Looking for Housing?

[laurian]

I've been admitted to University of Maryland for the fall. I've been looking at housing websites and trying to plan for my move. The problem I'm having is that I've never leased an apartment before and I don't really know what to expect. From experience, I'm hoping anyone can tell me what's involved in the process from making appointments, checking places out, getting approval, credit checks etc. How long does it actually take to find housing? I was planning on flying to Maryland (I live in California now) and looking when I move, but I'm wondering if I should make a trip out there specifically to look at places and then a second final moving trip. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[gsams]

I rented sight-unseen (the actual apartment). The place was highly recommended by students and people at the dept. as a good apartment for cheap. I knew the community because I had driven by while looking at other housing in the area. I put in an application and 2 weeks later got a call back from the manager saying he had an apartment. I was nervous because this place has about an 85% renewal rate. Since the places are recently renovated and this unite hasn't been yet, I am getting a new one. he sent me the paperwork and I signed the lease, scanned it back, and mailed the deposit. It only took 2 weeks.

[fuzzylogician]

I've been admitted to University of Maryland for the fall. I've been looking at housing websites and trying to plan for my move. The problem I'm having is that I've never leased an apartment before and I don't really know what to expect. From experience, I'm hoping anyone can tell me what's involved in the process from making appointments, checking places out, getting approval, credit checks etc. How long does it actually take to find housing? I was planning on flying to Maryland (I live in California now) and looking when I move, but I'm wondering if I should make a trip out there specifically to look at places and then a second final moving trip. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We could give you general rental advice, but you'll get the most accurate advice for the area you'll be moving to from the current students in your department. Try writing them and asking how long it usually takes to find a decent place and where they would recommend looking - both location and website-wise. Ask how fast apartments usually go off the market and when is the best time to look; if they recommend you come look for an apartment in advance, then do that. Otherwise in many places it's entirely possible to find an apartment within a few weeks before the start of the semester.

FWIW, I rented my apartment sight-unseen. My roommate was then a first-year in the department and she did all the looking; she used a realtor and it took her about a month to find a suitable place. I don't have a US credit history (which I suspect made the approval process take longer than they otherwise would have, even though I had a letter of endorsement from my department stating how high my stipend would be); from the time I filled in the application to the time I faxed the landlord the signed lease about two months had passed, which the realtor said was due to bureaucracies, not any particular problem with my application. They did have a lot of time--I filled in the application in mid-May for a September 1st lease.

[BionicKris]

I made a special trip out to Lafayette, IN to look for a place to live. It was fruitful in that I got to see the actual place, it wasn't in that the place I'm leasing with is the one that caught my eye online in the first place. I would say make a special trip or contact someone else that's going out that way and have them look at places for you. I did that for quite a few students when I went and posted the pics on my facebook page. I know it's not the same as being there personally, but it's better than dropping $300 on a flight from the west to the east coast. I also agree with contacting current gradaute students. I did that, but given how picky I am, I had to make a special trip. I didn't make appointments because 1) it was last minute and 2) I was only looking at apartments which are easy to just walk in and see.

If you are looking at houses, try to make the appointments for the day after you land, that way you don't have to worry about flights arriving late, etc. It took me about 30-45 min to view each place I visited, including travel. Also call ahead and make sure that they actually do showings on the weekends. A lot of the places I wanted to see (i.e townhomes) only did showings on Saturday's and Monday's or were closed on the weekend.

As far as the actual leasing aspect is concerned, it's actually nothing to worry too much about. As with many things, your security deposit will usually depend on your credit. The places that I've leased from made it aware that they tend to overlook bad credit due to medical issues. I've yet to hear of any place that includes that in deciding a security deposit. I would say to ask them just to be safe. You should also make sure that you can get your deposit back once you move out (obviously pending an inspection of the property). The entire process of applying doesn't take long at all. I think the most I've waited is a day or 2. Most places are willing to do everything by phone, fax and email as well.

I hope this helps!

[Riotbeard]

I don't know about College Park but I am moving to New Orleans and have apartment searched in cities. I would advise going in person if you have an worries about safety. In New Orleans and where I went to undergrad, the type of neighborhood (safetynesswise) you live in can change from block to block, so I always found visiting fruitful for those reasons.

[RNadine21]

I wanted to bring this topic back up because I'm facing a similar problem. I'm trying to find a place for myself and my roommate for next month ideally, but now I'm worried I won't have the funds or help to go and look at places. Unfortunately I can't drive right now, so I'm depending on my mom (who doesn't seem excited to help me) or friends (who will all start working soon). I'm wondering what people's overall opinion is on renting without seeing the property. Unfortunately my roommate can't take anymore time off work, or I would've met up with her there. I have been looking at places for months, since April actually, but most people back then wanted to rent out their places before the summer, so I've had to wait until about now to find places that I could actually get. Have I completely screwed myself? I'm just not sure I can afford the amount of money to fly, get a car, a hotel room, etc.

If it's relevant, I'm talking about Charleston, SC.

[Riotbeard]

I wanted to bring this topic back up because I'm facing a similar problem. I'm trying to find a place for myself and my roommate for next month ideally, but now I'm worried I won't have the funds or help to go and look at places. Unfortunately I can't drive right now, so I'm depending on my mom (who doesn't seem excited to help me) or friends (who will all start working soon). I'm wondering what people's overall opinion is on renting without seeing the property. Unfortunately my roommate can't take anymore time off work, or I would've met up with her there. I have been looking at places for months, since April actually, but most people back then wanted to rent out their places before the summer, so I've had to wait until about now to find places that I could actually get. Have I completely screwed myself? I'm just not sure I can afford the amount of money to fly, get a car, a hotel room, etc.

If it's relevant, I'm talking about Charleston, SC.

I went to College of Charleston for Undergrad and know the city really well, and suburbs okay, and I only moved a year ago, so my safety info. is fairly up to date.. PM with any locations (street and cross street) and I can give you advice on safety. If you are living downtown, cool apartments are houses split up, and there aren't many complexes downtown. You are going to love Charleston. If I could have stayed there forever, I would have.