East Lansing, MI

[JJ610]

Could someone help me out?? I am looking into Olde Farm apartments on Gossard Street in East Lansing. I am from out of town and can't get to them in person. Anyone lived there?? Is it a nice neighborhood? How close to MSU? Any info you can give me would be SOOO very helpful!! Thanks.

I lived in Olde Farm apartments as an undergrad at MSU, and I loved it!! Although I was an undergrad student, most of the people who live here are families. I lived in the new Brogan complex of Olde Farm, but I viewed the condos as well. All of their apartments are nice, clean, and spacious, and the neighborhood is very safe and quiet. The staff is also very friendly and timely. My apartment even had a washer and dryer in the unit! Some of the older units don't have this option, but there are laundry facilities in the basement of each complex. It is about a 10 min. drive to MSU, but I always took the CATA bus. There is a bus that stops directly out front every 40 minutes or so, but I always walked 5 minutes to Abbot Rd to get on the #26 bus that comes every 10 minutes.

 

I would also recommend Berrytree apartments to anyone who is thinking about going to MSU. There are a lot of undergrad students who live there, but I would say that most of them are the studious type rather than the partying type. The complex tends to be very quiet, and it's still within walking distance of campus. The apartments here are very spacious and affordable, and there are a lot of amenities (pool!  ) 

 

I lived in East Lansing and attended MSU for five years, so if anyone has any other specific questions, I'd be happy to answer!

[astaroth27]

Avoid DTN. I lived in two different DTN apartment complexes (Cedar Greens and 731 Burcham) and hated them both. Burcham apartments were disgusting and the Cedar Greens apartments were overpriced and tiny. I would commute from farther away if possible as both these complexes are right next to campus.

[roguesenna]

I was born and raised in Lansing and lived there until a couple years ago. I figured I'd chime on the thread.

 

 

I know this is old but me too! where'd you go to school?

[antibody89]

Can anyone give any apartment suggestions? I won't have a car so I'm hoping to find something close to campus or to a bus line. 

[33andathirdRPM]

I know this is old but me too! where'd you go to school?

next you're going to ask for my SSN.

[33andathirdRPM]

Can anyone give any apartment suggestions? I won't have a car so I'm hoping to find something close to campus or to a bus line. 

More or less everything is on the bus line. By that, I mean that you shouldn't have more than a 15 minute walk to a bus line from anywhere in East Lansing. Do you want to be near campus? Far from campus (ie, farther from noise)? Is price a higher concern? Need more info.

[antibody89]

More or less everything is on the bus line. By that, I mean that you shouldn't have more than a 15 minute walk to a bus line from anywhere in East Lansing. Do you want to be near campus? Far from campus (ie, farther from noise)? Is price a higher concern? Need more info.

 

Hi do you mind if I send you a private message? I have some specific questions I wanted to ask. Thanks!!!

[33andathirdRPM]

Hi do you mind if I send you a private message? I have some specific questions I wanted to ask. Thanks!!!

Go right ahead.

[antibody89]

Go right ahead.

 

Thanks! I just it =)

[bhr]

Ok folks. I move in a month and still need a place in East Lansing. The online reviews for everything in my price range (600ish) are awful. I'm just looking for someplace clean, quiet, with covered parking and either a w/d in unit or in the building (don't want to have to carry laundry in the snow, been there, done that.

[33andathirdRPM]

600 is low if you want to live by yourself in EL. With a roommate that would be more than fine. You need to find a place NOW. As in, today. You're going to be hard-pressed to find anything this close to the start of fall semester.

[Monochrome Spring]

Ok folks. I move in a month and still need a place in East Lansing. The online reviews for everything in my price range (600ish) are awful. I'm just looking for someplace clean, quiet, with covered parking and either a w/d in unit or in the building (don't want to have to carry laundry in the snow, been there, done that.

 

The cheapest I've found is 2900 Place Apartments. A studio is $570 and a 1bdr is $610.

