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Old 01-26-2010, 03:29 PM
 
Location: MA, USA
11 posts, read 29,655 times
Reputation: 12

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Hi all
I currently live in London but have received my work visa to work in Germantown (century boulevard). Will be moving end of Feb. But I have NO idea on places to live (I am singel girl so safe place is very important), costs (like utilities), cities to consider, where to stay before I find a place. I have looked at craigslist but difficult to do anything since I have to be there in person. And also get my SSN, MD licence (have national licence), buy a car etc.
So I am grateful for any information and advice you can give me.
thanks everyone
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Old 01-26-2010, 04:12 PM
 
239 posts, read 723,395 times
Reputation: 79
Quote:
Originally Posted by tintina View Post
Hi all
I currently live in London but have received my work visa to work in Germantown (century boulevard). Will be moving end of Feb. But I have NO idea on places to live (I am singel girl so safe place is very important), costs (like utilities), cities to consider, where to stay before I find a place. I have looked at craigslist but difficult to do anything since I have to be there in person. And also get my SSN, MD licence (have national licence), buy a car etc.
So I am grateful for any information and advice you can give me.
thanks everyone
Contact the company who sponsored you and ask for relocation help/advice. Human Resources should be able to help you. We relocated from Cambridge and our sponsoring company hired a relocation agency to help us through the process. Even if they are not willing to pay for such a service they should at least book you up in short term temporary accomodation and provide you with some local contacts.

We lived in Germantown for 10 years and relocated to the West coast this last summer and had a very positive experience there. There are newly built condos and apartments around Century Boulevard itself, it's around the newly developed Germantown Center but I can't help you with pricing etc. Good luck.
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Old 01-26-2010, 05:47 PM
 
67 posts, read 205,990 times
Reputation: 30
Get an international drivers license before you come. It will be good until you are able to get a Maryland license. I would concur with the OP and recommend getting something temporary while you look for decent accomodations.
Here are a couple of sites that might be of interest:

Pinnacle at Town Center (Germantown,MD)

Germantown Apartments for Rent - Germantown, MD on ApartmentGuide.com

Germantown Apartments for Rent - Germantown Apartments Reviews and Ratings


Overall, that area (Montgomery County) is pretty good. There are some bad areas, but you should be able to spot those right off. It is in the DC suburbs, so that means pretty expensive, but coming from London actually might mean cheaper for you.
Total utils on an appartment vary with the rental contract. Some appartments/flats include some utilities. If not, I would budget about $500 total for all utilities for an appartment, sometimes more, sometimes less depending on quality of construction (insulation) etc.

At the bottom of this page (wikipedia) there is a list of communities in Montgomery County.

Montgomery County, Maryland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


As for the SSN, with your work visa, you should be able to get a TIN (Tax ID Number) from the Soc Sec Admin which functions as an SSN for non-permenant residents.

good luck.
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Old 01-27-2010, 12:36 PM
 
Location: MA, USA
11 posts, read 29,655 times
Reputation: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by soymabelen View Post
Contact the company who sponsored you and ask for relocation help/advice. Human Resources should be able to help you. We relocated from Cambridge and our sponsoring company hired a relocation agency to help us through the process. Even if they are not willing to pay for such a service they should at least book you up in short term temporary accomodation and provide you with some local contacts.

We lived in Germantown for 10 years and relocated to the West coast this last summer and had a very positive experience there. There are newly built condos and apartments around Century Boulevard itself, it's around the newly developed Germantown Center but I can't help you with pricing etc. Good luck.
Thank you so much! They have put me in contact with another employee who also moved to MD a couple of months ago but she is travelling and can't help me much.

Do you know if there are any letting agencies with furnished apartments? I have checked on apartments on craigslist however, its the first week I need to stay at a place until i get a apartment.

