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Yep, I know I'm overthinking it, but unless I were to, I dunno, pop some pills to get the crap off my mind, I'm not sure what else I can do about it LOL. I am a Virgo, after all, which says it all according to some.
I've definitely considered the extended stay option. That said, the bill will add up, and FAST, though I know you've already acknowledged this. After looking through Dex online for "hotels" and "motels" and "extended stay" in Saint Louis and calling literally every number, the cheapest rate I could find was $35 a night--and that was only if I stayed a month. That's, umm, a good 2.5 months rent for me (or about exactly how much I make each month, financial aid and all, as a student). Ouch. All of my stuff fits into two suitcases and there is a hostel there for $25/night (this is where I'll be staying when I'm not couch surfing when I visit in OCT), but they'll be closing until March beginning a week after I arrive. Further, they only provide lockers for their residents--I don't have much, but it sure as heck won't all fit into a locker.
Despite the insane price tag, I admit I'm absolutely considering the extended stay option at least for a month while I can go out and meet people, learn the lay of the land, etc. 2 weeks from now I can pay for a month and call it done, and not have to worry about that anymore, at least for the first few weeks of my stay. Time will tell what I chose to do. If I decide to go with the 1 month in a hotel option, I'll probably wait until I go back to Saint Louis and can talk with the managers on a one-to-one basis and see if a deal can't be struck at the smaller, not-to-well-respected places.
The best way to avoid getting yourself into these situations is to get a job the minute you arrive - temp work, McDonalds, whatever it takes to get some money coming in. Don't allow yourself to end up in this kind of situation where you have to live with questionable people, wondering if eviction is around the corner each day. You don't need to live like that.
That's exactly what I plan to do, as I addressed earlier. Like said, I didn't let my degree get to my head--I'm not above flipping burgers, bagging groceries, or making cold calls. Furthermore, I'll have far more than enough cash for a deposit, first/last, etc for an apartment--the issue is getting a landlord to see past the fact that I either don't have a job or haven't had one for long (come Dec when I move) and still have income (and can prove exactly where it comes from) and thus convince them that I'm not some dope-dealing, nightmare tenant they'll never be able to get rid of. <<and I say it like that because that's EXACTLY what I've been told landlords will think of me.
We lived in an extended stay hotel for a month when we first moved to this area and got a great deal from emailing the manager and asking. You don't have to show up, just call or ask. But your focus should be on finding a job. The sooner you get a job, the sooner you won't have to deal with this stuff.
We lived in an extended stay hotel for a month when we first moved to this area and got a great deal from emailing the manager and asking. You don't have to show up, just call or ask. But your focus should be on finding a job. The sooner you get a job, the sooner you won't have to deal with this stuff.
True, true. When I visit in October my number will be changed over to a local number and I'll get a local address via UPS (they offer this service for a fee at their chain stores, as I discovered while homeless). I'll pick up some apps for the big chains and come the end of November/early December, I'll start sending away and applying online.
If you think that landlords are going to assume you are a dope dealing tenant from hell, the best way to counter that is with hard evidence.
If you have a source of income and can prove it, get an official document.
Once a year you can get your credit report for free online. The month you are allowed to do it varies by state. Do it and get the printout.
If you have a degree, maybe get copies of your transcripts. It's rare that deadbeat lowlife tenants have college degrees.
LOL, my thoughts exactly, but "no dice" according to the LLs I've talked to online over the months. I have a bank account set up specifically to receive the lump sump payments from my school re: financial aid. It says right on my statements "ASC Financial Aid Refund-- $5040" (or whatever it may be) with a date. And of course, I have all of my pay stubs from the last year (but not the year prior).
Further, I was a victim of identity theft as a kid and so I've had round-the-clock access to my credit score since I've turned 18. 705 can't be that bad, can it?
Anyway, hopefully I can find the right person who will work with me. I figure it's best not to count on it, though.
Probably because you are looking at the "lower end" of the landlord spectrum. Again, this is why you are better off getting a job ASAP then finding a decent place to live.
