Have you noticed how expensive apartments have become lately?
Not only do new apartment complexes seem to be popping up overnight, but monthly rent for one- and two-bedroom apartments can range anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 per month! That’s not including the deposits, monthly “convenience fees” — optional reserved parking spaces and pet deposits. Those fees can add another $100 to $300 to the monthly bill.
The counter argument is that many apartment dwellers don’t want big homes, and want to experience the hip-and-happening areas where many expensive apartments are located. OK, that makes sense, but for the long term, making high monthly rent payments for years on end will come back to haunt you. So what’s the solution?
Arlington Heights
Sandwiched between Camp Bowie Blvd. and Interstate 30 in the heart of Fort Worth is the triangular neighborhood of Arlington Heights. It’s official name is Chamberlain Arlington Heights, and within the neighborhood are pockets of other names, but most just call it Arlington Heights.
It was established in the 1920s to 1940s with many smaller, pier-and-beam homes. Location is key to Arlington Heights. Downtown Fort Worth is within 10 minutes, shops, grocery stores, Texas Christian University, and golf courses are all a short drive away as well.
Arlington Heights is filled with two-bedroom homes that make a perfect solution for buyers looking for manageably sized homes and monthly payments and yet still close to the fun areas of Cowtown. Today we are going to show you three recent listings of two-bedroom homes in Arlington Heights
Size Isn’t Everything
Many two-bedroom homes range from under 1,000 to 1,500 square feet in size. Not huge and certainly not how many of them were originally arranged — boxy and cramped. What two-bedroom homeowners are finding is that by removing a few walls or enlarging door openings, the homes look and feel so much more inviting and spacious.
A closed and cramped kitchen all of a sudden can be a part of the eating and living area by removing a wall or two.
If the appliances and cabinets in the kitchen are a hindrance when trying to open the kitchen to the eating area, you can give the home an open feel by taking down one-half of the wall if necessary. Taking out one-half of the wall between kitchen and eating still made a huge difference and kept cabinets and appliance configuration intact at 4104 Birchman Avenue (Full disclosure: This is one of my personal listings).
Outside Spaces Are Important
As with any property, outside spaces can have a huge impact on the overall feel of the home. A property might only be 1,000 square-feet but have an inviting front porch that feels like a part of the home. This is something that many buyers won’t get in an apartment. This listing at 1808 Virginia Place from Joseph Berkes is a great example.
One of the advantages of homes in the Arlington Heights neighborhood is that the area is filled with mature trees that also provide a lot of shade to the backyards where the patio becomes a useable area even in the Texas summers.
While even two-bedroom homes in Arlington Heights are being sold at a rapid pace at all-time high prices, many are still more affordable than the high-end apartments in the area.
Sure, these homes don’t have the golf simulators or karaoke rooms that over-priced apartment complexes offer, but the Arlington Heights location can’t be beat and nothing can replace how property ownership helps build wealth.
