Moving to Orlando with no job? (Jacksonville, Miami: apartments, rent, student loans)

[WellShoneMoon]

Originally Posted by brinkofsunshine

Where is this $945/month apartment? Unless you’re looking at privately owned condos, a decent apartment complex will start at $1400/month for 2-bedrooms. I would be very careful to not end up in a dangerous area.

I agree. If you've found a 2-bedroom apartment for $945 a month, find out the reason why it's so cheap. There will be a reason.

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by WellShoneMoon

I agree. If you've found a 2-bedroom apartment for $945 a month, find out the reason why it's so cheap. There will be a reason.

There's a lot of student housing in Orlando for cheap. But if you look further at the listings you discover you get a bedroom with a lock on the door and a private bathroom. The rest of the building is shared with everyone else living in it including kitchen, living area, dining area, laundry, etc. They're basically dorms, or repurposed hotels.

[cfenn006]

Unless its student housing, I cannot imagine there are any $945 2 Bedroom apartments in a safe area. I havent seen any 2 BRs under $1k in almost 10 years.

[Kid Ashbury]

1,500 people per week are moving to central Florida, which means tight competition for housing and jobs. Further, jobs generally pay less in Orlando than almost all of the other top 49 metros in the U.S.

May I ask: why not look for a job before moving here and why are you so set on Orlando in particular?

If you have a reason to be in Orlando specifically, its a pretty cool place. However you should try to get work lined up before you come.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Kid Ashbury

1,500 people per week are moving to central Florida, which means tight competition for housing and jobs. Further, jobs generally pay less in Orlando than almost all of the other top 49 metros in the U.S.

May I ask: why not look for a job before moving here and why are you so set on Orlando in particular?

If you have a reason to be in Orlando specifically, its a pretty cool place. However you should try to get work lined up before you come.

I agree, kind of random and perhaps indicative of lack of research versus unrealistic expectations. OP, did you look at places like Tampa, St Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach?

[Joshuaeric724]

Originally Posted by Kid Ashbury

1,500 people per week are moving to central Florida, which means tight competition for housing and jobs. Further, jobs generally pay less in Orlando than almost all of the other top 49 metros in the U.S.

May I ask: why not look for a job before moving here and why are you so set on Orlando in particular?

If you have a reason to be in Orlando specifically, its a pretty cool place. However you should try to get work lined up before you come.

We do plan to look for jobs prior to moving. I was only asking around to see if anyone had ever paid for a lease upfront so we wouldn't have to worry about securing an apartment in the event that we don't, for whatever reason, have anything lined up.

As for everyone asking about the $945/mo rent, that was just the lowest I found looking on apartments.com that I used as an example for the difference in apartment pricing between Indiana and Orlando, we want to stay far away from those places lol. A decent 2 bed in Indiana is about $780/mo.

The reason for moving to Orlando is because both our families live in Florida. Some in St. Augustine, Naples, Ft. Myers, Tampa & Miami.

Thanks for the advice everyone, we have spoken to a few complexes, have trips planned in April & May, and one of our parents will rent the apartment themselves if we somehow do not have jobs lined up and cannot pay a lease upfront.

[Roger Lessman]

Definitely secure employment before you move. A lot of people see their Florida dreams soured by making a move without a job lined up.

[cfenn006]

Originally Posted by Joshuaeric724

We do plan to look for jobs prior to moving. I was only asking around to see if anyone had ever paid for a lease upfront so we wouldn't have to worry about securing an apartment in the event that we don't, for whatever reason, have anything lined up.

As for everyone asking about the $945/mo rent, that was just the lowest I found looking on apartments.com that I used as an example for the difference in apartment pricing between Indiana and Orlando, we want to stay far away from those places lol. A decent 2 bed in Indiana is about $780/mo.

The reason for moving to Orlando is because both our families live in Florida. Some in St. Augustine, Naples, Ft. Myers, Tampa & Miami.

Thanks for the advice everyone, we have spoken to a few complexes, have trips planned in April & May, and one of our parents will rent the apartment themselves if we somehow do not have jobs lined up and cannot pay a lease upfront.

Honestly you have to take these online rental postings with a grain of salt. I lost count how many times I came across the kind of deals you are mentioning to only hear:
"That unit is rented out, but we have a the lake/pool/playground ect view apartment for a little more " ... and it's almost always 500 to 600 more.



It took me weeks of hunting to find my deal, and it ultimately came from a fellow student who was moving out. Your best deals are going to almost always be a private landlord, and it can work out really well. Emphasis on the word CAN, its always hit n miss going private honestly. Going corporate, you are always going to be over a barrel. The more you network, the better off you'll be. Lots of HRs get housing/lease deals to pass on to their employees, it's been mentioned to me a few times during the hiring process.

[Grace512]

I'm impressed you guys have saved so much. Listen, 40 years ago my parents moved to Florida with no job, no savings and a little money to put down on a house. They managed to get jobs after moving here and had no regrets. I am sure you can find a place to rent. You are professionals and obviously smart. Good luck.

[WellShoneMoon]

Originally Posted by Grace512

I'm impressed you guys have saved so much. Listen, 40 years ago my parents moved to Florida with no job, no savings and a little money to put down on a house. They managed to get jobs after moving here and had no regrets. I am sure you can find a place to rent. You are professionals and obviously smart. Good luck.

A lot has changed in the last 40 years.