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Questions regarding renting
Thanatos
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, on Monday, I'm calling a bunch of places in Seattle to check out, as I'm going to be moving there in July (I'm headed up there next weekend to check them out). How many places should I expect to check out before renting a place? Like, 10, or should it be more like 30?
How much paperwork should I bring? I was figuring an SS card, my passport, and driver's license would cover everything. Should I have a copy of my birth certificate?
How much paperwork should I bring? I was figuring an SS card, my passport, and driver's license would cover everything. Should I have a copy of my birth certificate?
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Also, you don't need your SS card - they'll just have you write your number if they're doing credit checks. Technically, nobody can ask you for the card and you're supposed to leave it at home.
Make sure you bring enough money for all the credit checks, though. It's usually 10$, some people will try to charge you 20$.
I've always found an apartment relatively fast, but I don't know how Spokane's market compares to Seattle's. I recommend checking on Craigslist for places.
The more you look at, the better - but looking at apartments all day can get tiresome.
Also, besides just looking at the apartments, check out the near by area. Look for things you need or want close, personally I like having a food store close, some people like being close to video stores or walmarts or whatever. Gas stations also are nice to have near by.
oh and google up the area before hand if you can. Usually something like "Crime Report" "City, State" [and optionally 'Street/Area'] works pretty good. That usually comes up with City/Area stats that are some times interesting.
Another thing I look for is the roads. Sometimes it's hard to tell, but usually try to figure out if it's going to be a pain getting to/from work/school/freinds during the "normal times" that I would usually travel that.
oh, and you guys probably get a ton snow up there in Settle. We get a lot of snow/cold winters here... some places have parking garages for cheap or included in the price and some places make you park outside... so that's something I look for... the parking considerations and if it's going to be a pain come winter or not.
Should I bring a printout of my checking/savings account balances?
And Seattle doesn't get much snow at all. Lots of rain, though.
Most places ask for "Employer" and then "Month Wage" on their applications... so be best to make a note of it and then give them your balance... that way they know you'll be able to cover it.
Seattle seldom gets snow, just rain.
About the job . . . It will definitely be harder if you don't already have a job. Usually they want you to have a job that pays twice as much as the rent per month. It's not impossible to find an apt. without a job, though. My current apartment the manager skipped the job check and refunded my credit check because he liked me.
Regarding your apartment manager . . . try to get a manager or at least a handyman who lives on site. I can walk across the parking lot and knock on my manager's door if I need something fixed. In a previous apartment it was a struggle to get the fucking heater fixed in the middle of January.
Edited for lousy math skills.
Really, the main question I wanted answered was "how many appointments should I be making?"
I guess it really depends how picky you are, but I've lived in 3 different apartments in Seattle, and I've never looked at more than 5 or 6 before I pick one. Before you even start, you'll have narrowed it down to the ones that are in your price range, have apartments available with the number of bedrooms you want, and are in a decent area. The more you check out the better, I suppose, but I wouldn't try to schedule 30 appointments over one weekend.
As far as credit checks, I don't see why you would need to pay for more than one or two. When they're ready to run one, it means that you like the place, and they like you, so ideally that will only happen once. Anyway, good luck!
localh77 already touched on how you'll have narrowed down your price range and how you won't need to pay for a credit check, ideally, more than once.
In terms of how many appointments, this will depend entirely on what sort of place you expect to live in. If you're looking for a simple apartment, your choices will likely be many. Before setting out, make yourself one of those cheesy pro and con lists of the things you can and cannot live without. Then upon reaching the apartment, you'll simply know "this is what I want." Don't waste time making appointments to see places that don't match your list.
That being said, make as many as you can fit in since you're on a limited time schedule. Cram it all in. Go wild. Over a weekend I'd say 15 would be quite ambitious, considering the hours people normally show places. And once you find "the one" and have arrangements with that landlord, you can cancel the rest. Tad disrespectful, sure, but you're in a situation where nothing else would make sense.
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
The first thing I did was check out apartment and condo listings on the internet and tried to set-up interviews on the days I'd be there. Luckily I had a driver who was happy to cart me around. I had set-up about 5 viewings for the 2 days I'd be in town and not travelling. Three of them fell through completely, but the other two were very promising. Both places took out of state checks so I could pay for the application fee. The other thing I needed was my driver's license.
Now, i've been to some places that require information from your employer, other places that just ask for your yearly income. The two places I looked at wanted the latter. I imagine a bank statement would suffice if you didn't have a job. The other thing was references. Thats obvious but can be forgotten since it's a frantic time trying to secure a place you've never been to.
I guess set up as many as you can, and if you can't make an appointment, at least give the place a call and let them know. I wish I had set up more, but I was working at the same time so it really strapped me.
Best of luck to you Than!
If you know exactly the area you want to live in, book as many appts as you need to find a place you want. Usually within 10 (as long as you've got low-high end of your budget covered and they aren't all on the same street) you will have found what you need.
However if you are trying different areas of a new city then you should book at least 5-10 in each area to get a good idea of what is available there.
I moved across the world and looked at around 10 places in three different areas of two cities. It wasn't enough, I should have looked at more. But 10 in the same locale is plenty.
Before submitting an application (and paying a fee), ask about how many other applications they've gotten. You don't appear, on paper, to be a model tenant, because of your lack of employment and rental history, so you're going to be at the bottom of the list. If there are 10 other people vying for a place, you're not going to get it, so don't waste your money.
edit: Oh, and be pessimistic in your time management. Property managers are late in getting there more often than not. Take whatever you think is a reasonable amount of time to look at a place, and add 30 minutes to it to account for tardiness.
Definitely do your research on surrounding apartments, even if they're not what you're looking for, to get a good idea on pricing. Since it's an apartment you're looking for, it's always good to get a place with competitively low rent - so long as there are no consequences for it (like poor management).