Each available unit below has an "availability date" indicated. In some situations the current tenants can move out sooner than the availability date indicated... sometimes not. So if you need to move sooner than the date indicated by the property, just let us know the move-in date you need when you email us.

I keep my game pretty tight so normally I do not have any units just sitting empty (unless we happen to be working on that unit). My vacancy rate averages less than 2% annually--which represents natural turnover. People move in, people move out--so we are always going to have a few days of vacancy here and there while we are doing make ready, making repairs, updating the unit, etc. Typically I have a unit leased before the current tenant vacates, with just a day or two in between to make sure the unit is in tip top condition.

The availability date for each unit is indicated below along with a contact email for that property. Just click the "View Unit Details" link by any property that you are interested in and then send an email to the address indicated if you'd like to find out about showing dates and times for that particular unit.

(You may also want to check out the Home age for a little background on Medusa Properties and how we roll.)

Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details	Mid-Century Modern in Galleria / Highland Village (Houston, TX) oakshire1@medusaproperties.com Bored with doing the same \"Turn-of-the-Century\" restoration projects for the previous five years, in 2002 I decided to mix things up bit with a little Mid-Century Modern. This classic 1950s 8-plex is one of only a few original, small complexes built in Afton Oaks that are still standing. (http://www.aftonoaks.org/) Because of its excellent in-town location, unusually large lots, and strictly enforced deed restrictions, the prevailing model in Afton Oaks is to tear down the existing 1950s \"ranch-style\" houses (@ $500K a pop) and replace them with faux French McMansions (@ $2 million a pop). Most of the original, smaller, vintage apartment buildings like this one have been laid low by that same paradigm. As tempting as that might be to me financially, I kinda liked Afton Oaks the way it was--quaint and unpretentious--so I decided to recycle this classic building instead of sacrificing it to the gods of consumption. This project was fun mainly because we got to work and re-work the same basic floor-plan--eight times. This allowed me to tweak the scope & look a bit after each unit to keep improving the functionality and aesthetics of each unit from first to last. (My own mini Case Study project.) My goal was to end up with eight unique units--and I think achieved that goal. No two units in the building are alike. Aside from the common floor plan of two bedrooms and one bath--and some shared color schemes--every unit has its own personality. Sometimes the differences are subtle. Sometimes they are drastic. But each has its own individual character. The tenants are generally an eclectic mix of young professionals (25-45) + two dogs & three cats. This property has more of a community feel to it than any other property that I have owned--which I like. If you work or play inside the loop, this location is hard to beat. \"Galleria\" is an oft abused reference point in Houston real estate--especially in apartment listings. This property is literally three blocks due east of the Galleria shopping centers--tucked right inside Loop 610. You could walk out your front door & be trying on shoes at Neimans in about five minutes. There is also a 24 Hr Fitness, a Kinkos/FedEx, and three Starbucks within easy walking distance. (damn those $5 iced chai lattes w/double shots of espresso!) There is also great freeway access to 59, 610, and I-10. And the shopping is the best in the state; (where else in Houston can you live close enough to walk to Crate & Barrel, Central Market, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie?) http://www.shophighlandvillage.com/center.html For what they are--750-800 s.f., Mid-Century, two bed / one bath flats--these are about the nicest units in this price range that you are going to find anywhere near this location--possibly anywhere inside the loop. See unit details below for pics & info on each individual unit. Click any thumbnail to enlarge. (Project Resources) Thorntree (quartz & slate), DalTile, ICI Paints, K&N Appliance, the Detering Company (trim & moulding), Custom Precision Stainless (custom kitchen sinks & other stainless details), Ferguson (misc. plumbing fixtures & door hardware), Trinity Hardwoods, Klassic Hardwoods (recycled flooring), CheMa Carpentry (cabinets & trim), M&M Lighting, Bobbitt Glass, Emmanuel del Angel (project manager and overall badass). For more info about renting one of these units (policies, procedures, showing dates & times, etc.) see email at the end of each unit description below. View Unit Details 4719 Oakshire Drive HOUSTON, TX 77027 (map)
Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details	Turn-of-the-Century Mansion (now 6-plex) - (Avenues - Salt Lake City - UT) avesmansion@medusaproperties.com Built in 1905 as an enormous single family residence, this classic Avenues mansion was converted into 6 large units at some point over the past 100 years. My aim when taking on these projects is not to \"remodel\" these old buildings but to restore them. This may seem like the same thing to a layman but if you have ever sunk your teeth into a 100 yr old building, you understand the difference. (And if you have been looking at apartments in the Aves for very long you will definitely SEE the difference in these units.) Restoration involves stripping off years of cheap, ill conceived & trendy \"updates\", poorly done repairs (\"handy man\" specials), pulling off the old doors, moulding & hardware, stripping off the many, many coats of paint & flooring--the tacky finishes du jour that have been grafted onto the building over the years, upgrading the infrastructure (plumbing, electrical, HVAC)--then