New to Hays, Looking for rental

First let me start by saying that I am pleased to see that Hays is not at all like Gatlin, Nebraska and I wasn't greeted by Malachai and Isaac. Alright, now that I am done making Children of the Corn generalizations, I am looking for a place to move into with my family. I am going to the Chamber of Commerce in the morning to obtain more information on rental listings. The Hays Daily has a few but there must be more options than they offer.

The requirements of my family are: 2-3BR apt or house. If you have any information on any rentals I would appreciate a reply. The bigger the better!

I would stay away from the college area. It is a ghetto

There are several nice trailer communities in thee area

there are the retnals of a certain ex mayor that some say a questionable name rhymes with Squalor

I have been told that north of 13th is the better place to be. Also on my own research I have noticed that north of 27th is even better. I have a young daughter and have been cross referencing familywatchdog.org.

The entire reason I didn't put an advance deposit on a place is because of individual landlords being the most abundant rental resource. I don't need a slumlord.

By the way, Hays is hard as hell to move into from afar. Online marketing here is not so plentiful. I understand that it is a small town, but now that I am here and it's reputation as a college town, one would think that there would be better resources.

edzeppelin wrote:

There are several nice trailer communities in thee area

I understand Hays has not been hit by a tornado in 40 years but I'm not one to tempt fate.

BigBadBeast wrote:

The requirements of my family are: 2-3BR apt or house. If you have any information on any rentals I would appreciate a reply. The bigger the better!

How much are you willing to spend? I formerly rented a large 5 bedroom, 2 bath house on 25th Street, between Pine and Oak, for $800 a month plus all utilities. It also had a full finished basement and an attached garage. And utilities aren't cheap in Hays. If you're from a small town, that might seem like a lot of money, but the same place in the PRL (People's Republic of Lawrence) would go for around $1500 to $1700 a month.

$800 is too damn much unless you make well above the average wage or have a 2 income family. If I paid $800 for rent and then added utilities and cable TV I'd have around $150 a month left for groceries, gasoline, insurance policies, clothing, car repairs or payments, etc.

Supposedly fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Ellis County was $404 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment was $531 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment was $734 a month.

Fair to who? $404 for 1 bedroom is beyond rediculous.

hope you don't have any pets,this town doesn't allow pets,as a matter of fact they HATE pets.
....Sorry,didn't mean to get all crappy on the pet subject so early But my pets are like my kids!!! Good luck!!

Ratzilla wrote:

$800 is too damn much unless you make well above the average wage or have a 2 income family. If I paid $800 for rent and then added utilities and cable TV I'd have around $150 a month left for groceries, gasoline, insurance policies, clothing, car repairs or payments, etc.

Supposedly fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Ellis County was $404 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment was $531 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment was $734 a month.

Fair to who? $404 for 1 bedroom is beyond rediculous.

$800.00 a month would be great!

Yeah, already found out about the pet thing. We had to give up our son. He is a 5 year old APBT that now lives with my wife's family. That part was crappy but it is hard enough trying to find a place to live as a pet owner. Make that pet an APBT and it multiplies that toughness by infiniti.

There is a duplex on Country Club that has a sign in the front yard. Next time I drive by I can get the # for you. I am not sure how big it is, but maybe they have others if that wouldn't work for you. You can go to a place on 8th, west of Main, and they have lists of rentals for a couple of $. I think it is called Preferred Secretarial or something. Good luck.

Check out Nextech classifieds, I just saw some rentals on there.

Sorry I don't know how to post the "linky thingy", I'm sure someone on here can do it for me though....

Thank you Slider!!

Might try J&F Property Management.

785-650-4065 or 785-259-2477

BigBadBeast wrote:

I have been told that north of 13th is the better place to be. Also on my own research I have noticed that north of 27th is even better. I have a young daughter and have been cross referencing familywatchdog.org. .

