Apartments in Uptown Dallas – Key Things to Look For When You Choose

Apartments in Uptown Dallas – Important Things to Look For when Choosing the Best Uptown Dallas Apartment 

Hello from Uptown Dallas! if you are considering relocating to Dallas as a young professional, you might consider Uptown Dallas at the top of your list for best areas to enjoy life and make connections and friendships.  Living in our Uptown Dallas area is a great way to start enjoying Dallas quickly, and it will give you advantages that are just not found in other areas of this metroplex.

Apartments are the overwhelming choice for young professionals moving to Uptown Dallas. They have the most to choose from and have the best locations. They also allow you to take advantage of in advance pricing that is lower, and also give the lowest deposits.

I want to give quick and effective ways to select you the best of the apartments in Uptown Dallas.  You can use these 4 key thoughts to evaluate any of the apartments in Uptown Dallas. I am going to explain each one of these for you below.

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First criteria:  LOCATION!

For many, this is the most important criteria!  Locating Uptown Dallas is very important to understand and should be the most carefully evaluated. But, it doesn’t take rocket science to evaluate…you just need to keep what I mention below in mind.

If you are coming from out of town, it’s really easy to think that Uptown Dallas is just one big neighborhood…and so, simply to move into Uptown Dallas and your mission is complete! But, Uptown Dallas is actually composed of several mini-neighborhoods, including:

• West Village Dallas (the most north part of Uptown Dallas)
• The Pearl Dallas (south most part of Uptown Dallas)
• Victory Park Dallas directly connected to the PEARL area connected to Uptown and Downtown)
• State Thomas Dallas (east of McKinney Avenue)
• Routh South (ON McKinney Avenue)
• Turtle Creek Dallas (not part of Uptown, but bordering it)

Each of these neighborhoods of Uptown Dallas has a very different personality and feel.  They each will have strengths, depending upon the kind of lifestyle you want.  It would take a separate article to discuss each of these (use the keyword search in our site for articles on each).  But, you can use a quick summary below to determine which area is perhaps best for you.

WALKABILITY TO 4 KEY FEATURES – When we talk about LOCATION, we are really talking primarily about WALKABILITY in Uptown Dallas. In other words, which sections of Uptown Dallas really have the best QUICK walkability (walking within 7 minutes to key features)?  Living in Uptown Dallas is about leaving your car behind and being within quick walking access to a great social lifestyle.   Some areas of Uptown Dallas may be a closer fit to your needs than others.

The key features of Uptown that are the best to walk to include:

• The West Village (north part of Uptown) – This is the highest concentration of things to walk to and enjoy for Uptown Dallas.  People sometimes think of the lower parts of Uptown Dallas as “must haves” for walking to when they have visited previously…there are very popular night life and restaurant spots here. But, for day to day living, the West Village actually has a MUCH higher concentration of
• The Katy Trail – The popular running trail of Uptown Dallas. This runs on the west side of Uptown Dallas. You want to be within 7 to 10 minutes max.  Being farther away than this puts you at a huge disadvantage…because you meet a lot of people and get your exercise on the Katy Trail!
• The Uptown Dallas Trolley – this trolley goes throughout Uptown Dallas along McKinney Avenue. Being close to the Uptown Dallas Trolley means that you can quickly get to other parts of Uptown Dallas. For example, if you want to live in North Uptown, but you want to be able to visit some of the night life found in the southern part along McKinney Avenue, take the FREE Uptown Trolley when you need to. That trolley actually runs at night on Thursday – Saturday, and in some cases you can use it instead of a taxi to provide a way home (check schedules to confirm the night and times).
• Key Night Life – this is found throughout Uptown Dallas and is a hallmark of Uptown Dallas.  There are insider night spots and spots that are more popular with tourists and guests of Uptown Dallas.  Many outsiders visit the lower McKinney Avenue area around Boll street, which is home to several long standing Uptown Dallas pubs and restaurants. In the past, many people thought of just this section as “uptown Dallas”. However, Uptown Dallas is rapidly changing, and other “insider” areas have popped up with very popular night spots to visit.

Second criteria:  SOCIAL SCENE

Since you are considering apartments in Uptown Dallas as your top area, you should not only examine the location of the apartments, but also the Social Scene present.  Uptown Dallas is about meeting people! So, the easier an apartment makes it for you to meet people, the more desirable an Uptown Dallas apartment is!
Here are some examples of things to look for to assess the social scene of an apartment:

• Apartment Organized Events – Some apartments do a superb job of giving you opportunities to meet other residents in that apartment.  They know that meeting people is very important for your Uptown Dallas experience, so they make it easier. This will usually include an event either onsite (at the apartment) or offsite.  Offsite events usually happen in one of the Uptown Dallas restaurants or night spots (happy hour, etc.).  Hint: Offsite events are much more well attended typically and will help you get to know Uptown Dallas better.   So, the more work that an apartment puts into these type of events, and the more often they are offsite, the easier it will be to meet people in your apartment.
• Apartment Design – Yes, even the apartment design makes it easier…or more difficult…to meet people! The more the design gives you common areas that all residents go to get whatever it is, the better the design is for meeting people.  For example, here are some of the things I recommend that will make it EASIER to meet people: A common mailbox area, a single garage entrance/exit, a common hallway to enter the building from the street, etc.
• Proximity to outside attractions – The closer your apartment is to attractions in Uptown, the more opportunities you will have to meet people.  Pick attractions that are always busy, and you have more opportunities.  Night clubs are popular, but they are only popular at night! But, restaurants and shops are actually better to be located near, for meeting people.