Did you find it difficult to get an apartment since one doesn't have credit history etc? also, how is the town in itself? I am not sure if I should perhaps check Rockville, SS etc or stay in Germantown.
thanks
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Old 01-27-2010, 12:39 PM
 
Location: MA, USA
11 posts, read 29,655 times
Reputation: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by jland View Post
Get an international drivers license before you come. It will be good until you are able to get a Maryland license. I would concur with the OP and recommend getting something temporary while you look for decent accomodations.
Here are a couple of sites that might be of interest:

Pinnacle at Town Center (Germantown,MD)

Germantown Apartments for Rent - Germantown, MD on ApartmentGuide.com

Germantown Apartments for Rent - Germantown Apartments Reviews and Ratings


Overall, that area (Montgomery County) is pretty good. There are some bad areas, but you should be able to spot those right off. It is in the DC suburbs, so that means pretty expensive, but coming from London actually might mean cheaper for you.
Total utils on an appartment vary with the rental contract. Some appartments/flats include some utilities. If not, I would budget about $500 total for all utilities for an appartment, sometimes more, sometimes less depending on quality of construction (insulation) etc.

At the bottom of this page (wikipedia) there is a list of communities in Montgomery County.

Montgomery County, Maryland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


As for the SSN, with your work visa, you should be able to get a TIN (Tax ID Number) from the Soc Sec Admin which functions as an SSN for non-permenant residents.

good luck.
Grateful for the info! Appreciate it! I have my international licence already, but coming from UK, it is so easy to find furnished apartments but seems impossible in US. And my problem is the first week or so until i find somewhere permanent.
grateful for any advice.
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Old 01-27-2010, 12:45 PM
 
Location: Fuquay Varina
6,446 posts, read 9,803,501 times
Reputation: 18349
Try www.rent.com and you might be able to find more listings than craigslist.
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Old 01-27-2010, 02:24 PM
 
239 posts, read 723,395 times
Reputation: 79
Quote:
Originally Posted by tintina View Post
Thank you so much! They have put me in contact with another employee who also moved to MD a couple of months ago but she is travelling and can't help me much.

Do you know if there are any letting agencies with furnished apartments? I have checked on apartments on craigslist however, its the first week I need to stay at a place until i get a apartment.

Did you find it difficult to get an apartment since one doesn't have credit history etc? also, how is the town in itself? I am not sure if I should perhaps check Rockville, SS etc or stay in Germantown.
thanks
My husband's company booked us in a long stay hotel in Gaithersburg (near their office) for the first month. We decided to buy rather than to rent so I am afraid I can't help you out with letting agencies; we ended staying in the hotel for two months and then moved straight into our own place. The company you work for should be able to provide all the documents the rental agency requires.

We didn't need an International drivers licence. You will have to get a Maryland licence anyway whether you take your international or just your UK licence. This means you have to take both the practical (in a parking lot, really easy) and the theory tests plus the vision test and the drugs and alcohol education class.

We really liked Germantown because it had everything we needed and wanted as a family with young kids. I am not sure I would have liked it that much had I been single. For singles, maybe Rockville or Bethesda have more to offer but they are pricier and farther away.

Again, I would ask the company to book you into a hotel for the first week; there are some in the area, I just can't remember which ones. I am surprised they are not doing any of this for you. An international relocation is pretty major and a little support goes a long way to keep the employee happy and productive.
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Old 01-27-2010, 02:29 PM
 
239 posts, read 723,395 times
Reputation: 79
Quote:
Originally Posted by jland View Post
As for the SSN, with your work visa, you should be able to get a TIN (Tax ID Number) from the Soc Sec Admin which functions as an SSN for non-permenant residents.
An ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) is for legal alliens that have no work permit (dependent minors and spouses, for example). A legal allien with a work permit like the OP is entitled to a SSN.
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Old 01-27-2010, 03:45 PM
 
Location: DC/Brooklyn, NY/Miami, FL
1,178 posts, read 2,955,124 times
Reputation: 391
Here goes another website for apartment finding.

Apartments Arlington, Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania - ApartmentShowcase.com

^just select Germantown for the city, Montgomery for the county, and Maryland for the state.

and if you wanna know what other people have to say about a potential apartment or just curious about a certain area go here:

Apartment Ratings :: The leading source of apartment reviews by renters for renters.
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Old 01-27-2010, 04:23 PM
 
67 posts, read 205,990 times
Reputation: 30
You might try something like The Residence Inn of Marriot. They have furnished appartment/flat-like suites that target business travelers, and have arrangements by the week/month etc. This might be what you are looking for. Don't know specific locations in the Germantown area, but I am 100% sure that there is one (or something similar from competitors) in the area.
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