Tucson for an Incoming Int'l Grad Student at U of A (Buckeye: rental car, for sale)

[Hirsute Personage]

Hello,

I'm starting a PhD program at the U of A in August, and will be arriving in Tucson in a few days.

I've read through a lot of the topics on this forum discussing different neighbourhoods and apartment complexes. These are all very informative and I'm still digesting through all the freshly-acquired knowledge. Thank you.

But there are certain things no-one seems to ask about, perhaps because these are so bleedingly obvious to everyone except to me as a foreigner. I'd appreciate if you could help me clear my confusion.

1. Do I need a car from day #0? (I'd like to get one eventually anyway, once I have a place to live. I could also rent a car in the beginning, but would prefer not to unless it will seriously impact my efficiency in searching for an apartment.)

2. My flight will be arriving around midnight. How do I get from the airport to my temporary accommodation (which will most likely be a cheaper hotel without complimentary shuttle service)? Should I rent a car at the airport (this is in conjunction with question 1)? Book the AZ Stagecoach shuttle? Take a taxi? Perhaps something else? (I believe there will be no public transport that late.)

3. What's the best (most efficient) way of looking for housing? (I would prefer to live to the north or west of the UA campus, if that makes any difference.)

a) I know of Craigslist, and an UA website Moderator cut: snip, is there any other place to look for (preferably privately-posted) ads?

b) Individual apartment complexes also have their websites, but they seem to be difficult to find. Is there any list (or even better, a map) of them available somewhere? What's the best place to check renters' opinions Moderator cut: snip?

c) Would it be practical to just walk (drive, perhaps) around the neighbourhoods I'd like to live in, looking for "to let" signs or something like that, or would that just be a huge waste of time?

d) Am I supposed to negotiate the rent, or is the asking price a "take it or leave it" price? Do you know of any guide for renters somewhere on the Internet (what to be wary of in a rental contract, how to go through the whole process, this needn't be Tucson-specific)?

Thank you very much for your time.
Every piece of advice is very much appreciated.

[BuckeyeBroad]

RE: Apartment complexes - have you looked at apartments.com? It's the site the Arizona Star newspaper outsources its rental ads to. Also - Arizona landlord/tenant law is extremely unfriendly to tenants. You might want to search it out and read the law.

The property manager at Purple Sage Realty has been helpful -- gone the extra mile even after her own property did not work for me - if you want to try talking to her. I have yet to find a useful site where private owners offer rentals.

[Hirsute Personage]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeBroad

RE: Apartment complexes - have you looked at apartments.com?

Thank you for your response and this suggestion, I'm looking at this website now.

Originally Posted by BuckeyeBroad

Also - Arizona landlord/tenant law is extremely unfriendly to tenants. You might want to search it out and read the law.

Moderator cut: snip
With all the scary-sounding letter templates overstuffed with legalese it looks quite intimidating. Is it common for landlord-tenant relations to deteriorate into conflicts this website seems to be preparing me for? Or is it just an unlikely worst-case scenario?

One worrying thing I noticed is that if I rent a room in a shared accommodation I might be liable for what other tenants (generally, random people I don't know well and wouldn't want to vouch for) owe to the landlord. I would rather not get into such an arrangement.

I also noticed it's relatively easy for the landlord to cheat a tenant out of their deposit by inventing bogus cleaning and redecoration charges. Does this happen a lot?

These are the two issues I've noticed so far. Is there anything else I should be prepared for?

Originally Posted by BuckeyeBroad

The property manager at Purple Sage Realty has been helpful [...]

Thanks again. I looked at their website and they seem very nice, but they only have 5 properties listed for rent on their website, all of which are large houses. Or do you mean they can also look for other places on my behalf if I contact them directly?

[BuckeyeBroad]

What I meant was I called Purple Sage about one of their listings. Turned out the manager has her own little casitas to rent, but they weren't appropriate for me --- so she looked up rentals listed by other agents and I am seriously considering one of those. I think talking to real estate people one might stumble onto a good deal, but I'm not sure I am prepared to call a lot of companies myself.

