los angeles lofts on Sat, 16th Jan 2010 9:56 am 

I’m shocked at how low the prices are in your area. The cost of living must keep everyone in Des Moines fairley content.

calmuse on Mon, 25th Jan 2010 2:07 am 

As another Southern Californian (but also a DSM native), I find it rather interesting that studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units all are at about the same average price. Even if many studios run large (esp in older buildings) and many one-bedrooms run small, one would still expect some price difference. Does suburban flight and the availability of many rent-to-own and contract-sale properties keep the rents down? Also, I remember that even a number of years ago, DSM tended to be overbuilt with newer garden apartments and older apartment buildings. Many of the latter, though, are now gone or have been converted to condos.

Beth on Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 9:58 am 

Living in DSM, I am rather curious of the location of these low-priced downtown rentals. Do these include the income-capped rentals that you have to making barebones to live in? I’d love to live downtown, but I can’t afford it. I make too much money for the cheaper nice places and not enough to live in the “normal” priced units.

I think the income-based rentals should be separated from these averages.