Zip Code 78741
If you find my guide useful give me a holler. I would love to help you find the right place! Or if my guide was ultra-super-helpful and is enough to make a decision, please list me (Alex Concepcion) as your referral and I’ll shower you with excess praise and funky gifts.
Most people who have lived in Austin for more than 5 years don’t have the best connotations of SE Austin. Basically, it was the part of town that nobody wanted to go to.
Well, despite this, I wound up making this place my home for over 2 years.
While it doesn’t have the Soul-of-Austin vibe like South Austin does, nor the hip high energy feel of East Austin, it’s far and away the most affordable way to live very close to downtown.
In my time here, I’ve never felt unsafe. My biggest gripes are that the area can feel a bit strip-mall-y. HEB is the only decent grocery store around, and there’s not too much in the world of nightlife, bars, restaurants, etc. But you’re close enough to the “cool” parts of town that make this a non-issue.
Each of the apartments here share similar stories. All have gone through some kind of “Princess Diaries” type makeover. They would be ugly-duckling apartments with generic names, weird paint jobs, and soulless cabinetry.
Due to the magic (or horrors, depending on your perspective) of gentrification, each of these places have gone through dramatic renovations.
From new pools, remodeled offices, updated non-carpet flooring, nice cabinetry & modern appliances. These places have made the transition into becoming pretty great looking apartments while still being quite affordable.
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In this post, I will be focusing on apartments in the 78741 Zip Code in these price ranges.
Studios: $800-1000
1 Bedrooms: $900-$1200
2 Bedrooms: $1000-$1600
3 Bedrooms: $1400-$1700
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Ellie
Ellie has recently gone through a giant renovation (surprise!) And the results are pretty great. The B2 2 bedroom floor plan are is one of the best ones out there in my opinion. It’s main competition here will be The Aspect. In general, prices here tend to be a little better while maintaining similar quality finish-outs.
Pros
- Brand new renovations in the common areas & amenities
- Apartments have been getting facelifts too.
- Google Fiber!
- Solid leash-free dog park (with downtown views too)
- Great roommate floor plans with big kitchen counter space
- Lots of units have small yards and patios.
- No breed restrictions
Cons
- Guest parking can be tricky
- Entry level units have small floor plans
- Pet Fee ($400 per pet) and Pet Rent ($20)
- Nothing in walking distance.
Aspect
Probably the nicest ugly-duckling-turned-prom-queen apartment in the area. They’ve done an amazing job modernizing the pool and apartments. If you’re into that whole Sunday Funday thing (and who isn’t?) This would be a great place to host some friends.
Pros
- Great pool & common area
- Lots of community events to meet the neighbors.
- Google Fiber!
- Nest Thermostats
- USB Outlets
- Will likely be the most expensive out of this list.
Cons
- Crappy dog park (a small patch of grass on a slanted hill). It is leash free though which is nice.
- Some of floor plan renovations could have been better done.
- Small bug issues due to lots of trees nearby (mostly beetles).
- A bit further away from Downtown than the others on this list, but not by an unreasonable amount.
- Like Ellie, not very walkable neighborhood.
Treehouse
Treehouse is another solid post-ugly-duckling apartment. As you can tell from it’s name there are trees everywhere, which does give it a cool funky nature-y bungalow feel. It’s also usually one of the best mixes of price/location/updated-ness. It’s got one of the best leash-free dog parts in the area. The large balconies & patios are a nice addition too. Because of all the trees, you’ll likely come upon the occasional tree-bug, but nothing that routine pest-control can’t mitigate.
Pros
- Very nice overall renovations.
- Solid pool area
- Large patio floor plans
- No breed restrictions
- Awesome leash-free dog park
- Good location close to Downtown
- Google Fiber!
- Nice designer fixtures
- Washer/Dryer connections located in outside storage rooms which is nice to reduce noise.
Cons
- Tiny gym
- Small bug issues due to lots of trees being everywhere (hence the name!) but pest control will always be available.
- Not much to walk to.
- Kitchens can have a closed off cubby-hole type feel.
- Turning left at the intersection when you’re exiting the apartments can be annoying.
The Social
This place I’m totally biased about. I lived here for over 2 years . While some others on this list will be objectively nicer, I’m very happy with the time I’ve spent here. It’s been super affordable, very close to I35, so getting around town is always very easy. The dog park here is massive – an old-converted-pool area with plenty of space to meet the neighbors and let your furry alter-ego go crazy. The leasing staff here has always been cool. You can walk around to a few places (Like PTerry’s), and the bus routes can take you all over town.
Pros
- One of the best leash dog parks in town.
- Super affordable.
- Google Fiber woo! (you can tell I like Google Fiber)
- Gas stoves omg!
- Washer/dryer connections.
- Very close to I-35 & Downtown.
- Cool leasing staff
- Can walk to a few places (PTerry’s, Whataburger, that shady gas station nearby that happens to have an amazing craft beer selection)
- Solid 3 bedroom floor plans.
Cons
- Lots of units with carpet.
- Website is hard to access
- Some ground floor units have issues with flood water during heavy storms. At least the response teams are solid!
- Most of the others on this list have better renovations
Array
Out of this list, Array has probably had the most radical ugly-duckling transformation. It’s still got some ways to go, but they’ve done a phenomenal job with renovations & amenity upgrades. It’s a got a bit of a “I can see why people didn’t like this street” feel, but as mentioned before, the magical forces of high quality regional economic performance have washed away any kind of significant safety risks.
Pros
- Amazing renovations
- Very affordable & spacious floor plans.
- Can walk to a few stores
- Yoga Studio
- Big nice pool
- Dog wash station
- Large leash free dog park.
- Modern fixtures
- No breed restrictions
Cons
- Area can feel shady sometimes, and not in the trees-blocking-the-sun way. But as somebody who has been living a block away, I wouldn’t be concerned with safety.
- Non updated floor plans look….well….old.
- You might live across the street away from the main amenities.
Conclusion
Southeast Austin is the most affordable way to live near Downtown. It’s why I lived here for over 2 years. There is a huge collection of apartments new and old. Some nice, some not so nice. Hopefully this collection of options will make it easier for you to find the right place to live in my former stomping grounds.
Working with Me
Hello there! I’m Alex Concepcion. Cool Apartment Locator Guy Extraordinaire. Like pretty much everyone here, I’m a transplant from another city. I arrived from the wild and exotic country of Miami, Florida where I traded groovy salsa music and the beach for breakfast tacos and brisket. Now I call East Austin home where I host funky dinner parties, buy overpriced cocktails, and climb rocks at the Austin Bouldering Project.
Having gone through the chaotic transition of moving to a new city, I know what it’s like to be all freaked out and worried about picking the right place to live (and eat). I’ve fortunately found myself in the position where I can help people like you make the best possible transition.
Working with me means basically having a super useful personal research assistant guy do all the heavy lifting. If you’re not familiar with the neighborhoods, I can also put on my knock-off-Anthony-Bourdain-hat and be your personal food-obsessed tour guide (which is my favorite part of what I do).
Even cooler, I’m totally free to work with. I get paid directly by the apartment complex only when you move in.(which doesn’t affect your rent amount). I’m free like that HBO subscription your friend doesn’t know you use when Game of Thrones is on. I would be flattered to help you find the perfect place to live.
-Alex
