Relocating & getting an apartment... (Portland: transplants, apartments, rental)

[farside098]

[SIZE=2]I'd like to hear from anyone who has relocated to Portland without a job, and whether or not it was difficult to get an apartment. Here's our situation…
My husband and I will be relocating in June and leaving our jobs behind. We have a significant amt in savings as well as a cushion of up to 8mos. & my husband is on disability so we will have a mthly income from that. I am in the administrative/office field and have been an Exec Ass't for 10yrs with the same company & have a very stable job history, although I plan on taking about a mth off once we get in town before I begin looking for a job. Anyway….we plan on applying and securing a rental about 2 mos. prior to moving and I'm just wondering if it will be a problem since we will not have jobs out there…I mean, can I use my job here as my income when submitting an application, since technically I will still be here until the end of May? I'm assuming that most management companies are used to people relocating without jobs and some may just ask for an additional month or two security deposit…which would be no problem. Any thoughts from anyone who's been there, done that???? Thanks for your time!
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[GB1]

It can be difficult. Decent apartments - those that are well-maintained and managed - often, in my experience, prefer to rent to employed folks who are already here.

Your savings and job history are obvious pluses, but I would strongly recommend coming here in person for a week before you rent...management companies will be much more comfortable if they're able to meet you in person, and I'm sure you'll be much more happy in a place you've inspected personally. And you'll want to act fast if you find something good in your price range.

I found my place before it was listed on Craigslist or in the paper; the manager had just posted a small sign, and I was walking the neighborhood, thinking I'd want to live there. One look at the place, and I asked if I could fill out an application on the spot and give them the $25 for a credit check.

Many transplants have no trouble, but I have heard a few weird stories about finicky management companies. The first place I looked at told me they wanted copies of my last two years' federal tax returns (!); I got out of there immediately.

My friend S., who was moving in from out of state, was asked for a double deposit by her landlord. And M., who was relocating from the Midwest, was told over the phone that the building he admired online had nothing available and a waiting list. When he got to town, he went there anyway and asked for an application. He got a call the next day that a unit had magically opened up. He said he's still not sure if it was a racial thing (he's white), or if they just wanted to see if he was a "regular" person or ????.

In any case, I would suggest you or your husband take a few days and come to Portland to secure a place in person. Good luck.

[farside098]

thanks for the info. we have been there twice last year and our son just moved out there in june 07' so he will be a help as well, as he can do drive bys for us and pick something out too. We pretty much have an area in mind, so I guess we'll just try our luck from here and see what happens. Hopefully it will go as well as his relocation....he applied online and the next day was approved and moved the following week, both he and his fiance without jobs. A lot of the more well known management companies Princeton, APM, etc. have told me that as long as we can show at least 6x the rent in svgs then we should be ok. so we'll keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. thanks again!

[GB1]

Hey, the cover story of this morning's Portland Mercury was all about renting.

You have to keep in mind that the Mercury is the city's dedicated hipster paper, and they don't write anything that's not geared to hipper-than-thou 25-year-olds, and they do so with 200-proof snark. Still, it's worth reading:

GET A ROOM! When Hipster Immigrants Invade Portland, it Makes it Kinda Hard for Oregonians to Find a Room.

First of all: you gotta realize that the #1 preoccupation of Portland hipsters is to complain about other hipsters. Still, the anti-immigrant mindset is real; can you imagine papers in other cities writing stories like "When Hipster Immigrants Invade San Francisco, it Makes it Kinda Hard for Californians to Find a Room" or "When Hipster Immigrants Invade Manhattan, it Makes it Kinda Hard for New Yorkers to Find a Room"?

[farside098]

I think you're talking about renting a room. My husband and I will be renting in an apt complex using a management company. Thus far we have not come across anyone asking such questions, or interviewing us. Just the basic one or two page rental application. I know if you search under renting rooms or sharing there can be a lot of that kind of stuff there, but in apts I have not come across that. Thus far, I have had emails or phone calls back from every management company I have called and we have pretty much narrowed it down now to a few who have already sent us an application and added us to their wait list so we can be pre approved ahead of time. Interesting article though...thanks!

[parasol]

Many good luck wishes on your move! I'm located in the same area you currently are and I couldn't be more miserable. I visited Portland for a week in August and absolutely loved the area and felt at home and really comfortable - which isn't something I'm used to feeling in a brand new place! Did your son move out there for a job or was he just fond of the place like I am?

[farside098]

Hi Malone! Thanks for the info. The 6mos of savings is not a problem nor is paying it up front, so we are good in that area. We are also pretty familiar with Portland, as our son lives there (in Irvington) and we've been there on numerous occasions & have done quite a bit of research …. 2 yrs worth actually! Yes, I'm familiar with the job market & how it's not the greatest, but from what I've been seeing, all the jobs in my field have been equal to or more than what I'm making now….go figure! I do plan on taking about a month or so off though once we get settled, as we want to do some traveling and enjoy the area before I start the job search! I'm pretty confident that I'll find something though. All in all when we ran the #'s our move to Portland will be saving us at least $500/mth when we factor in the fact that our car insurance will be a lot lower (we already got a quote from our company, tolls (which are ridiculous here), and the main thing RENT…which is extremely high here…at least ours is! Plus we will be selling one of our cars before we leave, as we won't need to have two there…as compared to here in Fla. where you can't live without a car! Hopefully we will be as luck as our son was when he move there….He and his fiance both made the move without jobs 7 mos ago and were both working within 2 weeks & are at jobs that they love! They managed to secure a place while still living here in Fla…saw an ad on Craig's, mailed out the application along with the $$ and were notified within 48 hrs that it was theirs! And to boot…it's a cool vintage duplex in a great area of Irvington for only $575!!! Hopefully, our move will go as smooth! Thanks for the reply!

[farside098]

Originally Posted by parasol

Many good luck wishes on your move! I'm located in the same area you currently are and I couldn't be more miserable. I visited Portland for a week in August and absolutely loved the area and felt at home and really comfortable - which isn't something I'm used to feeling in a brand new place! Did your son move out there for a job or was he just fond of the place like I am?

Hi Parasol, No, my son didn't have a job...he went there with his fiance on a vacation in April, & they immediately fell in love with the area, the people the culture, everything and ended up moving there 2 mos later! What part of Tampa are you in? I'm in Lutz. I absolutely HATE it here and can't wait...I'm counting the days now! Are you going to make the move???

[Wish26]

I haven't moved to Portland yet because I've just started the job search. I've been told by more than one local that I should try to have a job lined up before I get to Portland. In the current U.S. job market, I can't afford to leave a job that offers retirement matching, health insurance, and paid sick and vacation days until I have another job offer in hand.