Hunt for a rental while still here or when I get there?
May 22, 2013 1:51 AM Subscribe
Hi everyone I'm relocating for the first time ever out of the family home. Should I start should start house hunting now *for a rental) while I'm away, or wait till I get there (I'm very happy to hostel it for a bit, as I don't know of anyone in the area and I'm a bit funny about couchsurfing).
Thanks!
The way this always works out for me is I always start narrowing down neighborhoods in advance and have an idea what I should pay.
Then I get where it is I'm going and wind up picking somewhere completely different because it's never what it looks like on paper.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 3:51 AM on May 22, 2013
Then I get where it is I'm going and wind up picking somewhere completely different because it's never what it looks like on paper.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 3:51 AM on May 22, 2013
The way I have done this was to fly/drive out to the destination for a 3-5 day visit a couple of months ahead of time and do some apartment hunting and hopefully sign a lease that starts when I arrive for my final move.
posted by deanc at 5:29 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by deanc at 5:29 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
The internet is so awesome. When we moved to Atlanta, I had done so much research that I picked our apartment right away. I looked at a few others, but as it turns out, the one I liked the most on the web, was the one we ended up in.
It really, really depends on where you're moving. Are there tons of apartment complexes, or is it a tight rental market where you have to be there, with a check and references.
The way I've done it (and I've done it plenty) is to research my options like crazy. Narrow it down to some solid places, then go and look, securing one before I go home. Then, when I move, I move right into my new digs.
I've slept on more floors in empty apartments than I care to think about. I actually like those first few weeks, where I'm thinking about how I want to furnish my new pad, getting a feel for the neighborhood and enjoying my new space.
Come back and tell us where you're moving to, and you'll get some really useful answers.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:40 AM on May 22, 2013
It really, really depends on where you're moving. Are there tons of apartment complexes, or is it a tight rental market where you have to be there, with a check and references.
The way I've done it (and I've done it plenty) is to research my options like crazy. Narrow it down to some solid places, then go and look, securing one before I go home. Then, when I move, I move right into my new digs.
I've slept on more floors in empty apartments than I care to think about. I actually like those first few weeks, where I'm thinking about how I want to furnish my new pad, getting a feel for the neighborhood and enjoying my new space.
Come back and tell us where you're moving to, and you'll get some really useful answers.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:40 AM on May 22, 2013
If moving to a new city a long way away I would probably opt for finding something short term before arrival and then looking for a permanent accomodation while you are there.
You could need a month or more to find a permanent place. During this time its either:
a) crash with freinds (which doesn't sound possible), o
b) short term rental (say "serviced apartments" which can be expensive)
c) or hostel/hotel.
d) find a sublet for say 2-3 months online
I've done a) and b) on different moves. a) can rely on having quite good / flexible freinds in the area.
posted by mary8nne at 6:03 AM on May 22, 2013
You could need a month or more to find a permanent place. During this time its either:
a) crash with freinds (which doesn't sound possible), o
b) short term rental (say "serviced apartments" which can be expensive)
c) or hostel/hotel.
d) find a sublet for say 2-3 months online
I've done a) and b) on different moves. a) can rely on having quite good / flexible freinds in the area.
posted by mary8nne at 6:03 AM on May 22, 2013
What you should be doing now is familiarizing yourself with the area and the rental market via internet, so that when you get to town, you can leap right into the apartment search.
Find out about different neighborhoods of the place you're going, and think about places you'll be spending time for work/fun/school/whatever and how the commutes would be, and what the "mood" is in different areas. Look on craigslist or any internet apartment-finding tools to figure out what the price points are in different parts of the the city, and think hard about your budget. Remember, it's hard to appreciate the part of town you live in if (a) you can't afford to go out in your hip neighborhood because you've spent every cent on rent, or (b) you never go out because you spend all your weeknights recovering from and planning for a 1.5hr commute. Use websites to identify neighborhoods with a good compromise between atmosphere, commute, and rent. But realize that whatever mental "score" you give a neighborhood from web research might change significantly when you arrive and check it out - maybe what looks "close" is actually full of traffic or inconvenient train hours, or what looks like a bargain is actually slumlord territory, or the fun nightlife negihborhood is actually pretentious, or what has a hip artsy web presence is actually one step away from crack houses, or someplace that looks boring but convenient is actually charming. You never know till you check it out for yourself, but there's no point in arriving to your new city uninformed. So, when you arrive, you've got a list of neighborhoods you want to check out, and maybe even a few appointments lined up with landlords.