South of 13th = Affordable and there are some nice houses there you just have to be careful which neighborhood you live in. Sheesh

North of 27th = Great neighborhoods & a very high rent disctrict but there are also idiots living north of 27th.

luv2cook wrote:

BigBadBeast wrote:

I have been told that north of 13th is the better place to be. Also on my own research I have noticed that north of 27th is even better. I have a young daughter and have been cross referencing familywatchdog.org. .

South of 13th = Affordable and there are some nice houses there you just have to be careful which neighborhood you live in. Sheesh

North of 27th = Great neighborhoods & a very high rent disctrict but there are also idiots living north of 27th.

be careful..........there are horrible neighborhoods in Hays

Hey lets scary this person out of town. Hays is a very nice community to live in. Sure we might have yards decorated with beer cans and pink flamingos but overall its an awesome place to live.

Degeneration X wrote:

Hey lets scary this person out of town. Hays is a very nice community to live in. Sure we might have yards decorated with beer cans and pink flamingos but overall its an awesome place to live.

I am a big city girl,been in the ghetto,barrio,hooker dist.,drugs,gangs,homeless,downtown..........I have done it ALL(LIVED THERE ).

Then I moved to Hays.
Life is great,kids doing well, a 13 yr old healthy girl and a disabled 3 yr old boy who gets what care he needs elsewhere,man has a great job and "recession" as well as tornadoes skip over Hays.No shopping-but there is the internet.

Welcome! and you will settle in after 4 yrs. or so(oh, that was me )
Ps-The humidity SUCKS!!!
Pss......we here are crazy and loveable.........................what made you move here???

wilkykav2 wrote:

luv2cook wrote:

BigBadBeast wrote:

I have been told that north of 13th is the better place to be. Also on my own research I have noticed that north of 27th is even better. I have a young daughter and have been cross referencing familywatchdog.org. .

South of 13th = Affordable and there are some nice houses there you just have to be careful which neighborhood you live in. Sheesh

North of 27th = Great neighborhoods & a very high rent disctrict but there are also idiots living north of 27th.

be careful..........there are horrible neighborhoods in Hays

Ok is this sarcasm or seriousness? I never can understand your posts when you quote me.

I think the eye-rolling dude shows the sarcasm in the post.

you might also consider Ellis or Victoria too. The drive isn't that bad from either place and the rent is usually cheaper.

chiefsfan wrote:

There is a duplex on Country Club that has a sign in the front yard. Next time I drive by I can get the # for you. I am not sure how big it is, but maybe they have others if that wouldn't work for you. You can go to a place on 8th, west of Main, and they have lists of rentals for a couple of $. I think it is called Preferred Secretarial or something. Good luck.

I hit that one up. It's a basement. less than 800sq ft. so no go there. What is the deal with rental owners in Hays not knowing square footage of their properties?

Dude its Hays, dont expect too much.

suzyr wrote:

I think the eye-rolling dude shows the sarcasm in the post.

I suspected as much and it never ceases to amaze me that I draw such a response from her. Dont get why but I must just piss her off by posting because its never a nice reply, its either outright hostility or sarcasm. Eh well que sera sera.

BigBadBeast wrote:

chiefsfan wrote:

There is a duplex on Country Club that has a sign in the front yard. Next time I drive by I can get the # for you. I am not sure how big it is, but maybe they have others if that wouldn't work for you. You can go to a place on 8th, west of Main, and they have lists of rentals for a couple of $. I think it is called Preferred Secretarial or something. Good luck.

I hit that one up. It's a basement. less than 800sq ft. so no go there. What is the deal with rental owners in Hays not knowing square footage of their properties?

its a basement? Sorry! There are three in a row with signs for rent right off of Hall today.

Yeah, I'm not really too concerned with exactly where, just want to keep my daughter away from the red dots...

Hays Offenders

I would like to thank everyone for all of the help.

