Life in NC - Questions of an Immigrant (Raleigh, Cary: real estate, apartment)

[NameNobodyTook]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post in these forums, so my apologies if this is not the right place to ask this question.

Me and my wife currently live in Sweden and are planning to move to Cary in a couple of weeks and start a new life as permanent U.S. residents. So not only am I not closely familiar with Cary, but I'm also not well-acquainted with tidbits of American life in general.

Take house rentals for instance. Here in Sweden, immigrants can rent a house even before they have registered for their permanent SSN as everyone who has arrived at the country as a resident, be it temporary or permanent, is automatically assigned a temporary SSN, using which they can get on with their lives. Besides, registering for a permanent SSN only takes an hour at most so no worries there. Now I've read that as an immigrant, one needs three things in order to be able to rent a house in the states: a green card, SSN and credit. Is that true? You see, the problem is that it takes some time for our green cards and SSNs to arrive at our place of residence and to be honest I don't exactly understand what credit is. I mean here in Sweden, you can rent a house if you can afford one and that's about it. Not to mention that the government pays for you even if you can't afford one but that's another story. So I'd be grateful if anyone could explain how this whole thing works in the U.S.? I'm specifically wondering what exactly it takes to rent a house in Cary and how one should go about renting one?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Francois]

Your question is really not about NC; it is about applying for documentation as a permanent resident? You might try the more general City-Data forums that are not state-specific. There is one on Immigration.

[didee]

've read that as an immigrant, one needs three things in order to be able to rent a house in the states: a green card, SSN and credit. Is that true?

You do not need a green card to rent a house. But you need work authorization of some sort to be able to work in the USA. Have you gone though the green card process? Do you have an employer sponsoring you?

[Green Irish Eyes]

Originally Posted by Francois

Your question is really not about NC; it is about applying for documentation as a permanent resident? You might try the more general City-Data forums that are not state-specific. There is one on Immigration.

Thanks, Francois. The OP has posted his question in the Legal Immigration forum, but if anyone has Triangle-specific suggestions, you're welcome to add them here.

[Claire_F]

I don't know the answers to your questions, but I did want to pass along some information. Raleigh has a local chapter of the Vasa Order of America, which was initially established for Swedish immigrants, but is now focused on preserving and celebrating Scandinavian heritage. It is the Carl Larsson Lodge; my mother has been active there for several years now, and loves it.

[annesg]

I would mention that perhaps there is a Swedish or other immigrant support group or network in our area that could provide some help to the OP? I don't know a thing about it--but when I read "you can rent a house if you can afford it" my first thought is to explain that in the US, "credit" is your way of proving that you can afford it. I just wonder if perhaps you could use your work contract/salary information to substitute for that.

Also, there are realtors who have special coursework in international real estate who might be able to offer you help in finding a rental home. I'm sure the realtors on this board can explain this better than I can. If you DM me I am sure I could forward you a realtor's name or two you could talk to who might be able to help.

But anyway, welcome! We love it here!

[e6jakobh]

Hi NameNobodyTook,
Sounds like fun moving to Cary. I think it would have been easier to answer your questions if you would have started laying some basic facts. I assume you have a work and valid visa moving here? When I moved here from Sweden I applied for the SSN as fast as I could and after that driver license. When you have the SSN and the driver license thing will be easier.
The concept of credit is a bit different between the two countries. Basically in US your credit history is important and in Sweden last year income, employment and ‘betalningsanmärkingar’ is the thing. I would recommend that you get a US credit card as fast as possible to start building your credit history. Usually to rent an apartment/house you need some sort of validation from where you work and perhaps a deposit.

Some landlords will refuse to rent an apartment/house to you since you have no credit. But in most cases you will be fine presenting proof of employment and some other papers. If you are moving with a company they will usually be able to help you with some guidance.

[NameNobodyTook]

Thank you very much to anyone who took the time to answer to this topic.

Francois, thanks for the link. I also posted my question in the Legal Immigration forum.

Claire_F, thank you but I'm not a Swede. More to come on that.

annesg, I sent you a DM.

e6jakobh, My wife was selected in the Diversity Immigrant Visa program and that's how we became permanent residents of the U.S. As for me, I'm a computer programmer currently doing my masters in Sweden. I think I gave you and Claire_F the wrong impression when I mentioned that I currently live in Sweden, but no I'm not a Swede. I've just lived here long enough to know how things work here. As for employment, I have not yet secured a job in the U.S, so there's really no proof of employment to present but I have enough savings to be able to pay the rent in advance.

So, given my situation, what's the best way to go about renting a house in Cary? I'm really not much of a hotel guy. I'd much rather be able to rent a house online and move there when I enter the states. Is that possible?

[annesg]

I sent you a DM back. And you might be able to rent a privately owned home with proof of funds and a good deposit (say, a few months' rent in advance).