 31. PM me if you'd be interested in talking about taking over for the latter two weeks of August and potentially longer if the lessor hasn't found anyone.

[Anonymous User]

Little late in the game. Where are you working? BigLaw salary will give you many more options.

Clerkship (i.e. will be very broke). Probably should've mentioned not just limiting myself to the district itself. Anywhere within 25 mins or so is fine, as long as there's nearby public transportation to get me by the courthouse I'm working at. Actually, somewhere outside of the district is probably ideal given my limited budget and I also want to/need to bring a car (don't really have anywhere to park it for an entire year, and don't really want to put the wear and tear on it that leaving it parked for a year and then trying to start it puts on a car).

[Anonymous User]

This summer I'm renting an awesome fully furnished studio two blocks from Union Station on Cap Hill (think granite and stainless). I'm moving out on the 15th and the lease ends August 31. PM me if you'd be interested in talking about taking over for the latter two weeks of August and potentially longer if the lessor hasn't found anyone.

Don't need the place until the beginning of September. If the lessor hasn't found anyone yet, how much is rent?

[Unitas]

This summer I'm renting an awesome fully furnished studio two blocks from Union Station on Cap Hill (think granite and stainless). I'm moving out on the 15th and the lease ends August 31. PM me if you'd be interested in talking about taking over for the latter two weeks of August and potentially longer if the lessor hasn't found anyone.

Don't need the place until the beginning of September. If the lessor hasn't found anyone yet, how much is rent?

I haven't found a place yet. If you are interested in a roommate send me a pm - I'm going to start looking next Monday and really need a place within that week since school stuff starts the next weekend. I am probably looking in Arlington with parking since I will have my car too.

[Aston2412]

You can get nicer stuff across the river, usually at a decent price. That said, Metro can get expensive if you find yourself travelling during rush hour frequently.

On a clerkship salary you should be able to find something decent. Also, don't rule the district out. There's a lot of stuff at a good price, you just have to do a little digging. As soon as you get out of the NW quadrant, prices drop precipitously and you can still get really nice places so long as you don't mind living in an area that's in a state of "urban renewal."

[DanInALionsDen]

You can strike almost every DC apartment complex off your list. They're all overpriced. Look at rowhouses. Craigslist really is the place to look. If you want to be in DC, look at Shaw and Adams Morgan. Close to the social scene, but more affordably priced. You can get an English basement from 1200-1500/month. However, I think your best option is to look for roommates. Tons of good people post roommate wanted ads on craigslist. The more roommates in the house, the cheaper it will be, and you might even be able to get into better neighborhoods like Dupont/Logan. Take a weekend, fill it with housing appointments, go to DC and look around.

[roofles]

If you plan on using the metro and don't mind a commute from Virginia, check out places in pentagon city/crystal city in Arlington and old town Alexandria near the King Street metro (Or if you want to go cheaper yet not as safe, the Eisenhower or Huntington stops in Alexandria). Both places are lower cost than comparable orange line locations and avoid most of the hassle associated with commuting via the orange line.

[DanInALionsDen]

Across the river is couples-ville. And trains don't run back to VA after 1am or something like that. If you're single and want to have a social life, you need to be in DC.

[loomstate]

I am also looking for a place in DC near the GW campus. I'm an undergrad with only a three month internship, so I'm looking for furnished places. Social life is not my first priority as I will be studying for the LSAT at this time as well. What would you guys recommend?

[schooner]

Another idea is to rent a room off craigslist for just a few weeks while you hunt for a more permanent place during the weekends.




(There's a larger size version on wikipedia here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... ds_map.png)

Good affordable neighborhoods: U St., Columbia Heights, Adams-Morgan, Cap Hill (Northeast, Potomac Ave are cheaper than areas like Eastern Market), and H St. (It's hard to tell on the map, but H Street goes horizontally through Chinatown and Downtown extends beyond those two areas on both sides. I usually lump U Street with Columbia Heights.)

Other safe/suburban/quiet (but often expensive) neighborhoods: Cleveland Park, Woodley Park, Rock Creek Park, Chevy Chase, Tenleytown, Friendship Heights, Takoma. I'd say Chinatown is pretty much gentrified at this point because the new high rises there are very pricey. Georgetown and Kalorama can be hugely expensive.

Stick to the NW (northwest) quadrant of DC. The neighborhoods immediately surrounding Capitol Hill are fine, but you'll be competing with actual congressmen for spots. A little further out south and east it's still fine, but go too far out and you'll be in dangerous territory.

[PeanutHead]

Google Yarmouth realty. They specialize in NE and SE quadrants. Mainly English basements and small places in capital hill.

[Aston2412]

The problems with Adams-Morgan are legion.

Yes, it has a vibrant night life and it has a ton of little restaurants. It's fun to go out in every now and then. But it's also shady. Fights break out frequently on the main strip. If you can deal with gang fights and an endless slew of drunk-off-their-asses fraternity boys, then Adams-Morgan might be appropriate. The other problem with Adams-Morgan is that it's not really metro accessible. Yes, there is a metro named "Woodley Park- Adams-Morgan" but it's kind of a misnomer. Adams-Morgan is still a good hike from the metro.

