ajm117 Posted June 14, 2013 Report Share Posted June 14, 2013 Has anyone found any decent places to live? I've been to half a dozen viewings (mostly one bedroom apts) and they've all been complete dives:( so I've got a few questions! - seems like any decent 1 bdrm place charges +900/month. is that what people plan to pay? - are most of you looking for 1bdrms, or looking for roommates? - how far do 1st yr med students typically live from campus (or do most students stick to westdale area?) thanks for any help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMasterHopeful Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 Has anyone found any decent places to live? I've been to half a dozen viewings (mostly one bedroom apts) and they've all been complete dives:( so I've got a few questions! - seems like any decent 1 bdrm place charges +900/month. is that what people plan to pay? - are most of you looking for 1bdrms, or looking for roommates? - how far do 1st yr med students typically live from campus (or do most students stick to westdale area?) thanks for any help! Nope. It has been very difficult to find a decent apartment in Hamilton for less than $900 (1 bd) and I have looked everywhere through presumably thousands of ads. Gottarent, Viewit and of course the usual Kijiji and Craigslist, as well as a lot of the independent trust sites for companies that own apartment buildings such as Effort Trust etc. I have talked with others who have claimed to find nice two bedrooms for $850-$950 but they are rare and go pretty quickly it seems. Coming from OOP most apartments I have rented / owned in the past have in-suite laundry and dishwashers. It's fairly standard. But I've noticed that in Hamilton it is impossible to find. Forget the in-suite laundry, you are lucky if you get a dishwasher. People write their ads as if the dishwasher is the best thing in the world. An example from an ad I just looked at: "And YES! It has a Dishwasher! - Never scrub dishes again! Your very own dishwasher means no more dishpan hands!" As a side note, I also find it a little strange that people here call small dungeon-like basement suites an "apartment". I am sure we'll find something nice, just gotta do the leg work as usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123izme Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 Have you guys considered http://westvillagesuites.ca/? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMasterHopeful Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 I am not sure my wife would go for an arrangement like that! A great option for youngsters and singles however Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shady Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 As a side note, I also find it a little strange that people here call small dungeon-like basement suites an "apartment". I know... And then there are those 8 bedroom houses where you have to live with 7 people And for the love of God, why do houses have 1 bathroom for every 4 bedrooms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMasterHopeful Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 I know... And then there are those 8 bedroom houses where you have to live with 7 people And for the love of God, why do houses have 1 bathroom for every 4 bedrooms? lol. You OOP too? Or just not from Hamilton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shady Posted June 16, 2013 Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 lol. You OOP too? Or just not from Hamilton I'm not OOP, just not from Hamilton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w_robin Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 I am sure we'll find something nice, just gotta do the leg work as usual. It took a LOT of leg work but in the last minute (we're talking literally two weeks before the start of school) my group found a lovely house. Just LOTS of elbow grease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki dale Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 I know... And then there are those 8 bedroom houses where you have to live with 7 people And for the love of God, why do houses have 1 bathroom for every 4 bedrooms? As a side note, I also find it a little strange that people here call small dungeon-like basement suites an "apartment". seems like any decent 1 bdrm place charges +900/month. A lot of what I found was also of this nature when I was looking for a place. Have you tried https://macoffcampus.mcmaster.ca/classifieds/ ? Zone 1 is the area that you want to look at if you want to be close to Mac. You can see listings for like "The Woodlands" apartments, starting at $669. I know a few people in our class who live there and they like it. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMasterHopeful Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 $1650 for a one bedroom in Ancaster https://macoffcampus.mcmaster.ca/classifieds/886-golf-links-rd/ These people think this is downtown waterfront in Vancouver or Toronto? I don't mind paying a premium for something I really want but that is offensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMasterHopeful Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 475 sq ft of "exquisite living space"? Wow, that's very roomy. https://macoffcampus.mcmaster.ca/classifieds/90-charlton-ave-west/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medplease Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 Have you checked out the west village suites? I believe they start at around $590 including everything. It's not a one bedroom apartment or anything, its actually 2-5 bedroom condos but the space if fairly large and generally your roommates will be upper years. It's fairly close to campus (10min walking distance, 2 minutes by car). Have 2 floors with gym facilities, study/lounge rooms on each floor. I know some medical students who go to mac that also live there. Probably one of the nicer places to live in Hamilton, specifically close to campus and not downtown (I wouldn't recommend living downtown..... it's fairly sketchy at ALL hours of the day lol, this is coming from someone who has lived in Hamilton for basically the past 5 years ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tberry3 Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 475 sq ft of "exquisite living space"? Wow, that's very roomy. https://macoffcampus.mcmaster.ca/classifieds/90-charlton-ave-west/ For $1000 per month! That's insane... I've been helping my girlfriend look for one-bedroom apartments in Toronto over the past couple weeks and this place would basically cost the same here as it does in Hamilton. Definitely a strange place to try to find housing! I'll be living with a few other guys so that made the search a