Where can I live?

[mdhoyt]

I just joined today, but just from looking around here a bit, it's plain to see that there are some folks here who really know and love Grand Rapids. If you could take just a minute to help me I'd surely appreciate it...

My wife and I are looking to move into the city and we don't want to go the traditional route. We would love to live in a "artsy" downtown area and we're looking for a place above a business or other similarly "non traditional" apartment. We've looked at some houses that have been split up into apartments and just aren't feeling them.

Does anyone know of any places that maybe wouldn't make it to be listed on rent.com in an area such as S. Division?

Thanks so much for your help guys. We really want to use the knowledge of the people and hopefully find a place where we can be "Grand Rapids people" ourselves!

Mike

[John E]

Welcome Mike!

I believe you have come to the right place. How soon are you looking to move in? There is a LOT of development going on that may suite you better than what is currently available. A couple buildings are opening up with college age residents if that would suit you. Please give us as much detail as to what you are looking for as you can.

Best Always,

~John

[mdhoyt]

Welcome Mike!

I believe you have come to the right place. How soon are you looking to move in? There is a LOT of development going on that may suite you better than what is currently available. A couple buildings are opening up with college age residents if that would suit you. Please give us as much detail as to what you are looking for as you can.

Best Always,

~John

[John E]

Mike,

I'm sorry, I don't know of a place that would fit your situation off hand. I'll keep my eyes open.

Anybody else know of any options available?

~John

[twoshort]

Don't rent, buy! http://public.grar.com/public/pubrecn.mac/start?MLS=750274

[Parhelion]

I live in the Peck Building (on Monroe Center and Division), and sometimes people lease their condos out. It's a great place to live- quiet, has storage, and only has 12 units, and located above 2 floors of commercial space. If I were you, I'd check out the Select Bank Building on Monroe Center and Ionia- there are always people renting their condos at a *very* competitive price, and I believe that is a Ren Zone, so you save on taxes. Another place to rent is Union Square, which, despite being across the river, has some great deals for rentals and also is a Ren Zone.

I prefer more centrally located places, like Peck or Select, but your mileage may vary. I do know is that my biggest regret was renting a non-Ren Zone apartment/condo before buying, since I basically threw money out the window. Feel free to PM me should you have any questions- I've been down here for a few years now, and have looked at almost every development in town. Best of luck!

ETA: Craigslist has a lot for rent, just search the building name.

[MuskeMI]

You may also check RentGR.com for some listings that probably aren't on the national (rent.com) sites. We found our downtown house thru this site and although I'm sure things are different from landlord to landlord, we had an overall good experience.

[NorthCoast]

Don't know if this is useful or not...

http://www.heritagehillweb.org/apartmen.htm