posted by aimedwander at 6:43 AM on May 22, 2013
Find out about different neighborhoods of the place you're going, and think about places you'll be spending time for work/fun/school/whatever and how the commutes would be, and what the "mood" is in different areas. Look on craigslist or any internet apartment-finding tools to figure out what the price points are in different parts of the the city, and think hard about your budget. Remember, it's hard to appreciate the part of town you live in if (a) you can't afford to go out in your hip neighborhood because you've spent every cent on rent, or (b) you never go out because you spend all your weeknights recovering from and planning for a 1.5hr commute. Use websites to identify neighborhoods with a good compromise between atmosphere, commute, and rent. But realize that whatever mental "score" you give a neighborhood from web research might change significantly when you arrive and check it out - maybe what looks "close" is actually full of traffic or inconvenient train hours, or what looks like a bargain is actually slumlord territory, or the fun nightlife negihborhood is actually pretentious, or what has a hip artsy web presence is actually one step away from crack houses, or someplace that looks boring but convenient is actually charming. You never know till you check it out for yourself, but there's no point in arriving to your new city uninformed. So, when you arrive, you've got a list of neighborhoods you want to check out, and maybe even a few appointments lined up with landlords.
posted by aimedwander at 6:43 AM on May 22, 2013
A word on logistics, since you've never lived on your own before: a lot of landlords aren't going to want to rent to you without a history. (Do you have a job? Do you have credit?)
Here are some tips you can use to assuage any of those doubts that might come up:
Prepare a folder containing the following items:
1) Copy of a recent credit report (you can pull it annually for free)
2) Copies of pay stubs going back three weeks
3) Sheet with your personal/contact information--this is things like your name, phone number, previous address, DOB, driver's license number--basically everything they'd ask you to fill in on a rental application all prepped and ready to go.
When I go a-renting, I have this folder prepared along with 4) a list of my previous addresses, dates of residence, and contact information for my previous landlords so they can call for references. This gets me out of the $50 application fee or any of that hassle because they don't have to call to check my credit or do any of the info collection. It's all just there for them to see. Easy.
Depending on your age and income, they may want a co-signor on your lease. Talk to your parents now before you leave to discuss what price range, if any, they're comfortable co-signing and how that will be handled between you.
Good luck!
posted by phunniemee at 6:56 AM on May 22, 2013
Here are some tips you can use to assuage any of those doubts that might come up:
Prepare a folder containing the following items:
1) Copy of a recent credit report (you can pull it annually for free)
2) Copies of pay stubs going back three weeks
3) Sheet with your personal/contact information--this is things like your name, phone number, previous address, DOB, driver's license number--basically everything they'd ask you to fill in on a rental application all prepped and ready to go.
When I go a-renting, I have this folder prepared along with 4) a list of my previous addresses, dates of residence, and contact information for my previous landlords so they can call for references. This gets me out of the $50 application fee or any of that hassle because they don't have to call to check my credit or do any of the info collection. It's all just there for them to see. Easy.
Depending on your age and income, they may want a co-signor on your lease. Talk to your parents now before you leave to discuss what price range, if any, they're comfortable co-signing and how that will be handled between you.
Good luck!
posted by phunniemee at 6:56 AM on May 22, 2013
I think the answer depends a lot on the rental market you're moving to. Where I currently live, people find their rentals 6-10 months in advance of moving. If you were to show up here and look for a place immediately with no contacts, you would likely end up living in a hotel for months or living somewhere truly awful. In the last market I lived in, it would have been no problem to show up and find a place to live within a couple of weeks.
If you're moving to a totally new city where you know nobody, you should consider looking for a temporary sublet for a few months and use that time to look for a "real" place.
posted by juliapangolin at 7:34 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you're moving to a totally new city where you know nobody, you should consider looking for a temporary sublet for a few months and use that time to look for a "real" place.
posted by juliapangolin at 7:34 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you move before renting, make sure to ask everyone you bump into (hotel check in, etc) about the neighbourhoods you're looking at. Take taxis to all viewings and dress up, most taxi drivers are more than willing to make fun of you(doing you a valuable service at the same time) if you're going to a dive and might not have the instinct to sniff if out yourself.
posted by Yowser at 8:00 AM on May 22, 2013
posted by Yowser at 8:00 AM on May 22, 2013
I would be cruising craigslist for a short-term sublet if I were you.
Ultimately, it really depends on the market - like, where I live now, the rental market is pretty tight, but places don't get advertised until a month before, so what you have to do is freak the hell out and look at 15 places all on one weekend about four weeks before you're planning on moving (and you bring a check and a copy of your credit report). In the past I've lived in places where you start looking at places four or six months in advance.
