SummerHouse finds a new niche in Bloomington Rental Market

It’s been a while since a noteworthy housing development has entered the Bloomington rental market.  For years, large national apartment developers have entered the market with a “beer & bikinis” pitch catering to what they believe is the “typical” college kid who wants a cookie cutter apartment that facilitates a party atmosphere.  Local developers have focused downtown, building high rent apartments geared towards out of state IU students.

We at Renaissance Rentals have taken a different path, focusing on building communities that fit the needs of under-served markets.  This has never been more evident than with our newest development, SummerHouse Apartments & Suites; the 84-unit Phase I will open its doors this August.  SummerHouse is located on E. 3rd St. near the intersection of 45 and 446.  It’s approximately a 5 minute drive to campus, straight down 3rd St.  All units are one bedroom & 1 bathroom suites ranging from about 500 sq. ft. up to 700 sq. ft.

So, what makes SummerHouse noteworthy? In 2 words, flexibility & convenience. When construction is completed this August, there will be four brand new 3-story buildings. Each of the 3 levels have unique offerings.

The ground level units will be rented with daily rates for short term stays (similar to an extended stay hotel).  We can accommodate one day, 2 weeks or even month + stays. In a traditional extended stay hotel, you might get a mini-fridge, small bar sink and a few cabinets, but the SummerHouse units are true one bedroom suites, with a full kitchen (fridge, sink, D/W, stove, oven, microwave), in-unit washer/dryer, and even a door to the bedroom (believe me, that's a big deal).  It’s really the convergence of an apartment and a hotel suite, with the best of both being included.

The second level is what we are terming the “Flex” apartments.  Are you an IU student that wants to rent an apartment for just the school year?  Well good luck to you; almost all leases in Bloomington are 12 month.  That’s where we come in. The apartments on the 2nd level at SummerHouse will be offered with school year leases.  In addition, all utilities will be included (water, electric, Internet, cable), and the apartments are fully furnished. I like to think of this as the Trifecta of conveniences.  There is no other living experience in Bloomington this hassle free.

You may be wondering what we do in the summer  for the second level units.  Well, demand for shorter term stays go up in the summer with the wide array of festivals, youth sports tournaments, and tourists coming to Bloomington.  When our school year residents move out, we will quickly convert these to suites that can be rented for short term stays, just like the ground level.

Finally we get to the 3rd level.  At first glance, these units may seem to be conventional 1 bedroom apartments.  They will be rented on standard 12 month lease after all, just like most rentals in Bloomington.  But after that after that, the unique characteristics begin to shine through.  For example, all utilities are included, plus Free WiFi & Free Cable.  It will be so nice moving into a place and not having to call utility and service companies.  The other really cool feature is that all of these 3rd level apartments come with a 2nd level loft, accessed by a whimsical spiral staircase.  This adds 160 sq. ft. to your apartment and gives you a really unique and flexible space (could be office, workout area, reading room, craft space or whatever you can dream up).  From the loft you look over the bedroom and living room on the main level. You won’t find anything like this in Bloomington.

We’re excited to open the doors this fall and look forward to working with the lucky residents that choose to  make SummerHouse their new home.

For more information on SummerHouse, visit online by clicking here and for specific details on the different available floor plans, click here.

If you have any questions or would like more information you can call us at 812-332-2141 or submit a question from our website by clicking here