A question to those who are living on your own or with your SO, basically not living with parents anymore. BF and I are going to be moving in together soon. We have been talking about it for a while and just wanted to wait until I finished school and was working full time so that we can afford to live on our own. I am finishing school in December, so we are starting to look around now for places. I work right now 24 hours a week, and the place I am at, I can work 40 hours, I just don't because of school. So I know that I will have a job in December.
So my question to you ladies is how did you start the process of looking for places? I know that you need to establish a budget and expenses, but looking for actual places. Did you use the newspaper? Classifieds? Any other form? What do you do if the place wants references and you have never lived out on your own?
I am just starting this process with BF but I don't want us going into this blindly. Any help would be greatly appreciated. TIA.
Re: Housing questions
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When my friend was getting an apt. for the first time she got an affidavit saying that she paid who she lived with rent every month. I'd say they will want something like that or just personal references. It's best to call and tell them it will be your first apt and see what they have to say. Good luck, and congrats on being done with school!
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There are a number of websites that list out rental properties, such as rent.com, apartments.com, craigslist (some large companies post here for the fact that it is free advertising.) I don't know if they have them out in MA but around here in all the grocery store entries/exits there are usually stands with rental magazines. Newspapers would be a good place to look, as that would most likely have up to date current pricing. Always call/email and ask if they have any current rent specials. Something to keep in mind is that not all apartment websites or rental sites have up to date pricing. Since MA gets snow and cold in the winter, it may be like MN in that many people are not moving due to the weather and places may be more inclined to be offering rent specials on open units trying to entice people to move. There are also websites like apartmentratings.com where current and past tenants share feedback on the property.
As far as for past rental experience everywhere is different. Did you ever live in a college dorm? Some places will accept that for a rental reference. When you start calling places to set up appointments ask them what their requirements are. Most places will like check your past rental history, credit, employment, as well as do a background check. Does your BF have past rental history? What I have dealt with is that some places require rental history, some people will just go off of credit score and employment.
ETA: If neither you or your BF have past rental history some places may require a co-signer.
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Canada is kind of like a whole other world with new things to discover that us americans only dream of. - Narwhal
Paige I would like to profess my love for you and your brilliant mind. - breezerb
Murried Bio
He makes a lot more than I do, but we were thinking about splitting thing down the middle. I will talk to him to see what he thinks about splitting it more evenly to fit our budgets. I also know then when this place hires me full-time, I am getting a pay raise so I am just going by what I get paid at my rate, when I work 40 hours, leaving money left for extras.
We would rather get a house than an apartment, but will get an apartment if there are no houses. We have an area in mind that we love and want to stay close to, because we like the area and because we work close to it. I have been looking in the newspaper and on craigslist, but want to be able to sit down and talk to BF in a more serious conversation about it.
Thanks again for all your input, you ladies are the best!
apartmentratings.com
I just saw that you would prefer a house to an apartment. Again, start by driving around in the area. You will be amazed at how many "for lease" signs in yards you see. It's one of those things you don't notice until you start looking for it. A lot of rental houses will have flyers you can take, too. Also, check out the website for your city's association of realtors. They list houses for rent, not just sale, on there, too.
As far as the reference thing, you should be fine as long as you have verifiable income and a clear background. If your boyfriend's credit becomes a problem, will one of your parents be willing to co-sign with you?
Hope this helps!
Tips...
-Don't bother with agents/brokers who talk so fast you can't get a word in.
-Don't let anyone scare you or try to tell you that "this is the best you're going to find for the money."
-Get EVERYTHING in writing. But be tactful--you don't want the landlord to think you don't trust them (even though you don't, because you don't know them!).
-Know what your landlord expects of you in order to get your full deposit back when you move out. Example--sometimes they want everything spotlessly clean, sometimes as long as all your stuff is out, they don't care.