Dupont, if you can find roommates and swing the rent, is a much nicer neighborhood for having a social life and it's metro accessible.

Also, I lived in Pentagon City for my first year of law school and I have to say its not bad. There's a mall within walking distance (YMMV) and there are a number of retail options available, both in the mall, the Pentagon City Shopping Center and Crystal City. The only problem, as one poster previously noted, is that Sunday-Thursday the last trains running out of the city (ie back to Arlington) are around 11:45. If you want to stay out any later, you're cabbing home (at least a $10 fare). On the weekends the trains run a bit later (until 2:45 I think) so you have more options for getting home.

EDIT: The only benefit to living in the city on Sunday-Thursday for public transportation is that the metro closing at 11:45 does not prohibit you from walking home. Cab fare may or may not be cheaper depending on what neighborhood you live in.

[schooner]

The problems with Adams-Morgan are legion.

+1 Safety is underrated here. You don't want to be constantly woken up at night due to raucous people (or gangs) bickering outside or get mugged walking home late. The Metro will take you to most places in DC, so don't worry about living in a "lively" neighborhood. And it also sucks to be far from grocery stores. I'd say find a rowhouse in a quiet safe suburb.

[dudders]

Across the river is couples-ville. And trains don't run back to VA after 1am or something like that. If you're single and want to have a social life, you need to be in DC.

The metro itself stops running everywhere by midnight during the week. It has nothing to do with whether you live in Virginia or not.

[Anonymous User]

My building has vacancies, its extremely clean and is probably one of the best buildings, address is 1954 Columbia Rd., it's in Adams Morgan/Dupont Circle (right by the Washington Hilton), easy access to bus etc... My rent is $1,375.00 a month for a studio, but I've seen other units go for cheaper ($1,200 etc...). Each unit is individually owned by someone, not the actual building.

[Anonymous User]

Wow, tons of responses. Thanks for all the info guys, very helpful.

Also have another question- how do I figure out my what my commute will be like on public transportation and how long it will take? Also, how do people typically commute into DC, and around DC - trains? (Sorry if these are dumb questions - I've never lived in a city the size of DC and we just drive everywhere around here.)

[yngblkgifted]

Across the river is couples-ville. And trains don't run back to VA after 1am or something like that. If you're single and want to have a social life, you need to be in DC.

The metro itself stops running everywhere by midnight during the week. It has nothing to do with whether you live in Virginia or not.

Yeah, if you are trying to save money, I'd say NOVA should remain an option. Even from Fairfax or the surrounding towns, it's really not that big of a deal to commute; as long as you are new the Vienna Metro stop.

[schooner]

Wow, tons of responses. Thanks for all the info guys, very helpful.

Also have another question- how do I figure out my what my commute will be like on public transportation and how long it will take? Also, how do people typically commute into DC, and around DC - trains? (Sorry if these are dumb questions - I've never lived in a city the size of DC and we just drive everywhere around here.)

WMATA.com has a great trip planner: http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/trippl ... m_solo.cfm

TIP: when you're using the escalators, walk on the left and stand on the right

If you ever take the bus, also check out Real Bus real time arrival times: http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/nextbus/arrivals.cfm

A lot of commuters use the Metro trains to get into DC or they just drive in. (Driving in DC sucks though, and parking is worse.) Within the District, you can use the bus system to get around if your workplace is far from a metro stop.

[schooner]

Almost forgot to mention -- You should be aware that taking the Metro can get pricey. Each time you swipe your card to enter and then leave the train system, you get charged something, and the minimum trip fare is $1.60. Fares are higher if you use the train during peak commuting times.

In contrast, the bus system can be much cheaper if you're taking little trips all day. The first time you board a bus is $1.50 (w/ a discount if you had just left the train system), and the next bus trip is free as long as your metro card is swiped within 2 hours. Each swipe "resets" the clock, so theoretically you could pay $1.50 in the morning and take free bus trips spaced throughout the entire day. However, taking the bus can take substantially longer than the train and often the savings just isn't worth the wasted time.

[Aston2412]

If you have an Android download an app called D.C. Metro. It updates the train arrival times to various stations, contains a map of what stations the lines stop at and has updates for the buses too.

Commuting isn't bad, especially on the metro because you'll find you can get a lot done on the metro in of a morning and you can sleep on the metro out of a night (or sleep both ways if that's more your speed).

Also, one of my friends who commuted to Foggy Bottom from Columbia Heights said the bus was actually faster for her than the metro, so YMMV.

[Sup Kid]

Also, one of my friends who commuted to Foggy Bottom from Columbia Heights said the bus was actually faster for her than the metro, so YMMV.

Generally speaking, if there is a bus that goes within a couple blocks of a "door-to-door" commute that will be faster than having to take the Metro with 1+ transfers (such as in the above example). Also remember that DC has multiple bus lines (WMATA, Circulator, etc).

[rolen27]

Have an apartment for around $1900 per month 2 minutes from Van Ness on the redline. Bed, bath, kitchen, and living room. PM me if interested.