Disgusted with Austin (Houston, Round Rock, Pflugerville: rent, good credit, hotels)

[RooCeleste]

I don't have any suggestions for you, but as a former longtime therapist in the male maximum security units of Texas prison system, I applaud the progress you've made. You are a good example of why we do what we do. Keep up the good work and good luck with the home search. Don't give up!

[Mrs.JT]

I have a friend with poor credit, and she found a duplex to rent in Round Rock. I can't remember the name of subdivision right now. It seems that units become available for rent fairly often. I will post back when I remember the name of the subdivision.

Good luck!

[tfresca]

This is all meant to be positive but based on your posts there are somethings you need to do:
!)Change your attitude. If you are making 70k as felon you need to thank your lucky stars. You are way better off than most non-felons.
2) If you aren't getting the answers you want perhaps you are asking the wrong questions. You keep saying you don't know the city. Well drive here on a Saturday and Sunday with a map or a cell phone with GPS and learn your way around. Get to know areas/neighborhoods. Get on the internet and use google earth. Really no excuse for not knowing your way around in this day and age.
3) Change your expectations. If you are only looking in small radius for apartments then you aren't going to get great results. Unless you have a mountain of debt you may have to negotiate with an apartment you want. Say offer double the deposit. Offer a bribe to the leasing manager (Not actually illegal to my knowledge). Submit a letter of recommendation with your application. Pflugerville, Round Rock, Manor, Buda, would all be an easier commute for your likely than what you have now. You don't know the area, get a map and a tank of gas. You can also rent a room. If you are making $70k cash is your friends. You fail the background check but offer say a $500 application fee for the rental nobody cares.
3) Improve your credit. Join a credit union and get a secured credit card and use it and pay it off ASAP for 6 months. They should start offering you real cards at that point.

[Moondance1960]

Originally Posted by die Eichkatze

Go buy a couch or table from a furniture store, they will give you some type of credit line. Make the monthly payments and boost your score that way.

Anyone from work live out 71 or 183? Maybe they would be willing to let you ride along with them from a certain point. Even if it is 10 or 20 miles, that would still help you out.

Unfortunately, the house that I rent in between Llano and Brady is full of furniture .. there is no room for any extra things.

I have no co-workers, it is just me and my boss.

[Shredding_Gnar78]

when i went to rent my apartment, they ran a background check that included every minor traffic stop i've ever had.

welcome to the information age, where privacy is one of the least known treasures a person can have. evil people collect private and public information and sell it on the cheap. you can't even get a drunk in public anymore without having you picture blasted on the internet by extortion companies like mugshots.com. and even if you give in to these creeps and pay them a removal fee, you simply validate the data so they can sell it to someone else.

my background check said:

FELONY (large bold font)
reduced to misdemeanor (small unbold font)

and so the dumb redneck lady said "oh you've been convicted of a felony, we can't rent to you". I had to correct her ignorance.

[love roses]

Originally Posted by Moondance1960

Unfortunately, the house that I rent in between Llano and Brady is full of furniture .. there is no room for any extra things.

I have no co-workers, it is just me and my boss.

Get a store credit card, like JC Penney or old navy or macy's, etc....

[sheaday]

Originally Posted by Moondance1960

Unfortunately, the house that I rent in between Llano and Brady is full of furniture .. there is no room for any extra things.

I have no co-workers, it is just me and my boss.

If its just you and your boss, why cant you just work from home a few days a week? What industry are you in?

[kiacook]

Unfortunately, the house that I rent in between Llano and Brady is full of furniture .. there is no room for any extra things.

You're a real problem solver aren't you? Sell some of your furniture! Oh it's antiques handed down from family members? Wouldn't they want you to do whatever it took to take care of your family? Oh it's junk no one would want? Then give it away and make room.

It sounds to me like you really aren't look for solutions. You're just mad at the situation you're in and want to vent about it.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

70k a year? Seriously, sell the furniture, renta room at the Y. And maybe I missed it but you have to leave the place you're in now? Many people with or without a charge on their record would swap places with you and wouldn't complain. I can't tell you what to do but if it were me and I was making 70k a year I'd find a place and I'd stop bitchin about it. With 70K a year there is no excuse.

Maybe the OP is just a college student doing a study on how people "react", "respond" to people with a charge.

[rjkaufman]

No offense lady, but you are just full of excuses. Quit whining, you have a solid job despite your past. Be grateful for that. You said you were about to give up on finding a job when this came through for you. So why give up so quickly on finding a house or apartment? It doesn't sound like you've made that big of an effort, you've looked at a narrow range of places and instead are using your time and effort to think up excuses rather than figure out ways to overcome your situation. People are offering very legitimate suggestions so think about them and figure out a way. It might take longer and be more difficult than it would for others but someone out there will rent to you. Like others said, be willing to double down on the deposit or find other ways to get people to overlook your past. You got into the house you're in now, so obviously at least one person out there is willing to overlook your past. And if that person is, surely someone in Austin will as well.