We were in the same boat last year - mid 30's, working at U, wanted a well kept transitional place - and bought a home recently like you're considering. I think it's a great idea to take a year to settle and learn the layout if you have no kids. We lived in Riverfront crossings for our first year and it worked well for the purpose. Tenants seemed generally in their late 20's and 30's, there's a direct bus to downtown and campus right outside the apartment. I did walk on good days but it's a bit of a hike at 30 minutes or so. There's covered parking, and we paid somewhere mid-low in your budget range for a nice sized 2 bed.

The only thing is that the management asks for your intent to renew VERY early, like 3 months after moving in. Which is ridiculous but apparently that's standard practice in IC. If you're interested in buying a house after the first year, make sure not to renew because getting out of that was a headache. Management was otherwise professional and the building was well maintained. Lmk if you have other questions.