AND DON'T SHOP ON THE INTERNET! I am in retail management field. Hays actually has most everything that can be found elsewhere these days except a Best Buy or other "mega electronic store". Actually with this being the retail shopping hub of northwest Kansas and relatively free from the drastic reaches of the recession that have hit other parts of the country, This place is doing just fine. Many other areas are experiencing massive closings and layoffs. Despite the "rural exodus" this area is doing just fine compared to most markets.

Come to Russell it is cheaper and low crime!!!!!!!!!!

Hays is rural enough, thanks. There is no crime in either town relative to where I am used to.

What's up with the gates on the access ramps for the interstate? Ice, Tornadoes or both?

They're there to close interstate when weather forces the closure. Usually, it's winter weather... when hotels and other emergency accommodations are full, the highway gets closed.

luv2cook wrote:

Dude its Hays, dont expect too much.

suzyr wrote:

I think the eye-rolling dude shows the sarcasm in the post.

I suspected as much and it never ceases to amaze me that I draw such a response from her. Dont get why but I must just piss her off by posting because its never a nice reply, its either outright hostility or sarcasm. Eh well que sera sera.

Your'e just such a bummer,always negative and I guess it's fun to point out.You sound so miserable,and yet us poking fun at things wigs you out-tell me you don't miss mike

Suzy,help me back on topic please

wilkykav2 wrote:

Suzy,help me back on topic please

Thanks,I need help behaving here

Here is a Registered Sex Offender list for CityData.com for Hays Kansas. It also has links the State of Kansas Registered Sex Offender database.

BigBadBeast wrote:

Yeah, I'm not really too concerned with exactly where, just want to keep my daughter away from the red dots...

Hays Offenders

I would like to thank everyone for all of the help.

AND DON'T SHOP ON THE INTERNET! I am in retail management field. Hays actually has most everything that can be found elsewhere these days except a Best Buy or other "mega electronic store". Actually with this being the retail shopping hub of northwest Kansas and relatively free from the drastic reaches of the recession that have hit other parts of the country, This place is doing just fine. Many other areas are experiencing massive closings and layoffs. Despite the "rural exodus" this area is doing just fine compared to most markets.

yes and by shopping in hays, after april 1, the sales tax increase goes into effect and in most of town you will be paying 7.55% instead of the lower rate of 7.05% that it is currently, but if you shop the new stuff like home depot, you get to pay 8.30% sales tax. Isn't that fun??? You get to pay extra there to help pay off the development costs out there. Now don't worry about it, it goes to a good cause, it helps out the corporate profits of home depots corporate bottom line. After all, isn't that what it's all about..... you know... helping out the big corporations???
Now don't worry, so far only one of the locally owned lumber yards has closed and the tax dollars , doantions and property taxes there will be offset by the increases made to the homeowners property taxes. Isn't that cool??

BigBadBeast wrote:

Yeah, I'm not really too concerned with exactly where, just want to keep my daughter away from the red dots...

Hays Offenders

How bout the ones who are not red dots on a map as in never been caught yet? Not to mention all those hormonally charged teenage boys looking for anything they can get their hands on.

I must say Ratzilla, you are just a little ray of sunshine.

It's the truth you know. Every red dot was once an unknown.

wilkykav2 wrote:

Your'e just such a bummer,always negative and I guess it's fun to point out.You sound so miserable,and yet us poking fun at things wigs you out-tell me you don't miss mike

Well thank you, I love you too. Im sorry Im not Miss Susie Sunshine but you really shouldnt rely on me to brighten your day Wilky. Put me on ignore and then you wont be subjected to my "negativity" anymore. I know thats what Im going to do and that way I wont have to read your bitchy posts about me. SEE? Now we are both happy, happy, joy, joy!


OK Ratz how did you get the red dot thingy to work?

EDIT: Nevermind I got it.

luv2cook wrote:

wilkykav2 wrote:

Your'e just such a bummer,always negative and I guess it's fun to point out.You sound so miserable,and yet us poking fun at things wigs you out-tell me you don't miss mike

Well thank you, I love you too. Im sorry Im not Miss Susie Sunshine but you really shouldnt rely on me to brighten your day Wilky. Put me on ignore and then you wont be subjected to my "negativity" anymore. I know thats what Im going to do and that way I wont have to read your bitchy posts about me. SEE? Now we are both happy, happy, joy, joy!