[bhr]

I've done better than that, though I tend to negotiate. I can get into Water's Edge at $620, or Hunt Club at $600, but both are being a pain about my proof of income (TA letter). Worst case for me is Ramblewood, which is $520/m with covered parking, but the reviews are mediocre.

 

I'm trying to avoid the student-heavy places.

[33andathirdRPM]

Ramblewood in Lansing? It's a bit hit or miss there - it really depends on your building.

[bhr]

Any suggestions on which building to avoid? They, and Westbay Club (sister building) had the biggest unit for the price, with covered parking.

[33andathirdRPM]

Westbay Club was more selective with their rental decisions in the past but nowadays they take who they can get. If I had to choose between Westbay Club and Ramblewood I would choose Ramblewood. You're closer to the supermarket and the mall at Ramblewood, and the property has held up a bit better than Westbay Club imo.

 

If you're already looking on the west side of Lansing, I recommend Canal Club and Canal Club 2. It will cost you a bit more but you'll be closer to the highway but still not far from shopping and what not. It might be difficult getting into those properties with such little time left before the semester begins.

 

Good luck!

[Journey2015]

Hi All -

 

Potentially starting MSU in the fall (still awaiting one last offer) and would like to know if anyone can provide current info on the housing situation / cost of living. I prefer to live alone. 1 bdrm is fine. And I have my car to go to and from campus. I prefer to be within 20 minutes (driving time) from campus. Any suggestions on areas/communities to research is greatly appreciated! 

 

I haven't received my funding package yet, but based on the bit of research I conducted on the forum, I estimate my housing budget to be < $700 per month. 

[Monochrome Spring]

Hi All -

 

Potentially starting MSU in the fall (still awaiting one last offer) and would like to know if anyone can provide current info on the housing situation / cost of living. I prefer to live alone. 1 bdrm is fine. And I have my car to go to and from campus. I prefer to be within 20 minutes (driving time) from campus. Any suggestions on areas/communities to research is greatly appreciated! 

 

I haven't received my funding package yet, but based on the bit of research I conducted on the forum, I estimate my housing budget to be < $700 per month. 

 

Again, if you're looking for a simple apartment, I recommend 2900 Place. It's affordable and the management is super nice. You can walk downstairs to ask a question and get an answer on the spot (as opposed to email or across town offices). It takes me maybe 10 minutes to get to my office, even in traffic. Covered parking. Community bbq events. Pets allowed. Online automatic rent payments. It's really a grad student haven. It's student-only housing, but the office is strict about noise restrictions, so there isn't a lot of partying.

 

Edit: Although I have been complaining a lot recently about my noisy neighbors, it appears to be just them, not a habit of the complex. Maintenance did send someone up to complain to them at 2AM on my behalf too. 

[Journey2015]

Good sign that your opinion hasn't changed. Thx!

[alanc]

Why not just live in Spartan Village? $650 includes all utilities plus cable and wireless. Unless you want a land line it's one bill. The one bedroom that I lived in was huge. Buses go through every 20 minutes all day. Depending on where you are on campus you might be close enough to walk. When I lived there it was a lot quieter than most places because it was grad only with a lot of families.

[Journey2015]

Ah, that sounds interesting. I considered graduate housing but I just wasn't sure. Lived on my own for quite some time (I'm a bit older) but I want to keep expenses as low as possible while I'm there.

[alanc]

Ah, that sounds interesting. I considered graduate housing but I just wasn't sure. Lived on my own for quite some time (I'm a bit older) but I want to keep expenses as low as possible while I'm there.

Another thing I liked about it was that all apartments have private entrances directly to the parking area. You don't have to walk through a building to get to your apartment. I really isn't at all like any typical student housing.