Conversely, I have called two or three property management companies and received the characteristic sour Arizonan response. They tend to sweeten up, if you don't lose your composure over their rudeness. A couple of young women have been utterly indifferent as to whether they rent me a home, nor do they aspire to be helpful in any way.

My nickname for Arizona is "The Plunder and Pillage State." I assume I will be taken to the cleaners no matter how hard I work to avoid it. I love Arizona anyway.

If I come across a great, as yet undiscovered, rental site, I'll let you know. BTW -- I'm pretty sure you will need at least a bike unless you live within walking distance of your grad classes.

[breakingbad]

If you can afford it I suggest you rent a car from the airport. Go on-line to secure a rate with a rental agency... then drive around UA looking for a perfect area for your self. When I was at UA I lived at a place called Rio Cancion apartments off of River Rd...I felt like it was pretty close to campus but if I was getting an advanced degree I'd want to live as close as possible I think....mainly to get the full experience
Good luck!
There is a poster here named RickofTucson or something like that and he is very informative...look through threads and send him a direct message. He seems normal too!

[bernasty]

Originally Posted by breakingbad

There is a poster here named RickofTucson or something like that and he is very informative...look through threads and send him a direct message. He seems normal too!

I believe it's RickTucsonHomes. Great guy. He was very helpful when I asked for his advice.

[jmm051]

I was just out there three weeks ago doing the exact same thing. Your best bet from getting to the airport to the U of A area is by rental car since the rates are so cheap. Check out hotwire, I got a great deal from there. I found that a lot of the better rentals were not listed on CL or other sources, but actually just signs out in the front yard of homes. It took a little work and time, but it was worth it in the end.

[Prodigal Native]

Look at hotwire.com for rental cars - they have compacts for around $13/day (I am sure you can find similar deals at other sites too), but even after taxes, etc, you will not be take one cab ride for that the cost of a full day's worth of a rental car and you will have a chance to drive around town and get to know the layout of Tucson. Also, having a car will GREATLY improve your ability to get from place to place while looking for a place to live; particularly with the heat, you don't want to be stuck outside more than necessary.

Also, when it comes to finding a place to live, look at padmapper.com. I understand they no longer have craigslist listings, but it is a great aggregator and being map based I find it very easy to use. It may not be your final resource, but it should be a big help.

[Jukesgrrl]

IMPORTANT:

If you are renting a car at the Tucson "International" Airport, make SURE the rental company knows that your flight is, as you said above, "arriving around midnight." Most airport accommodations in this famously "laid-back" town close up shop around 9 p.m. I've arrived at 11 p.m. and seen not a single employee save a cleaning person with a broom. I don't know what practices the various car rental companies have in effect for picking up a car after their manned counters close, but make sure you clear that with them when you make a reservation. It could be something rather complicated, such as you have to take a particular shuttle bus to a particular off-site parking facility and present a particular kind of paperwork.

I'll chime in on a couple of your other questions later when I have more time. Until then, have a safe flight.

[Hirsute Personage]

Thank you for your advice. I followed it and decided to rent a car straight at the airport. The choice was between Avis (open until 0:30) and Hertz (until 1 am), as all the other shops close at midnight. When I tried to book through their websites directly the prices were not encouraging, but I was able to secure a good deal on an Avis car through Hotwire. There was the risk the flight would be late and the rental desk would close before I get there, leaving me stranded at the airport, but in the end the plane actually landed ahead of schedule (although the day before it was indeed delayed 30 mins, I guess I can consider myself lucky).

I only made it to the hotel around 1.30 am, but couldn't sleep because of the time shift and got up very early to explore the city today. In retrospect I realize not renting a car would have been a huge mistake, which you helped me to avoid - thank you so much! So far, driving for a few hours only I was already able to get a general impression of the areas adjacent to the U of A, and even take note of some "for rent" signs. (I also saw someone driving a car for sale I could be interested in buying, but couldn't get their phone number, the digits were too small.)