Third criteria:  APARTMENT ITSELF

Finally we get to the actual apartments in Uptown Dallas, right?  Well, because the Uptown Dallas experience is much more than your apartment…that’s why I mentioned the other 2 factors first!  But, it is also important to understand what is included in your apartment typically.

Apartments in Uptown Dallas are widely varying.  There are luxurious high rises, attractive mid rises and even more traditional apartments.
The single most common design in Uptown Dallas is the Mid Rise. It gives you the most features for the money, including the interior and exterior features. It also tends to give you the most opportunities to meet people, due to most features being commonly shared.

High rise apartments are also very popular. They give the best views and also have the most additional services.  They also are the most expensive.

Traditional apartments aren’t really being built anymore in Uptown Dallas, but there are several traditional style apartments.  These are the types of apartments you think of when you think of your apartment in college or another “first” type of apartment, including features like:  stairs (no elevators), your door opens to the outdoors, older features inside, and floor plans that are smaller and more basic.
Here is a good rule of thumb for picking if a place is the most popular. The single most important feature of an Uptown Dallas apartment for popularity is:  How new is the apartment?  So, why is this? Think about it:

• The newest apartments tend to be the most in tune to features that are desirable with current residents vs. residents of 10 years ago
• Newer apartments are typically more GREEN and conserve energy better (not always)
• It’s just always nice to be in a place where you are the first or 2^nd resident (think clean!)
• Newer apartments can give you lower utility bills
• Newer apartments have better amenities (discussed more in the next section)
• Newer apartments just LOOK better
• More people are interested in new apartments, it’s just the facts

The type of features that are the most desirable are found in apartments that tend to be built in the last 5 years, including hardwood floors, granite countertops, excellent appliances included, and more.  These features also tend to be more standard in newer apartments, vs. “optional” or requiring an UPGRADED (higher) price in older apartments.

Fourth criteria:  AMENITIES

The amenities of apartments in Uptown Dallas are extremely important in determining desirability.  That doesn’t mean that the apartments in Uptown Dallas that have the MOST amenities are always the ones that are the most desirable (although that is sometimes the case). But, the amenities that are the most well-designed and maintained definitely will contribute to the popularity and desirability of an apartment.

Some amenities that are more desirable in Uptown Dallas include:

• Parking Garage – a garage that is secured by an electronic key that is included at no charge
• Washer/dryer included – at no charge…it rarely is included, but when it does, it saves the $40 to $50 a month required to rent.
• Guest Parking INCLUDED – parking in Uptown Dallas can be quite challenging at times for guests…even for residents. That’s why having reliable and ample parking in apartments in Uptown Dallas can be a very important factor in choosing a residence.
• Pool – a desirable and well maintained pool with grilling is always desirable.
• Professional Gym inside – a professional gym with a lot of cardio equipment as well as some free weights will allow you to bypass having to join a club, cutting your costs.   Just because a residence says “includes gym”…you should examine the size and what is included carefully. Some gyms in Uptown Dallas apartments are extremely small, while others in apartments in Uptown Dallas rival the gyms found in professional members only gyms!

I’d like to mention TWO KEY POINTS about the amenities that are important:

1. Better amenities mean better social life for you. The better the amenities, the more likely residents will use them and give you opportunities to meet others as well.
2. Compare more than rent, because Better amenities cut down on your OVERALL LIVING costs.  Living in Uptown Dallas is worth it, but sometimes it might be tempting to compare rent prices when thinking about apartments in Uptown Dallas.  However, rent costs are just one part of the story and shouldn’t be the only criteria in evaluating apartments in Uptown Dallas.

EXAMPLE of 2 Apartments

Let’s compare 2 apartments for an example, where one seems like a much better value if you just look at rent only, nothing else. But, when you start to look at it more closely, the other apartment is actually a much better value.

Apartment 1:   $1280, 1 bedroom, 12 month lease.

• 610 sq feet
• Price is low for Uptown Dallas
• Only includes 1 parking spot
• Guest parking is charged for
• Carpeted throughout
• Walk to night life only, not to groceries
• Washer/dryer NOT included
• 18 years old
• Small gym with outdated equipment

Extra HIDDEN costs:

• With apartment #1, to get a washer/dryer, you need to add at least $40 a month to that amount to rent a w/dryer.
• You also will have parking issues for guests or be charged for rent.
• You also will have to pay an extra $50 a month for a 2^nd spot if needed.
• You also have to get inside your car to drive to groceries, decreasing convenience and costing time.
• You also may be located near nightclubs, increasing the noise at night so you can’t sleep when you want to!
• Due to older construction, your utility bill will actually be $15 higher per month.
• Gym is not useful, and you won’t meet people there. You instead join a local club, getting a low cost deal for $30 a month.

REAL COSTS OF Apartment: $1425 a month, and that doesn’t include dealing with older appliances, etc.

Apartment 2:  $1340, 1 bedroom, 12 month lease.

• 640 sq feet
• Price is still low for Uptown
• Includes a washer/dryer (no hidden costs for rental)
• Walk to groceries
• Walk to Katy Trail
• Walk to Uptown Trolley
• 5 years old
• Lower utilities per month

Extra HIDDEN costs: NONE.  And, better amenities and more enjoyment.
That’s why you really should examine all aspects of your place…look at all 4 of our criteria above. It will give you much better way to evaluate the lifestyle and the true costs of apartments in Uptown Dallas!

Summary
It’s important to look at all 4 points above to truly compare your apartments in Uptown Dallas. Uptown 101 gives you the accurate information possible about each apartment, so you can get the true picture in Uptown Dallas.

Ready to find your perfect Uptown Dallas apartment? Text UPTOWN to 31996 or fill this out: Uptown Search.  Our service is 100% Free and we will find your perfect place to start your Uptown Dallas adventure. Talk to you soon in Uptown.