[Ilspflouz]

I went to MSU for undergrad and then lived there as an employee from 2012-2014. I go back and visit often, and I am starting a graduate program there in the summer. I've lived at, visited, or toured most of the places mentioned on this thread fairly recently. I've also lived in Lansing and Okemos in addition to East Lansing. So If you have any questions, feel free to PM me/ask here! I am not quite sure where to start as there is so much information that could be given. I think really it comes down to what you are looking for. If your budget is about $700, you should be able to afford a one bedroom near campus. The cheapest 1 bedroom I lived in was at Brookport Apartments, was $525 and included heat, but was kind of shitty (most of the kitchen cabinets had almost rotted through). So you can find pretty well priced housing, but the typical 1 bedroom apartments I have seen around MSU are 600+. This may or may not include utilities, and unfortunately the majority of the places I have lived at in East Lansing had atrocious insulation and therefore huge heating bills. My boyfriend lived in a nicer one bedroom at Hull apartments last year(read "nicer" as: old but it had a dishwasher so nice in my book, haha) and he paid $640 a month. But with uitilities it was ~800 a month. So my advice would therefore be to try to find somewhere that includes heat. What is your number one concern/things you are looking for? I'm asking because there are so many options that what you want in housing probably influences where I'd tell you to look for it. Depending what city you live in (East Lansing, Okemos, or Lansing) & what area of that city you are in, the atmosphere can really be quite different. Also, do you plan on driving to campus or want to live close enough to walk/take the bus? Parking on MSU's campus is never free, and it is hard for graduate students to get parking permits. There is however, a pretty great bus transit system that goes all over the Lansing/East Lansing/Okemos area. Graduate student housing can be great, but it can also be expensive and the buildings are pretty old. My friend, who is a graduate student at MSU and is from Chicago, actually compared them to "the projects." Haha. But I know other people that live there and like it.

 

Also, sidenote: I know 2900 place has been mentioned on this thread, and I lived there for about 2 years so I suppose I will add my two-cents about them. From what I saw, it was kind of a get what you pay for situation there. When I lived there you could get updated or non-updated apartments, but the updated ones were more expensive. The non-updated one I lived in was honestly one of the worst places I have ever lived -- we had cockroaches numerous times, people peed in the stairwells (someone pooped there twice also...I still don't understand this), the locks on the front and back door to the building were broken, the upper deck of the parking structure was crumbling, and our heating bill was 100+ dollars from Dec-March. When I left those apartments in 2013 a new management company was beginning to update a lot of stuff about the building, so the situation might be a lot better now for most people. The updated apartments I toured/visited on the other hand, seemed relatively nice. And the previous poster really is telling the truth -- it is a high-rise style so the office is just in the lobby and the people who work there are really helpful/nice.  The location is also pretty close to campus, and the prices aren't as high as some of the other apartments in the area. 

Edited March 10, 2015 by AliasJane2342

[antibody89]

Hi, I am going to be a 2nd year graduate student at MSU. I am hoping to rent out a room in my condo. The condo is 7 min away from campus by car. The condo is located in a very quiet area and because all the condos are privately owned, there are no undegrads around.  The rent is $425 with everything included except gas and electrical. Please contact me if you are interested. 

[ritapita]

Ah, that sounds interesting. I considered graduate housing but I just wasn't sure. Lived on my own for quite some time (I'm a bit older) but I want to keep expenses as low as possible while I'm there.

 

I will be incoming this fall 2015. I am also a bit older. I found a house on craigslist by searching what I wanted and directly contacting people from there. I also posted on craigslist exactly what I was looking for and what my requirements were, and I got a decent amount of response.  I personally need a house with a yard since I have pets and want a garden.  I was able to get a cute little 4 bedroom house with a yard, basement, and garage for $850 in a cute and quiet neighborhood just west of east lansing.  I am only 3.5 miles from campus with a straight shot drive of approx 10 min. from door to door, and close to bus lines and a bike path.  While this housing situation doesn't sound like it will work for you, I am just wanting to let you know that you can easily find nice and inexpensive housing outside of east lansing and still close to where you need to be.  There are several nice house duplexes that would fit your cost range and get you out of an apartment situation if that isn't your cup of tea.  Google earth is my dear friend when looking at neighborhoods, and neighbors, etc and was very helpful in differentiating between the ad photos and real life.  I am moving early this summer instead of closer to fall start date, and am glad I secured a living situation sooner than later since there is much more available now.

Edited March 25, 2015 by ritapita