Suggestions of apartments?

[NolaMay]

Hello everyone, I am very excited to have joined this forum and am even more excited to join the Omaha community!

My husband has accepted a job with Kiewit and we will soon be relocating from our home in New Orleans. I would love to hear suggestions from locals regarding apartments to rent in the area.

From the research we have done, we feel that Midtown or the Old Market areas would best suit our taste. We were hoping for something with character, 1-2 bedrooms, that allows pets. (we have one small dog).  Our main concern are our neighbors- we are looking for something clean and relatively quiet (no students, please!).

Pending the sale of our house, we will be visiting in the next couple of months for a long weekend to begin our search. Our time is limited, maybe only 3 days- so I was hoping that someone might have suggestions of places to begin our search.

Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated. We are looking forward to our move and can not wait to become your fellow neighbors in Omaha!

[ShawJ]

Welcome to the forum Nola.

I don't have a ton of knowledge on apartments in Omaha, but many here do and should be able to help you out. You shouldn't have to worry much about students unless you live in TipTop in north downtown.

[Coyote]

Welcome May! Do you have a price range you are considering?
(BTW for those that don't know - Nola is short for New Orleans, Louisiana)

[Seth]

I was in the exact same position as you 6 months ago.  My wife and moved here in June from Illinois when I started work at Kiewit after grad school.

We found a very nice apartment in Midtown that we both like.  We both like the Midtown area; it's relatively diverse, it has a lot of character and charm, it's a great location near to Old Market, Downtown, and there is a lot of exciting development going on.  Our apartment is at 31st and Jackson, which is a pretty nice area.  It's not posh, but there are quite a few houses and apartments that are currently under renovation or have been recently completed.  We live in one of the newly-renovated apartments and really like it.  The rent is reasonable and it's a 5-minute walk from Midtown Crossing and about 10 minutes from Kiewit (I walk to work everyday which sure beats commuting).  Our landlord is Urban Village, but there are quite a few others in the area.  I have coworkers who live in apartments at Midtown Crossing and love them.  They're more expensive than what you can find in the neighborhoods (even ours, which is essentially new), but they're probably some of the nicest places in Omaha.

One of our constraints was also finding a place that allowed our dog.  Both Urban Village, who we rent from, and Midtown Crossing allow pets.  We did find others too, though.

PM me if you have any specific questions about apartments.  I can give you more details on apartments and landlords, because we looked at quite a few.

[Big E]

Welcome to the forum Nola.

I don't have a ton of knowledge on apartments in Omaha, but many here do and should be able to help you out. You shouldn't have to worry much about students unless you live in TipTop in north downtown.

Old Market Lofts, while a very nice building, is notorious for student "activity".

I'd echo everything Seth said.  It's pretty much going to come down to price range.

[Guest]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the great input.

As far as the price range goes, we are flexible. (The cost of living/housing in Omaha is WAY more inexpensive than in New Orleans) We would prefer to pay a max of $1,200 a month, possibly a little more if it were "perfect" for us. My husband's "max" might vary from mine.

Seth, we looked at several properties online with Urban Village and they look fantastic. They all look nice, and the price is definitely affordable. I'm glad you mentioned them; we feared they might have something wrong with them/be in a bad area of town when we noticed what a great deal they were. I'm happy to hear that you and your wife enjoy your apartment, I am certainly going to check them out when we visit. (Midtown Crossings, also- they look great!)

On another topic, what do you do with Kiewit, Seth? You might be working with my husband in a few months, neat!

Thanks again everyone. I know the rental/apartment thread has been used a lot, but I genuinely appreciate all of your input!

[NolaMay]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the great input.

As far as the price range goes, we are flexible. (The cost of living/housing in Omaha is WAY more inexpensive than in New Orleans) We would prefer to pay a max of $1,200 a month, possibly a little more if it were "perfect" for us. My husband's "max" might vary from mine.

Seth, we looked at several properties online with Urban Village and they look fantastic. They all look nice, and the price is definitely affordable. I'm glad you mentioned them; we feared they might have something wrong with them/be in a bad area of town when we noticed what a great deal they were. I'm happy to hear that you and your wife enjoy your apartment, I am certainly going to check them out when we visit. (Midtown Crossings, also- they look great!)

On another topic, what do you do with Kiewit, Seth? You might be working with my husband in a few months, neat!

Thanks again everyone. I know the rental/apartment thread has been used a lot, but I genuinely appreciate all of your input!

Oops, forgot to sign in.

[Seth]

If you're budget is $1200, you shouldn't have a problem finding a top-notch place (especially if you're looking for a 1-bedroom).  If you want a really nice, modern, brand-new urban apartment, I would recommend checking out Midtown Crossing.  It's literally a 5-minute walk from Kiewit and has a lot of great restaurants and shops that just opened up.  The movie theater as pretty cool too.  They are also very pet-friendly.

If you don't mind a bit more of a commute (5-10 minute drive), Old Market is nice.  I haven't personally looked at any places there, but there are some great buildings.  I have also heard that Old Market Lofts does have quite a few college students, but I don't have any firsthand experience.  You might have more trouble finding a nice Old Market or Downtown apartment that allows dogs, however, than in Midtown.

I work for the Kiewit Engineering district on the 9th floor of Kiewit Plaza.  I'm a structural engineer and work on temporary structures.  I do know they just hired some new engineers in our group, so maybe your husband was one of them.

[NolaMay]

We originally started our search in the Old Market area, and they have several fantastic options- I especially loved the loft style in some. But you are right, most do not allow dogs- only cats. I was surprised by that. After more research, we both think that we would love the Midtown area, and my husband living close enough to walk to work is a big bonus! We plan to look at several of the Urban Development options and Midtown Crossing. Midtown Crossing looks perfect, and after your recommendation I am excited to check them out. (the parking garage is the selling point for me- this southern girl is not accustomed to cold weather!)

Yes, my husband was one of the structural engineers recently hired for your group. Small world! He is extremely excited to start. Kiewit seems like a fantastic company and we are just as excited about Omaha. We are from TN originally and New Orleans is....different. We welcome the change and Omaha seems like a really great fit.

Again, thanks for all of your help. It's great to hear the input of others, especially from someone that was recently in the same situation. You have all been a tremendous help!

[zitro21]

I live in the Brandeis building downtown. I pay 1200 dollars for a 2 bedroom/1 bath that is 1100 square feet. When I moved in they had a parking special, so I also have two free parking spaces. I enjoy living here, management is solid and there are not really any students in the building. It is a half mile walk to the old market, and about a 5 minutes from Kiewit. They allow dogs, but they have to be over 1 year old.

[DM Larson]

Please contact me at 402-271-2982 and I can assist you in locating housing in the Omaha area. There are a number of locations in the Old Market/Mid-town area for you to view.  

Best Regards,
Denise Larson
Manager, Relocation - Kiewit