-Ideally, don't sign a lease unless both you and your BF can sign together. Usually when they only want one person on the lease, it's because they want the option to turn over the apartment for more money if the lease holder decides to leave, rather than letting the other person stay and get a roommate. That's what happened to my ex, even though I did everything I could from day one to convince the landlord to keep him on. It sucked.
-Listen to your gut. If you feel like something's not quite right, it probably isn't.
-I like all the advice from PPs as well!
Good luck! Hope I'm not being too negative about the whole thing--just thought I'd share a few things I've run across.
Blog: A New Yorker in Duluth
Updated 8/8/11
The "rules" that many people have about how much you should spend on rent don't always work in major cities. I think half (maybe a little more?) of my income was spend on rent during my Boston years. Obviously, that's no ideal, but I was adamant about living on the T, which would reduce my dependence on my car. I could have spent less on rent out in the suburbs, but I would have spent more on gas and maintenance on the car.
I agree with the comment about getting everything in writing. In addition, take pictures/video of every square inch of your place when you move in. Keep both online and make sure your landlord has a link to them. It will help enormously when you move out.
Also know that you will probably put down at last 1.5 months of rent for deposits. Some of that must be put in a bank account and left for the duration of your stay in the unit. Few landlords do this, but you need to be firm about getting the account number and confirmation that your deposit is there.
[QUOTE]Hmm. I've found every apartment I've ever lived in on craigslist. My experiences were all in NYC, and I imagine Boston would be similar. (Are you right in Boston?)It's no fun looking for a rental in a big city--you'll probably run into some jerky agents and brokers--but if you're persistent, you can find great places. When my ex and I looked in NYC last year, we found a place in Brooklyn that didn't charge an application fee or credit check fee, and no broker fee either. We dealt mainly with the landlord's rental agent (who was weird, but a nice guy). We loved the place, too. It was huge for the money and nicely renovated. So if you're looking to save money, it can be done! From what I hear, using a broker, if it's the right one, can be a great option if you're willing to pay the fee. You should definitely do a lot of asking around to see what standard fees are in your area, though. Tips... -Don't bother with agents/brokers who talk so fast you can't get a word in. -Don't let anyone scare you or try to tell you that "this is the best you're going to find for the money." -Get EVERYTHING in writing. But be tactful--you don't want the landlord to think you don't trust them (even though you don't, because you don't know them!). -Know what your landlord expects of you in order to get your full deposit back when you move out. Example--sometimes they want everything spotlessly clean, sometimes as long as all your stuff is out, they don't care. -Ideally, don't sign a lease unless both you and your BF can sign together. Usually when they only want one person on the lease, it's because they want the option to turn over the apartment for more money if the lease holder decides to leave, rather than letting the other person stay and get a roommate. That's what happened to my ex, even though I did everything I could from day one to convince the landlord to keep him on. It sucked. -Listen to your gut. If you feel like something's not quite right, it probably isn't. -I like all the advice from PPs as well! Good luck! Hope I'm not being too negative about the whole thing--just thought I'd share a few things I've run across.
Posted by marleylikeair[/QUOTE]
Agreed with these and with the PP's - At the risk of sounding repetitive....
-Everything in writing! If you have a conversation w/your landlord where they tell you something important, email them confirming what they said.
-You will probably need a co-signer (parent) for your first apt, but after that one, you could sign for them on your own.
-Agreed, get both of your names on the lease if possible.
-Re: choosing a place, I also have found everything through Craigslist. You might also want to do several "drive-bys" of the place to see what the neighborhood is like during day, evening, rush hour, etc.
I'd also never lived anywhere but home. My landlady only asked for the rental form (which included things like employment history) and she ran my credit report. (They only needed to run one, so we said to do mine as I have a higher score.)
We toured the place twice before we decided to go for it, and we even got to meet the current tenants and ask them questions.
Also, when we first started looking, we had a list of minimum requirements: 2 bedrooms, 1 car garage, pool, A/C, in-unit laundry. Having a list like that will help you narrow down the 5 million choices.
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I really hate to post and run but today is school and I will be slammed, but I will be back later. Thank You again!!
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