Problems Moving Across Country

[grizzlygirl87]

Problem! Any help or ideas would be fantastic!

My crisis is this: My program wants me to start on May 1st so that I can be there over the summer to get a jump start on the research and to help out one of the other students there working on her project. Getting there is not the problem. It appears that graduate housing has no availability until JULY 1, and even then, there is a waiting list so it may not be available to me until who knows when. The email from the housing director seemed very inflexible, like I was inconveniencing him just by asking.

I live almost 3000 miles away. How should I go about finding housing that will be available when I arrive, when there is no way for me to make a special trip over there to look at apartments?

Thanks!

[ktel]

There are a number of threads that discuss the difficulties of finding a place to rent from far away. A quick search can help you find those to see what people have to say about this. The general consensus is to try not to rent a place sight unseen, but if you do, make sure it's a month-to-month lease. If you can't go there beforehand try to set up meetings with landlords for as soon as you get there and stay in a hotel for a few nights.

[CarlieE]

I have/had the same problem - I have to move about 1000 miles away.. I was fortunate in that I could make a special trip there to find housing.. but in the event that I could not I would have tried one of the following:

1. An apartment finder service - they get paid by the apartment complex/management, not you so there's no cost to you. They also help the paperwork and can give good advice about areas to live in, lifestyle in those areas, shopping, food etc.

2. Called a friend who lives near in the area I'm moving and begged for one day of their time to visit an apartment I was considering.

3. Contacted grad students I met during the interview for more advice

OR

4. Worst case scenario, I would have packed up all my stuff and booked an extended stay hotel room for 2-3 weeks so that I could look for a place when I got there and hopefully, move in ASAP.

[rockhopper]

Hi jaylizzie, I'm in the same boat... going to have to move over 1,000 miles in the Fall and I don't know how I'm going to really choose a place! Starting to make me nervous even though it's not nearly "too late" yet...

Related to what anthrodork said, I am asking grad students I made contacts with during the initial visit and asking them what they think of the complexes, location, etc. It really is helpful so far especially since one of them said HELL NO!!! to one of the places I was looking at lol I would have never known on my own if that place was terrible!

[non humilis mulier]

I am getting kinda stressed out about housing, too. I'm going to be moving nearly 1700 miles, and I really want to start nailing down the specifics of our move. Unfortunately, the university housing is kind of slow on these matters... they are very non-committal about when I'll get my student housing offer. Fortunately, I was able to look at some students' accommodations during my interview, so I'm confident that the apartment will be decent. My program is encouraging me to take some classes over the summer, so I really need to know when my accommodation will become available. So much to juggle! Jobs, selling vehicles, financial planning -- my fear is that the university will give me my housing assignment on May 31 and expect me to move in the next week! Agh! Anyone else having this sort of problem?

[rising_star]

See if you can find a graduate student that is looking to sublet their place for the summer. That will give you the time to make more permanent arrangements.

[sweet_schist]

I was blown away at the cost of moving companies/ moving vans. I'm only moving into a small apartment, but it's unfurnished, and the furniture won't fit in my car! From Maryland to Texas, I was seeing prices ranging from $900 - 1500 dollars! Whoa.

I found out something though, and I think I may do this-- you can't rent a cargo van from a rental car company (Hertz, Enterprise, etc) for around $400 (that's what my estimate was) including gas. Then just return it at a location near you... I'm pretty sure that still works.

[dimanche0829]

I was blown away at the cost of moving companies/ moving vans. I'm only moving into a small apartment, but it's unfurnished, and the furniture won't fit in my car! From Maryland to Texas, I was seeing prices ranging from $900 - 1500 dollars! Whoa.

I found out something though, and I think I may do this-- you can't rent a cargo van from a rental car company (Hertz, Enterprise, etc) for around $400 (that's what my estimate was) including gas. Then just return it at a location near you... I'm pretty sure that still works.

One thing about moving truck rental companies that I learned somewhere between the umpteenth and umptieth time moving: They automatically price for a set number of days, based on your end destination, so the quotes tend to be overpriced. For example, When I moved from Manhattan to Chicago, I was quoted for three days' use, even though I planned on making the drive in one day. Since I returned the truck early, they prorated my use and gave me a refund of the difference, which saved me tons. I don't know if every company does this, but this has happened twice for me.

If you want to use movers, make sure they base their quote on an actual walk-through of your apartment. Their quotes will be much more accurate.

Renting a cargo van can be a huge money saver, especially if you don't own that much stuff. Just make sure your car insurance will covers all of your stuff in the event of an accident or theft. (It probably already does.)

[OregonGal]

Speaking from experience... when I accepted my current position I had 10 days to pack, find an apartment, and move across the country (~3000 miles). I found a month-to-month place and took it sight unseen, then used it as a base for finding more permanent accommodations. Month-to-month rentals found on Craigslist can be shady--my landlord misrepresented the size of the room I rented and the quality of the furnishings, though he wasn't actively creepy--so you might also look into area student/backpacker hostels. Many of them will offer a discounted rate for longer-term occupancy (more than a week) and most have a secure room to stash larger suitcases.

However, my scenario ended with me moving with what I could carry onto a plane (2 suitcases and a duffel). If you are planning on moving furniture/housewares/etc, then I would suggest looking into PODS.

[gopromoving]

I assume you are talking about a one way rental and taking a week to drive from coast to coast. You are looking at roughly 3,000 miles. Spread over 7 days works out to be about 430 miles a day. It is doable. If you push the motor home to do the speed limit you will probably spend a fortune