<p>I will likely accompany my daughter on an apartment-hunting trip in Hartford/West Hartford later this month. I’m hoping for advice: what questions to ask, what to look for, and if anyone knows anything about apartment hunting in Hartford, that’d be wonderful. I’m under the impression that she’ll have to sign a year lease even though she only wants it for the school months. She’s also considering a room in a house, and she definitely needs kitchen privileges.</p>
<p>The last time I went apartment hunting was decades ago, and the Sunday paper along with the local papers for the smaller towns, were the primary source.</p>
<p>Is it reasonable to expect to find an apartment for September by looking in June?</p>
<p>My advice to you would be to make a few phone calls before your trip. Call some real estate agents in that area…they could direct you to those agents that handle apartment rentals. They could also be the ones to tell you of alternative type housing, like rooms in homes or other more non-traditional avenues. They could also tell you if there are people out there looking for roommates, who don’t mind renting to someone for the school year instead of the calendar year. Good luck.</p>
<p>Btw: If you do some of the legwork now over the phone, maybe when you make the trip, an agent can already show you some apartments that they’ve had a chance to locate based on your D’s needs.</p>
<p>There are many big old houses in West Hartford and they do rent out rooms with kitchen privileges. A lot of these tend to be found ‘word of mouth’ so she should communicate with people on campus who live locally and may know of opportunities. I used to live in the area so I am very familiar with neighborhoods. PM me if you have any questions about locations.</p>
<p>Our son rented on campus in grad housing one year at U of Hartford a few years ago.
Second year he snagged a funky small studio in an old house in very good area.
He found it by word of mouth through his dept at school.</p>
<p>We got some great advice here about neighborhoods to consider or avoid.
There are some areas that are rough. Good luck.</p>
<p>Look in the West End of Hartford, north of Farmington Avenue, near Elizabeth Park. Beautiful area, big old houses, many rent out rooms. Farmington Avenue also has the one reliable bus line.</p>
<p>Always ask if heat is included, find out where there is parking, if your daughter will have a car.</p>
<p>You may also want to contact the Hartford police department, and ask about crime statistics for various neighborhoods you are considering. The news out of Hartford most nights is not pleasant. West Hartford is much nicer.</p>
<p>Found it on craiglist (which makes me cringe a little, but…) it’s a room in a <em>lovely</em> 10-room furnished mansion. Lots of shared common areas with couches, tables, bookshelves; bathrooms shared between 2 women. Many of the tenants have actual residences elsewhere, but use their room when they have business in Hartford or are doctors/nurses using it when they have a late night at a nearby hospital. One of the tenants has been there for 15 years. Laundry in basement, shared kitchen – fully equipped. Heat, electricity, water, cable, internet included in rent. Off-street parking with motion-detector lights.</p>
<p>If you happen to know anything about the S. Highland Street area of West Hartford, please let me know!! The owners do not live in the house – but a relative of theirs lives across the street. I’m thinking they can’t have many break-ins because each room has its own large, flat screen tv. It’s just off Farmington Ave (but just south of it, I think).</p>
<p>This place seems ideal and fits within our budget. I’m trying to figure out if it’s really wonderful, or one of those too-good-to-be-true kind of deals.</p>
<p>Found it on Craigslist – looked at it on the map. </p>
<p>I like the location – fairly convenient off the highway and to the local schools. Not far to West Hartford center. I haven’t lived in the area in awhile, but I think this one is pretty good. I had friends that attended Kingswood Oxford so I have driven through the area many times.</p>
<p>The only way you are really going to know is to go visit and interview.</p>
<p>We visited last week, was happy to verify that the online photos were accurate, and got good vibes from the owner and the tenants we encountered. We saw a number of families and a lone woman walking around the neighborhood, but weren’t around to check it out after dark.</p>
<p>If that doesn’t work out, have a look at Park Place Towers in Hartford. Lots of Hartt kids live there (think winter carpools!), safe and gated, even though the neighborhood isn’t as nice as West Hartford.</p>
<p>Some other Hartt kids have found good places in a garden apartment complex off Bloomfield Ave - can’t think of the name right now, but it’s about a block behind the main street, near a school.</p>