SCAD house hunting hints

Written by Ali Grutchfield. Photo courtesy of Ali Grutchfield.

To many bees leaving the Hive, finding somewhere to live in Savannah may seem like an insurmountable task. Everything is either too far from campus, too expensive for students or so old that the historic charm feels more like a safety hazard. The irony is that once students finally get a handle on the Savannah housing market, they are almost ready to graduate. Hopefully, this list of resources and other considerations can act as your guide on this tumultuous journey!

Platforms:

1. Apartments.com

Apartments.com, as its name clearly states, is a great platform for apartment hunting. Unfortunately, the results are very basic and mostly just high rise buildings you’ve walked past every day. However, they do provide more in-depth information on pricing and floor plans than you’ll find on the individual complexes’ websites. Additionally, there’s ample information about availability, pets, amenities, etc. Yet, the best feature is the ability to draw your own map of areas you’re willing to live in, this way you aren’t accidentally hunting in a different part of town. 

2. Zillow

Zillow is a website that functions for both buying and renting either apartments or homes. Although a little unpredictable, it’s a great site for simply finding all of your options. The site is well organized and easy to navigate, with easy ways to securely contact realtors or sellers without disclosing too much personal information. 

3. Trulia 

Trulia is more underground than Zillow and Apartments.com, and while not a great starting point for your hunt, it’s simply another resource that will present you with more options. It is incredibly similar to other platforms in that it’s for buying and renting both apartments and homes, but many SCAD students have found unearthed gems. Most of the listings are for a month or two in the future rather than immediate vacancies, so it’s a good way to prepare and get ahead of the curve. 

4. Facebook

Surprisingly, Facebook is not a bad place to look for housing options, however, most of the listings are for immediate move-ins rather than students looking to come back in the Fall. Something to note is that Facebook is a game of quantity over quality. Students should join as many different housing Facebook groups as possible rather than being selective. Many sellers are only in one or two groups and therefore it can be really challenging to find all of your different options. Additionally, Facebook does not offer the same security and anonymity that can be found on more professional sites. Therefore, students need to exercise the utmost care and vigilance when communicating on Facebook. 

Neighborhoods:

1. Downtown

Downtown covers everything from the Savannah River to Anderson Street. This includes most SCAD academic buildings, Broughton Street and Forsyth Park, the area you probably spent most of your freshman year in. The neighborhoods within the Downtown area are the North and South Historic Districts and the Victorian District. However, this is the most expensive, loudest and most touristy area of Savannah. But with that, you also get convenience, walkability and lots of fun activities. The Blake, the Baxly, the Bowery, the Matadora and Drayton Towers are all located Downtown. 

2. Midtown

Midtown spans from the south end of downtown to East Victory Drive. This is closer to SCAD’s upperclassman housing such as Sand, Sail and Surf and typical student hotspots such as Target, Foxy Loxy and Starland Yard. It’s home to the Starland District and the Baldwin Park District. This is the easiest area to find houses that are affordable and close to Downtown, but if you don’t have a car it can be a nuisance to get around. 

3. South of Victory 

Everything south of East Victory Drive is pretty suburban with only a few things within walking distance. Most of this area consists of churches, elementary schools and big box stores. Once you get down to 56th Street, there are two townhome/apartment complexes, The Betty and The Grove at Ardsley Park, that some SCAD students live in. Although most students avoid living south of Victory because of the distance from campus, it is conveniently close to shopping centers and grocery stores.