lot easier. From what I've seen online, trying to find a good one-bedroom would not be much fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliusc Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 Have you checked out the west village suites? I believe they start at around $590 including everything. It's not a one bedroom apartment or anything, its actually 2-5 bedroom condos but the space if fairly large and generally your roommates will be upper years. It's fairly close to campus (10min walking distance, 2 minutes by car). Have 2 floors with gym facilities, study/lounge rooms on each floor. I know some medical students who go to mac that also live there. Probably one of the nicer places to live in Hamilton, specifically close to campus and not downtown (I wouldn't recommend living downtown..... it's fairly sketchy at ALL hours of the day lol, this is coming from someone who has lived in Hamilton for basically the past 5 years ) My sister lived in this building and it was actually pretty amazing if you don't mind sharing the kitchen and living room with other people. She had a large room with its own walk in closet and washroom. It is also located in a very nice area, which is saying a lot, and twice a week the cleaning staff cleans the kitchen, living room and shared bathroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMasterHopeful Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 For $1000 per month! That's insane... I've been helping my girlfriend look for one-bedroom apartments in Toronto over the past couple weeks and this place would basically cost the same here as it does in Hamilton. Definitely a strange place to try to find housing! I'll be living with a few other guys so that made the search a lot easier. From what I've seen online, trying to find a good one-bedroom would not be much fun. It's on the very bottom of page 1 so I am not sure if you saw it, but there is also a 1 bed for $1650 in Ancaster (which is a nice area but it's still a 1bed) They must have some good narcotics in that end of town. https://macoffcampus.mcmaster.ca/classifieds/886-golf-links-rd/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shady Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 They must have some good narcotics in that end of town. https://macoffcampus.mcmaster.ca/cla...golf-links-rd/ LOL By the way the link doesn't work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMasterHopeful Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 LOL By the way the link doesn't work Should work now And I just noted that it says "furnished available" I am not sure if there is an extra charge for that or not, but it still seems a tad high for a one bed in Hamilton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aryastark Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 Have you checked out the west village suites? I believe they start at around $590 including everything. It's not a one bedroom apartment or anything, its actually 2-5 bedroom condos but the space if fairly large and generally your roommates will be upper years. It's fairly close to campus (10min walking distance, 2 minutes by car). Have 2 floors with gym facilities, study/lounge rooms on each floor. I know some medical students who go to mac that also live there. Probably one of the nicer places to live in Hamilton, specifically close to campus and not downtown (I wouldn't recommend living downtown..... it's fairly sketchy at ALL hours of the day lol, this is coming from someone who has lived in Hamilton for basically the past 5 years ) Just a note that many, if not most students move downtown in second year, and quite a few live downtown first year as well. I haven't found it sketchy, and haven't heard of any issues from other students after a year of living downtown. Many of us walk around on our own after going out or coming back from late night shifts. The known sketchy area is east of John specifically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shady Posted June 18, 2013 Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 ^ I'm trying to avoid the commute. I would prefer living within walking distance from MDCL in first year especially since I would rather not buy a car now (costs too much to operate) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki dale Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 $1650 for a one bedroom in Ancaster https://macoffcampus.mcmaster.ca/classifieds/886-golf-links-rd/ These people think this is downtown waterfront in Vancouver or Toronto? I don't mind paying a premium for something I really want but that is offensive. Ancaster is the nicest part of Hamilton. It's sort of expected. I'm not sure if that's the best place to look if a priority is to be close to Mac or the hospitals. If you're just looking for a "nice" area, just look around the University Plaza. PS Have you tried looking for a place in Toronto but the harbourfront? I have last year, and it averages over $2500-3000/mth for a one bedroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMasterHopeful Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 It's sold now but we used to rent out our 2 yr old one bedroom (700 sq ft) harbourfront in Vancouver for $1900 furnished. People just don't pay more than that in Vancouver unless its extraordinary. Now $3000 for a one bedroom in Toronto... That's a whole other level of insanity. But anywho...thanks for your recommendation Nikki! I will definitely look around University Plaza and stick near the hospitals. For me, proximity is the most important thing. I just really don't want to live in a dive / depressing apartment (who does?). A little bit of light would be nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemarelepa Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 Hi guys - if you or anyone you know is looking to buy, I'm selling my one-bedroom condo in the Pigott builsing on James St. I know a lot of people choose to live in Westdale, but I spent all 3 years here while I was in Mac Med and it was PERFECT! Walk to St. Joes (which, btw, was where my first tutorials were - yes even from day one you might have to branch out further than Mac campus!), and I could get to all of the other hospitals by bus within 15 minutes (I got through 90% of clerkship without driving). 3 of my classmates lived in the building during med school as well, and there are at least a handfull of residents and staff here too. Also, the James St. North area is the most up-and-coming in town, sprouting new bars, cafes, art galleries and vintage shops like crazy! http://link.mlxchange.com/DotNet/Pub/EmailView.aspx?r=1471231790&s=RHB&t=RHB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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