OK Ratz how did you get the red dot thingy to work?

EDIT: Nevermind I got it.

Ratzilla wrote:

BigBadBeast wrote:

Yeah, I'm not really too concerned with exactly where, just want to keep my daughter away from the red dots...

Hays Offenders

How bout the ones who are not red dots on a map as in never been caught yet? Not to mention all those hormonally charged teenage boys looking for anything they can get their hands on.

I am 6'6" 275lbs. and was in the Marine Corps. I feel sorry for anyone that tries to put hands on my daughter.

As far as the sales tax rate goes here. It isn't so bad. True in Ohio I was only paying 6.5% but in my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas we were paying 9.0% when I last lived there over three years ago. It does suck that it causes closings but that is the consumers fault. Stop shopping on the internet because you are definitely boosting corporate funds that way, they don't even have to have a store overhead. Stop shopping at giant stores and shop at small chains(like mine!) and privately owned businesses.

In on-topic banter. I have secured a place in which to reside! Thanks again for all of your help and insight.

I know a couple people in/near Fayetteville.

just out of curiosity, how did you find this site beast?

I have ventured down to Fayetteville a few times. It was a great place to visit. I also went to Eureka Springs and Holiday Island. I had some friends that use to live on Holiday Island.

nobodysbusiness wrote:

just out of curiosity, how did you find this site beast?

I was trying to dig anything on Hays up that I could find. I'm not sure where I got to this one but I found the old one that was "shut down" and somewhere this one was mentioned. So, sorry, not much help. It's been a chaotic 11 days. I could probably tell you more about Hays than many of the natives at this point.

BigBadBeast wrote:

Ratzilla wrote:

BigBadBeast wrote:

Yeah, I'm not really too concerned with exactly where, just want to keep my daughter away from the red dots...

Hays Offenders

How bout the ones who are not red dots on a map as in never been caught yet? Not to mention all those hormonally charged teenage boys looking for anything they can get their hands on.

I am 6'6" 275lbs. and was in the Marine Corps. I feel sorry for anyone that tries to put hands on my daughter.

That's nice she has you to look out for her. I was just pointing out that a sex offender locator map is not much good if they havn't been found out about and there's probably more unknowns than knowns out there. Not trying to be negative here, but I see the sex offender registry as being a false sense of security. Kind of like if you went into a battlefield with a map that only had 20% of the landmines on it marked.

On a lighter note, welcome to the county. We grumble about it, but it's not such a bad place compared to alot of others. Wilky there being from Arizona says we are too humid, but if you're from Arkansas our summer air will seem pretty dry.

That 20% just means there are less mines to find. One in five steps can be made with more confidence and that is a bonus I can appreciate.

I would also put that figure more to one in three these days. With the increase of technology and individual intrusion (what people can find out about other people), I would think that more people are either caught or deterred from such behavior.

I do agree that it is (wholly) a false sense of security but it does help give at least some peace of mind.

On another note, the water is my concern. I never minded the humidity. I cannot stand hard water. The hotel seems okay but I would assume they have a softener. How is the water here? When you pour a glass from the tap is it clear? is there chemical build up on faucets? for those of you familiar with what hard water actually is, I would appreciate your input (although I will find out tomorrow).

BigBadBeast wrote:

How is the water here? When you pour a glass from the tap is it clear? is there chemical build up on faucets?

1. Seen worse.

2. Use plastic.

3. Define "chemical".



p.s. welcome to the zoo.

Oh yeah, we are sitting on top of hundreds of feet of deposits of lime from the prehistoric Cretaceous seas. Great for a fossil hunter like myself, but misery for the water. My coffee pot needs de-limed pretty regular, old pipes look like clogged arteries, and water heaters crap out too quickly.