Surveying the far north
I've been looking for places in Denton lately. My folks don't even know when they are moving, my lease is up here, and I really truly CANNOT afford living here anymore..
Renting in Denton seems to be a weird, weird thing. There are about 5 times more property management companies than what you find in the Lakewood/Greenville/East Dallas area, all renting roughly the same thing. Just some are more honest and more careful than others.
I found two absolute dream homes less than a block from each other and walking distance from the music building at school.
One has a round living room with partially stained glass ceilings, and it shares a courtyard with a couple of yoga studios.. Courtyard has an organic garden and a koi pond.
The other is a bright yellow Victorian house with ornate white woodwork and super-peaked roof with about 5 separate miniatures of itself in a U-shape around the perimeter of the property.
Neither of those properties allow pets.
Its been a challenge finding anything else, though.
I found a 1 bedroom "cottage" in the paper that was a mile from campus. It has got to be the worst shape I have EVER seen living quarters in my life, and trust me I've been in some dumps. Cracked up stone exterior from the turn of the century, and warped and mildewy everywhere inside. Hell, the old KNON studios were in better shape. It reminded me of the little toilet/storage house in the middle of The Breaks Ranch in St Jo. There was exposed, rotting plywood around the kitchen sink. When I brought up fixing it, the landlord suggested that it just needed caulk! It was so bad that I'm actually considering calling code compliance on them for the mold seeping out of every crevice.
I found what was listed as a 1 bedroom even closer to campus. I show up, and its a 400 sq ft L-shaped efficiency. I commented that I didn't realize it was an efficiency, and she says "no, this is the 1 bedroom junior. Our efficiencies are smaller" Excuse me, but where is the bedroom, then? Are you counting that walk-in closet as the "junior" bedroom perhaps?
I found another duplex rather near the "cottage." From the outside, it looks to be in better shape than the cottage, but definitely the same year and build. I'm guessing 1910 - 1930s stone duplex. The window unit was in front, and it looked old, so I have questions about the integrity of the place. I called to look at it, and the lady gave me the 3rd degree before she gave me an appointment to go look at it. I don't like the idea of a landlord that is so put out by tenants that they want to screen you before they can be bothered to meet you. Particularly when the property is obviously not in the tippiest of top shape. Double standards disgruntle me. We'll see tomorrow what that's all about. The place is still occupied, which also makes me feel weird. I wouldn't want my landlord showing my house before I move out.
Still looking....
Tonight, I found another 1 bedroom house that isn't in the papers. Its from some old school hometown realtor that seems super country boy. He has another duplex that looks interesting as well. There's one uber-cute 1 bedroom house with a picket fence, but alas its like $50 more than the uppermost stretches of my budget.
I also found a 3 story 2 bedroom that's so close to TWU that sometimes I park out front of it. It has bedrooms on the top 2 stories, and a sunny, funky livingroom. Again, just a teeny tad uncomfortably out of budget.
One thing I'm finding about Denton, though, is that deposits are WAY cheaper. Usually in Dallas its equal to the first month's rent plus about 50% for a pet deposit. The most expensive deposit I've seen so far in Denton is $300, and the biggest pet deposit was $200.
Houses themselves are way cheaper.. And while tiny 1 bedroom houses in Denton abound, so do students looking to rent them for a few years. Most of what is actually available is just slightly out of the average student budget.
Looking looking looking.
All I want is about 550 - 700 sq ft with an actual room for the bed, and a dishwasher.
Preferably not rotting.
Is that too much to ask?
Renting in Denton seems to be a weird, weird thing. There are about 5 times more property management companies than what you find in the Lakewood/Greenville/East Dallas area, all renting roughly the same thing. Just some are more honest and more careful than others.
I found two absolute dream homes less than a block from each other and walking distance from the music building at school.
One has a round living room with partially stained glass ceilings, and it shares a courtyard with a couple of yoga studios.. Courtyard has an organic garden and a koi pond.
The other is a bright yellow Victorian house with ornate white woodwork and super-peaked roof with about 5 separate miniatures of itself in a U-shape around the perimeter of the property.
Neither of those properties allow pets.
Its been a challenge finding anything else, though.
I found a 1 bedroom "cottage" in the paper that was a mile from campus. It has got to be the worst shape I have EVER seen living quarters in my life, and trust me I've been in some dumps. Cracked up stone exterior from the turn of the century, and warped and mildewy everywhere inside. Hell, the old KNON studios were in better shape. It reminded me of the little toilet/storage house in the middle of The Breaks Ranch in St Jo. There was exposed, rotting plywood around the kitchen sink. When I brought up fixing it, the landlord suggested that it just needed caulk! It was so bad that I'm actually considering calling code compliance on them for the mold seeping out of every crevice.
I found what was listed as a 1 bedroom even closer to campus. I show up, and its a 400 sq ft L-shaped efficiency. I commented that I didn't realize it was an efficiency, and she says "no, this is the 1 bedroom junior. Our efficiencies are smaller" Excuse me, but where is the bedroom, then? Are you counting that walk-in closet as the "junior" bedroom perhaps?
I found another duplex rather near the "cottage." From the outside, it looks to be in better shape than the cottage, but definitely the same year and build. I'm guessing 1910 - 1930s stone duplex. The window unit was in front, and it looked old, so I have questions about the integrity of the place. I called to look at it, and the lady gave me the 3rd degree before she gave me an appointment to go look at it. I don't like the idea of a landlord that is so put out by tenants that they want to screen you before they can be bothered to meet you. Particularly when the property is obviously not in the tippiest of top shape. Double standards disgruntle me. We'll see tomorrow what that's all about. The place is still occupied, which also makes me feel weird. I wouldn't want my landlord showing my house before I move out.
Still looking....
Tonight, I found another 1 bedroom house that isn't in the papers. Its from some old school hometown realtor that seems super country boy. He has another duplex that looks interesting as well. There's one uber-cute 1 bedroom house with a picket fence, but alas its like $50 more than the uppermost stretches of my budget.
I also found a 3 story 2 bedroom that's so close to TWU that sometimes I park out front of it. It has bedrooms on the top 2 stories, and a sunny, funky livingroom. Again, just a teeny tad uncomfortably out of budget.
One thing I'm finding about Denton, though, is that deposits are WAY cheaper. Usually in Dallas its equal to the first month's rent plus about 50% for a pet deposit. The most expensive deposit I've seen so far in Denton is $300, and the biggest pet deposit was $200.
Houses themselves are way cheaper.. And while tiny 1 bedroom houses in Denton abound, so do students looking to rent them for a few years. Most of what is actually available is just slightly out of the average student budget.
Looking looking looking.
All I want is about 550 - 700 sq ft with an actual room for the bed, and a dishwasher.
Preferably not rotting.
Is that too much to ask?