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We will be moving across the country soon and cannot afford the time off and travel expense to fly out there to find/secure an apartment or house beforehand. I don't care if I wind up in the worst part of town for 6 months to a year, that's the least of my worries. Has anyone ever rented an apartment sight unseen? Is that possible? How did you find the place and what was your experience? Thanks so much in advance!
How do you rent an apartment in your new town sight unseen?
Put very simply... you don't.
Quote:
How did you find the place and what was your experience?
Mostly that depends on how much crap you'll insist on bringing with you when you travel cross country.
The less crap you bring = the more options you'll have.
The best option is probably to live in one of those furnished extended stay motels
for the 2-4 weeks it takes to find a suitable and affordable new home
without rushing or making too many wrong moves that are bound to cost you a whole lot more.
quote: "The best option is probably to live in one of those furnished extended stay motels for the 2-4 weeks it takes to find a suitable and affordable new home"
Strongly second this opinion. You might only have to stay a week but it will have been worth it.
Sometimes a realtor will help you with this if you plan to buy at some future point. Also, try corporate housing--if you need a furnished, decent place. Might be higher than an unfurnished place though.
We have moved to 3 different apartments sight unseen I can give you some advice since it sounds like you are going to do it and not stay in the extended stay hotel. First are there kids involved? If yes, check the web for the best school district this way you do not have to move mid season of school year. Usually this is also best if you do not have school aged kids you can tell the community based on the school rating which you can find online for the area. Next look up the area you are renting in/targeting find the amenities you want for apartment......work out room, free cable, utilities included, appliances, etc. Check to see if it is close to your work and check to see if there are any complaints listed on the internet. If you are moving for work check also with maybe someone in your HR. Last but not least call the office of the apartment complexes and ask questions about the units.....when was the last time renovated? when was it built? is it close to an airport, train tracks, fire station, not knowing your pet peeves or how you sleep all of these are considerations, onsite security and maintenance available 24 hrs aday, look at police stats for the area which should be available online. I hope this helps. You may also want to know about pets if you have them and ask about their rental policy......1 month rent, 6 month, 12 month and how much deposit and if you get it back and is there a term clause and how much that would cost if you terminated you lease prior to the time you set.
I would ask a real estate agent to help me...most will, I did that and two years later when I wanted to buy, I remembered her and she was my agent when I bought my home...greatschools.com is a great place to start and you can also use greatcities.com to compare costs.
I would never just go rent sight unseen, you asking for serious issues and it will cost alot to get out of...I would use the extended stays as others have mentioned...
The last thing you want is to end up in a bad area...and from my experience, it can lookvery nice and be a cesspool of vagrants. Good luck...try to see it as an adventure maybe?
We did this one time and never will again. Horrible, horrible mistake. The house looked great in the pictures and was in a very, very nice area...
However, later we found out that a group of firemen had lived there for many years (one would move out, get married what ever and a new roommate would move in) the house had 3bd/3full baths. Anyway - because they also lived at the firehouse, it was mostly a crash pad for them. As a result - they didn't care that lots of things didn't work. Things we would be enjoying judging from the pictures/descriptions of the place. ie - the fireplaces (both broken), the nice jet spa tub, the OVEN and the BURNERS on the stove (LL pointed out he put in new microwave). The thermostat didn't work. Termites finally ate thru the wall and were flying around.
And last straw was when the house developed a slab leak and our water and gas bills went thru the roof..... we figured it out when the cats started spending all day on the first floor , just laying in the middle of the room of the extra (unused) bedroom. I happened to walk over to them in stocking feet and the floor was hot. Owner didn't want to pay to fix that either, thought we shuld just pay the higher bills...
We will be moving across the country soon and cannot afford the time off and travel expense to fly out there to find/secure an apartment or house beforehand. I don't care if I wind up in the worst part of town for 6 months to a year, that's the least of my worries. Has anyone ever rented an apartment sight unseen? Is that possible? How did you find the place and what was your experience? Thanks so much in advance!
Here's one tip about apartment hunting. If the picture of the place is the sign with the apartment complex name, cross it off your list. The sign area in apartment complexes is usually the most landscaped area. If they aren't showing you what the outside and the inside of the apartments look like, don't even consider it.
Subscribe to the local newspaper before your move and/or read it online. Know the street names around the complex you are considering and see if they show up in local crime stories.
Mostly that depends on how much crap you'll insist on bringing with you when you travel cross country.
The less crap you bring = the more options you'll have.
The best option is probably to live in one of those furnished extended stay motels
for the 2-4 weeks it takes to find a suitable and affordable new home
without rushing or making too many wrong moves that are bound to cost you a whole lot more.
hth
I hadn't even thought about that. Thanks for the tip! I will look more into that. We arent bringing anything big with us. We are putting our stuff that we want to keep into a storage unit and have my in laws load it into the UPACK when we are ready to have it sent down. Hopefully they allow my little dog and cat with, otherwise we will be camping! haha!
I have done both, and found actually, people on CD are very helpful, in scouting an area...write in the area that you are moving too, and the place you are thinking about renting, most will give you some pretty good information.
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