put the old doors, fixtures, moulding, and hardware back on. Invariably some of the original fixtures have been damaged or lost. So that takes me to places like Georges Architectural Salvage to track down replacement doors, knobs, and fixtures. As you can imagine, this process takes a LOT of time and energy--and of course, plenty of cash money. But the end result is the essence of what makes these old buildings so much more liveable than most of what\'s been built after the 1940s: original hardwood floors from old growth forests, tall ceilings, big windows with the original art glass, subway tile & mosaic floors, cast iron fixtures, claw tubs. In a word: Vintage. Another great feature of this building is the original wrap-around front porch--great for chilling out and watching the world go by, studying, surfing the web, or just practicing your bongos or guitar (as a former tenant, Josh, was fond of doing). There is also plenty of extra storage space in the basement for bikes, kayaks, ski & snowboard stuff, camping gear, suitcases, boxes, seasonal items, or that ugly lamp that you just cannot seem to part with. (Each tenant gets their own dedicated area in the basement and we have never run out of space--it is a BIG basement.) For the eco friendly tenant the city bus stops right out in front for easy access to the U of U, TRAX, the hospitals, and downtown SLC. And we have a pretty comprehensive recycling center set up on site--including bins for paper, plastic, & glass. I have also installed a high speed internet connection in the building for the tenants to share (Ethernet & WiFi)--which saves everyone about $50/month--which is nice. We can all use a little extra coin in the pocket these days! When I see what else is out there for rent in the Aves it kind of makes me sad. So many landlords buy these great old buildings and \"remodel\" the history and charm right out of them. They end up looking like the latest Home Depot displays. But the sad reality is that it is easier, faster, and a lot cheaper to go to Home Depot and buy junk fixtures & plastic \"laminate\" floors than it is to spend a month on your hands and knees stripping off paint, and scraping and sanding on the orignal hardwood floors. But man, once you get through the four layers of linoleum and tar paper, and you smell that virgin fir that was hand felled and hand milled by the Pioneers... and a big drop of sweat slips off your brow and hits the floor and soaks in and you know it is gonna be there for another 100 years... man, that\'s something. (Project Resources) - Jean Flesher Construction - (801) 259-1364 - LeDel Pace Plumbing (801) 589-5822 - Renovation Innovation - Daltile & American Olean - Kingdon Sheet Metal - ICI Dulux Paints - Georges Architectural Salvage So, click on any thumbnail below to see the full sized pic and shoot me an email if you like what you see. avesmansion@medusaproperties.com View Unit Details 3RD AVE @ N ST SLC, UT 84103 (map)
Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details	Liberty Park * Victorian Duplex (SLC, UT) 1372s300e@medusaproperties.com Built as a single family home in the late 1800s by the city\'s first fire chief. Split into two units sometime around the 1940s. The upstairs is one unit. The downstairs is another. Both units have: - Tall ceilings. - Original fir hardwood floors. - Large windows. - 1/4 acre lot (twice the size of a normal city lot). - Large rose & vegetable gardens + fruit trees (plum, apple, pear, peach, apricot, cherry). Old houses like this have a ton of charm and character but they may be a little drafty in the winter and the floors may creak a bit. Nothing in life is perfect. For me the trade-offs have always been worth it... aged wood, wavy glass, rich soil under your feet. Some folks get it. Others are better suited for shiny, happy, econobox living with carpet, vinyl, and plastic. Such is life. Pet policy for this building: Cat(s) or dog allowed in downstairs unit. Cat(s) only in upstairs unit. (No exceptions.) The two tenants in this building split the utilities. Gas+Electric+Water+Internet run about $125/month/person (averaged over 12 months in 2009). That\'s pretty darn cheap. See details below for availability. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge. View Unit Details 1372 south 300 east Salt Lake City, UT 84115 (map)
Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details	1940s Bungalow In Oak Forest (Houston, TX) saxon@medusaproperties.com Clean lines and a very human scale are the hallmarks of this 1940s bungalow in the historic Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston. I know \"bigger is better\" in today\'s world but I\'ve lived in this 1100 s.f. two bedroom one-and-a-half bath house for three years now and loved every minute of it. Great location. Close to schools and shopping. Large fenced lot with big detached two-car garage + (my version) of a \"dacha\" in the back yard. $10,000 in new driveways and sidewalks--including a big turn-in / circular drive in the front. (off-street parking for 5+ cars) Great starter home for young professional or small family. Lots of schools and parks close by. Deed restricted neighborhood with very active association keeps the area looking great. Oak Forest is being called \"the new Bellaire\" due to the large lots & new houses going up all over the area. And there are plenty of well-kept and restored original houses in the area as well. Click on thumbnails below to enlarge and scroll through the pics. http://www.ofha.org/index.html View Unit Details Rosslyn & Saxon Houston, TX 77018 (map)
Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details	NEW PROJECT! - MONTROSE DUTCH REVIVAL (Houston, TX) Just closed on this new bitchin 1930s "Dutch Revival" / "Cape Ann" style two-story house in the Montrose / Museum District of Houston. We'll be in there ripping and shredding in a flash and hope to have this baby turned around in about 6 months! Will be priced in the $400-500K range when we're done. View Unit Details Houston, TX 77006 (map)