But there are pretty much always some "need a roommate/subletter RIGHT NOW" places to be had.
Also, how far away are you? If you can find a few likely places on craigslist and then drive out for the day/the weekend to look at them that's a very good idea.
Also also, are you looking to live alone or with roommates?
posted by mskyle at 8:57 AM on May 22, 2013
Ultimately, it really depends on the market - like, where I live now, the rental market is pretty tight, but places don't get advertised until a month before, so what you have to do is freak the hell out and look at 15 places all on one weekend about four weeks before you're planning on moving (and you bring a check and a copy of your credit report). In the past I've lived in places where you start looking at places four or six months in advance.
But there are pretty much always some "need a roommate/subletter RIGHT NOW" places to be had.
Also, how far away are you? If you can find a few likely places on craigslist and then drive out for the day/the weekend to look at them that's a very good idea.
Also also, are you looking to live alone or with roommates?
posted by mskyle at 8:57 AM on May 22, 2013
One more thing, if you're moving to somewhere new and can afford it, no matter how much it squeezes your budget, once you've decided on a permanent place, live alone. Your sanity will thank you.
Stay away from "looking for roommate" posts, unless your mental condition can deal with teh crazy that you're inviting into your life.
posted by Yowser at 9:10 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Stay away from "looking for roommate" posts, unless your mental condition can deal with teh crazy that you're inviting into your life.
posted by Yowser at 9:10 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think living with roommates can be a great way to get to know people in a new place. But the "roommate market" varies a lot too - some cities have lots of young professionals who have their shit together and want to share a place, and some places most of the people looking for roommates are unemployable losers with no friends to share with. It depends.
posted by mskyle at 9:42 AM on May 22, 2013
posted by mskyle at 9:42 AM on May 22, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. phunniemee, I didn't even think of getting together all those documents, thanks. I won't be cosigning with my parents as there are family issues involved and I do have enough money.
Yeah I was more inclined towards living alone, but I've done that for so long I'm quite happy to actually share a place for a bit (such as, hostelling or roommate situation).
Craiglist doesn't list the town I'm going to, it's not big enough. I'm not sure what the rental market is like, it's a town of 100,000 people 90 mins from the state capital with a university, but my future boss said there's a significant number of staff also in their twenties (and maybe thirties). So it could be tight or not tight. For any Aussies (and maybe Kiwis) it's Bendigo in VIC.
Re: flying down, I only have this coming weekend and the one after, then I finish my job on the 7th, have a week off to move all my stuff (my parents' place is in between where I am now and where I will be), then start the 17th. I could fly down this weekend and look at stuff I suppose, but on such short notice I dunno if a) there even will be flights, and b) if there are, they will be very expensive (that's how Aussie fares work), and next weekend, one of the colleagues at work, his gf (who I'm friends with) who he met here while she was on secondment from a city hospital, is coming up (though having said that, it's not as essential because she works in the city where my parents live so I could meet up with her on my week off). but if you really think it's essential I fly down, then let me know so I can do some serious Interneting during my lunch break today.
Thanks everyone!
posted by glache at 1:50 PM on May 22, 2013
Yeah I was more inclined towards living alone, but I've done that for so long I'm quite happy to actually share a place for a bit (such as, hostelling or roommate situation).
Craiglist doesn't list the town I'm going to, it's not big enough. I'm not sure what the rental market is like, it's a town of 100,000 people 90 mins from the state capital with a university, but my future boss said there's a significant number of staff also in their twenties (and maybe thirties). So it could be tight or not tight. For any Aussies (and maybe Kiwis) it's Bendigo in VIC.
Re: flying down, I only have this coming weekend and the one after, then I finish my job on the 7th, have a week off to move all my stuff (my parents' place is in between where I am now and where I will be), then start the 17th. I could fly down this weekend and look at stuff I suppose, but on such short notice I dunno if a) there even will be flights, and b) if there are, they will be very expensive (that's how Aussie fares work), and next weekend, one of the colleagues at work, his gf (who I'm friends with) who he met here while she was on secondment from a city hospital, is coming up (though having said that, it's not as essential because she works in the city where my parents live so I could meet up with her on my week off). but if you really think it's essential I fly down, then let me know so I can do some serious Interneting during my lunch break today.
