Housing woes keep me on my toes!

[banana21]

Hey guys,

I'm from Singapore and will be moving to Boston, MA in August onwards.

Any advice on when to start looking for housing? On one hand, I am resisting starting too early in case something opens up later. On the other hand, I don't want to be left desperately looking for housing, landlords knowing there are last minute desperate renters and upping their prices later on!

It's also tough when you're not there physically to be able to assess the house and see if it's perfect for you. Unfortunately, pictures can be deceiving!

How are you international folks dealing with the housing situation? Any forums or real estate websites that have been great resources?

Any advice much welcome!

Banana21

[ogopo]

It seems that this forum is generally anit-craigslist but it has worked great for me. I am planning on finding a place that is already occupied by other roommates. That way, I don't have to worry about furnishing the whole home and rent will be cheaper. Just make sure you really cover your bases with Craigslist.

I found several places on Craigslist. I contacted people with an email about myself and got some positive responses. From there, I have facebooked all of my potential roommates and even skyped with a pair of them. The skyping was really great and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you can't visit the place beforehand. I even got the guys to send me extra pictures.

Fortunately, I am going to visit next week but if I couldn't I think I would just sign with the people I skyped with. It really helps you to know what kind of people you might live with.

In terms of when to look for a place... Well, the Boston city guide will probably help you to determine when you should look. I know that for Madison (where I am going) early is good. I don't know about Boston.

Finally, check with your university, they might have student housing resources that are more secure than searching on your own.

Good luck

[calmflare]

I'm in the same boat... will be moving to NYC for my MA next month and I've been waitlisted at my uni for housing, which means I'll be homeless for awhile unless I do something haha.

So I'm thinking of applying for homestays first (which have a minimum stay of 2 weeks), and while I'm there I'll visit some apartments and then decide which one I want.

All the best

Hey guys,

I'm from Singapore and will be moving to Boston, MA in August onwards.

Any advice on when to start looking for housing? On one hand, I am resisting starting too early in case something opens up later. On the other hand, I don't want to be left desperately looking for housing, landlords knowing there are last minute desperate renters and upping their prices later on!

It's also tough when you're not there physically to be able to assess the house and see if it's perfect for you. Unfortunately, pictures can be deceiving!

How are you international folks dealing with the housing situation? Any forums or real estate websites that have been great resources?

Any advice much welcome!

Banana21

[eklavya]

How are you international folks dealing with the housing situation?

The first thing you can/should do right away is search for a Singaporean association in the city, or perhaps in your grad school. There might not be a whole lot of them, but even 1 is enough. You can also contact the international student association at your grad school to forward your message to someone who is willing to help you - it necessarily doesn't have to be someone from Singapore.

Also, as someone suggested above, using craigslist isn't that bad of an idea. After you find a nice place, you should exchange multiple correspondences to make sure that the person/party is not a scam. Calling them is also a good idea. I can personally vouch for craigslist as it has always worked for me... wherever I have moved so far, short or long term, I've used craigslist to find places to stay and I haven't been scammed or anything. That said, you do need to be careful when you are dealing from overseas.

[eco_env]

It's a little late, but...If you are moving to Boston, start looking early! With so many college students, it can be hard to find an apartment in Aug. (or so i heard).