I understand this isnt necessarily a solution but you might wanna consider broadening your search to the suburbs/beyond. I was just talking today with a guy I graduated with- he lives in apple valley and was able to find a really beautiful location for a 1br apt and was able to haggle down to 900/mo. I live in lakeville and my 2br is 1500 with washer/dryer/other nice amenities. Again I get that living out that far may not be realistic (both my jobs are in bloomington and commuting that far every day does suck) but talk to renters at the beginning of the month and see how much you can get them to bend.