Thanks everyone!
posted by glache at 1:50 PM on May 22, 2013
Hey it's kind of an out-there suggestion but it so worked for me for most of about 15 years during and between schooling and in many new towns. I'm frugal and prefer to save and/or spend my resources on experiences rather than rent. So for many years I rented rooms in private homes. The ads were "room for rent" and not your standard roommate situation. My only "roommate" was the single owner of the home. Their situations varied: empty nester, widow, retired, single professional with extra space, perhaps just wanting to pay down the principal faster. It's definitely not for everyone, but I met and became friends with some wonderful people this way.
The advantages:
-a ready-made furnished house with own bedroom
-fully-equipped kitchen
-laundry
-in a regular neighborhood with ample parking
-sometimes with pets that weren't my responsibility but I got to enjoy them too
-built-in local knowledge
-no lease
-significantly cheaper on many counts
-the ability to make larger student loan/car payments
-an interesting person (most often from outside my normal social circle) to get to know and to help broaden my perspective of the world.
The potential disadvantages are yours to determine. The most notable for me was not a huge deal--I socialized outside of my home space and only invited people over if I had the place to myself. For me, the advantages far outweighed any disadvantages. I stayed debt-free and I traveled and adventured well.
FWIW
And I say this all as a preface to telling you this is how I lined up housing in another town, just as you are trying to do. I called on a handful of ads, and really liked one person I talked to. It was 3,000 mies away; I did not go there. We decided we'd shoot for a trial period since we could not meet, but it would at least give me a place to land. And so I knew where to go once I arrived and all I had to do was grocery shop and decide how to decorate my room. It worked out great.
The no-lease thing is a no-brainer: if you aren't a good match, you'll both know it. And then you both just behave like grown-ups while you locate an alternative (I understood this in theory but never had to test it). I do realize how lucky I was over the years; we were fortunately all mutually respectful people.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 3:39 AM on May 23, 2013
The advantages:
-a ready-made furnished house with own bedroom
-fully-equipped kitchen
-laundry
-in a regular neighborhood with ample parking
-sometimes with pets that weren't my responsibility but I got to enjoy them too
-built-in local knowledge
-no lease
-significantly cheaper on many counts
-the ability to make larger student loan/car payments
-an interesting person (most often from outside my normal social circle) to get to know and to help broaden my perspective of the world.
The potential disadvantages are yours to determine. The most notable for me was not a huge deal--I socialized outside of my home space and only invited people over if I had the place to myself. For me, the advantages far outweighed any disadvantages. I stayed debt-free and I traveled and adventured well.
FWIW
And I say this all as a preface to telling you this is how I lined up housing in another town, just as you are trying to do. I called on a handful of ads, and really liked one person I talked to. It was 3,000 mies away; I did not go there. We decided we'd shoot for a trial period since we could not meet, but it would at least give me a place to land. And so I knew where to go once I arrived and all I had to do was grocery shop and decide how to decorate my room. It worked out great.
The no-lease thing is a no-brainer: if you aren't a good match, you'll both know it. And then you both just behave like grown-ups while you locate an alternative (I understood this in theory but never had to test it). I do realize how lucky I was over the years; we were fortunately all mutually respectful people.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 3:39 AM on May 23, 2013
If you're in Australia, forget craigslist. It's gumtree here for houseshares, or the real estate aggregation sites for private rentals (I've done both multiple times.)
Forget credit reports, we don't have an equivalent here. If you're going through real estate agents, you'll need photocopies of 100pts of ID, bank statements && payslips, and any references from previous rentals if you have any. Do not expect to move into a RE rental until at least 2-3 weeks after you inspected it, unless it's a dump and they're desperate to rent it NOW. Oh yeah, and avoid renting off anyone who doesn't have a formal lease/bond/etc under the vic residential tenancies bond board/etc, as it's quite tenant friendly.
You might be able to find a short term rental depending on whether your dates match up with the uni semester break (most people have exams ending mid-June) - and then go from there to find a more permanent rental.
posted by Ashlyth at 3:40 AM on May 23, 2013
Forget credit reports, we don't have an equivalent here. If you're going through real estate agents, you'll need photocopies of 100pts of ID, bank statements && payslips, and any references from previous rentals if you have any. Do not expect to move into a RE rental until at least 2-3 weeks after you inspected it, unless it's a dump and they're desperate to rent it NOW. Oh yeah, and avoid renting off anyone who doesn't have a formal lease/bond/etc under the vic residential tenancies bond board/etc, as it's quite tenant friendly.
You might be able to find a short term rental depending on whether your dates match up with the uni semester break (most people have exams ending mid-June) - and then go from there to find a more permanent rental.
posted by Ashlyth at 3:40 AM on May 23, 2013
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posted by MartinWisse at 2:01 AM on May 22, 2013