Renting vs Buying Furniture for Apartment Short Term (7 Months) (Melbourne: leasing, mattress)

[MarlowHeights]

We are moving back to Melbourne the end of this month, and are signing a seven-month lease for a two bedroom apartment in Suntree. Our household goods will remain in storage until our house from here in Maryland sells and we can buy a house in Melbourne. During the time (seven months) that we'll be leasing the apartment, we'll need furniture, so our options are to rent what we need from places that offer that service, such as Cort, Rent A Center, etc. To rent one to two bedroom sets, living room set, dining room set, and a desk and chair, Cort quoted as $550 a month. For the seven months we'll be renting the apartment, that will come to $3,850. I also put together some mock up orders of furniture to buy, from places like Rooms To Go, Atlantic Wholesale Furniture & Mattress, and Furniture Now. The cost of buying furniture is not that much more than renting, depending upon the store you choice, and how high end you want to go. An additional cost to buying would be that of having it moved to the new house.

Renting furniture was my first inclination, but the more I've read of places that rent furniture, the more I hear of inflated prices and questionable business practices. If I could find a place that rented out basic, not fancy, furniture for seven months that was not too expensive, I would. On the other hand, if I would spend about the same amount for buying furniture, I'm leaning towards that. Any thoughts? Thank you for your constructive comments.

[Nypafl4u]

I think it helps to know if the furniture you have in storage Maryland will definetly be used down in Florida. In my talks with realtors as well as my observations, styles down south tend to be different than further north. Just keep that in mind. I am not a fan of what I call boxed furniture that most of these stores sell, unless it was temporary. That stuff to buy never lasts that long or shows signs of wear quicker as it is not designed to last. So, my feeling, if you definetly planned to move the furniture, then buy or rent the cheapest, most basic and only the most necessary pieces to survive on. For instance, a good inflatable queen mattress is about $100. It can work for 7 months. Then can be used for guests later on. A few folding chairs, a cheap table from Walmart and maybe a an inexpensive love seat and you could do it all for under $1000. Try to get items you can reuse later (foldable and inflatable) that won't take much space when done.

[clnewman]

We faced the same dilemma when contemplating our move to FL. We ended up renting a vacation home for 7 months. Fully furnished (literally, including linens and silverware), all for $1,400/month. Granted, it was in Kissimmee, but it was a nice 2,000 sq. ft. pool home.

If you've not yet signed the lease, look at VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner), and see if there are any long term (181+ days, to avoid the tax) rentals out there. Some owners are willing to forego the short term turnover/additional rent for a more stable tenant.

[MarlowHeights]

Originally Posted by Nypafl4u

I think it helps to know if the furniture you have in storage Maryland will definetly be used down in Florida. In my talks with realtors as well as my observations, styles down south tend to be different than further north. Just keep that in mind. I am not a fan of what I call boxed furniture that most of these stores sell, unless it was temporary. That stuff to buy never lasts that long or shows signs of wear quicker as it is not designed to last. So, my feeling, if you definetly planned to move the furniture, then buy or rent the cheapest, most basic and only the most necessary pieces to survive on. For instance, a good inflatable queen mattress is about $100. It can work for 7 months. Then can be used for guests later on. A few folding chairs, a cheap table from Walmart and maybe a an inexpensive love seat and you could do it all for under $1000. Try to get items you can reuse later (foldable and inflatable) that won't take much space when done.

Our furniture we've had for years, including a bedroom, living room, and dining sets that we had when we lived in Melbourne back in 2004. But that will be in storage for months, and we'll be living in a two bed, two bath apartment (approximately 1,200 square feet). Good suggestions about going the cheap route. The only thing about the inflatable bed is that it has to be something that will be comfortable, and not something that will give us sore necks and/or backs. "Slumming it", is okay for a few days, but seven months is a different story. For the rest, I think we can make little trips here and there to Walmart and other places in Melbourne to furnish the apartment. Thanks for the tips!

[MarlowHeights]

Originally Posted by clnewman

We faced the same dilemma when contemplating our move to FL. We ended up renting a vacation home for 7 months. Fully furnished (literally, including linens and silverware), all for $1,400/month. Granted, it was in Kissimmee, but it was a nice 2,000 sq. ft. pool home.

If you've not yet signed the lease, look at VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner), and see if there are any long term (181+ days, to avoid the tax) rentals out there. Some owners are willing to forego the short term turnover/additional rent for a more stable tenant.

Thanks for the suggestion about the VRBO site. One restriction we have, which is non-negotiable, is that the place we live has to be in the best school district. Since that involves a child going to 6th grade, it has to be within the boundaries of great elementary schools, such as Suntree. Other than that, I also noticed the VRBO lists properties as cost per night, not monthly like you stated.

[Nypafl4u]

Originally Posted by MarlowHeights

Our furniture we've had for years, including a bedroom, living room, and dining sets that we had when we lived in Melbourne back in 2004. But that will be in storage for months, and we'll be living in a two bed, two bath apartment (approximately 1,200 square feet). Good suggestions about going the cheap route. The only thing about the inflatable bed is that it has to be something that will be comfortable, and not something that will give us sore necks and/or backs. "Slumming it", is okay for a few days, but seven months is a different story. For the rest, I think we can make little trips here and there to Walmart and other places in Melbourne to furnish the apartment. Thanks for the tips!

Colman makes a double thick mattress (I believe it has a built in pump) that allows you to fill it as needed to keep it firm. Add a foam or memory foam topper and you should be fine. We slept on one for nearly a year before we could get the custom set we wanted to hold us over.

[MarlowHeights]

Originally Posted by Nypafl4u

Colman makes a double thick mattress (I believe it has a built in pump) that allows you to fill it as needed to keep it firm. Add a foam or memory foam topper and you should be fine. We slept on one for nearly a year before we could get the custom set we wanted to hold us over.

Thanks for the suggestions. I've already located a highly rated queen-sized mattress on Amazon, that has a built in pump, as well as very inexpensive furniture for other places in the apartment.

[Nypafl4u]

Good luck with the move. Let us know when you get settled what you encountered both good or bad. A lot of U.S. plan to make this move at one point or another.

[clnewman]

Originally Posted by MarlowHeights

Thanks for the suggestion about the VRBO site. One restriction we have, which is non-negotiable, is that the place we live has to be in the best school district. Since that involves a child going to 6th grade, it has to be within the boundaries of great elementary schools, such as Suntree. Other than that, I also noticed the VRBO lists properties as cost per night, not monthly like you stated.

Most do quote $$/night or $$/week. Key is to find a property in the area you want, and reach out directly to the owner/manager. All the contact information is there. As a former landlord, I would much rather have a stable, long(er) term tenant for slightly less $$, than a series of short term tenants.

Schools: I could be wrong, but I've heard that Satellite Beach has great schools.

Good luck in your search.

[MarlowHeights]

Originally Posted by Nypafl4u

Good luck with the move. Let us know when you get settled what you encountered both good or bad. A lot of U.S. plan to make this move at one point or another.

Will do. I just set a reminder for mid-August, to collect my thoughts and post here about my initial move-in experiences.