Probably because you are looking at the "lower end" of the landlord spectrum.
If the "lower end of the landlord spectrum" is that which answers questions hear on CD, you're right, that's who I've talked to over the last 2 years. I have no idea, however, but you clearly spend more time here than I do (whereas my presence is come-and-go) so you'd definitely have a better overall idea. I've yet (that I can recall) to look at a post where the LL dished out their rental rates, but perhaps you've seen that or can simply tell based upon their overall demeanor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagojlo
Again, this is why you are better off getting a job ASAP then finding a decent place to live.
Yep, heard ya. The first time and this time.
That said, I admit I refuse to take a "one or the other approach" when it comes to either getting a job or getting a place to live. I can't get a job if I can't move to the city, I can't move to the city if I have nowhere to live (I'm not living in a car in the St. Louis winter or spending a thousand dollars a month, month after month, on a hotel room), and I can't choose my living space without being confident in the situation. I have do to BOTH, get a job(s) and a place to liveBut eh, maybe I am naive for thinking that both, securing employment and finding a stable place to live (at least for the long term, if not from the start) are both, important and manageable. If so, St. Louis isn't happening, despite the fact that 2 semesters overseas with cheap apartments and internships were no problemo.
My questions here on the CD rental forum revolve around my hunt for a place to live. That's NOT to say my postings here reflect what my entire life is consumed with and that I'm not heavily considering all the facets of this move; trust me. Sorry if I'm coming off that way, but I think the only way to avoid such an assumption would be to shut up and risk not asking questions I should have and wind up going into this knowing less than I could. I know I sound like I'm obsessed with this one facet of my future, and that's okay--as far as I'm concerned, issues like mine are what anonymous, online forums are for, for saving one from the embarrassment of having to talk to someone whose opinion of them they uphold.
Last edited by Dr_Pepper; 08-04-2011 at 01:17 AM..
Absent a lease or rental contract, you have no obligation to a landlord to make payments.
If a leaseholder allows you to move in to their residence and you aren't named and signed on the lease, then your obligation is solely to the leaseholder. You are, of course, subject to their tenancy ... if you make payments to the leaseholder and they don't make their payment and are evicted, you're out on the street, too. If it's a violation of the lease terms for you to be living there, the landlord can hold the leaseholder accountable to the lease. Even if you can prove you have paid your "portion" of the payment, you're still living there under the terms of the leaseholder's obligations. If you try to make a partial payment on behalf of the leaseholder directly to the landlord, you may find yourself opening up a lot of questions about your occupancy which are better left unasked/unanswered.
Renting a room or apt in a house from the owner has it's potential for a good or bad situation, too. You should get a written rental agreement which sets out the terms, duration of your stay, and the rental rate. With a 3 1/2 month occupancy, you'd typically rent ... not lease ... a place on a weekly basis. Also, most weekly rentals don't require credit or proof of a job because the term is so short that they can evict you pretty quickly, unlike a long-term lease with monthly payment time periods. You'll typically pay up-front for each week's rental ... no pay, no stay.
I suggest you try using Hotwire to locate an extended stay hotel in the area you want to be in, or asking the places directly if they have a Hotwire rate and will extend that to you. I've had many stays in extended stay hotels that were willing to cut their rate by 50% (or more) if they weren't running a full occupancy. I've also found a number of furnished condo complexes that would rent a place for a short term at comparable savings when they were facing a number of vacancies ... they have a perishable commodity and some rental income is better than a vacant unit.
With only 3 1/2 months needed, I think you'd be better off trying to locate a place by yourself without incuring all the drama that attends to roomate situations with folk that you don't know.
If the "lower end of the landlord spectrum" is that which answers questions hear on CD, you're right, that's who I've talked to over the last 2 years. I have no idea, however, but you clearly spend more time here than I do (whereas my presence is come-and-go) so you'd definitely have a better overall idea. I've yet (that I can recall) to look at a post where the LL dished out their rental rates, but perhaps you've seen that or can simply tell based upon their overall demeanor.
So what exactly are you trying to say here?
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