Due to job relocation, I’m moving from southern California to Norcross, Georgia. Because of time and money restraints, I find myself unable to fly out to find a place. Any suggestions for a first time over the internet renter? Questions to ask, services to use, etc. Any advice and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks - DESK
www.apartmentguide.com is a great website. There is also www.rent.com. I have not rented without looking at a place first, and I can not recommend it, but you should be able to get a pretty good idea from those websites. And off of apartment guide check to see if they have a website for their apartment listed. The usually have more pictures or sometimes you can check the availability for a certain floorplan. You could probably also post a thread asking people in the atlanta area if they could recommend a place to live. I was thinking about moving to the Buckhead area a couple months ago, and almost did this myself.
You can also get an apartment guide magazine off of their website. I would recommend you do so because the apartment I am in now had a $200 coupon in it.
I faced this same problem a couple years ago.
I used homestore.com’s rentals section to look for apartments in western Washington (Seattle area). You can search by area, zip code, cost, and amenities. Some entries have photos; their usefulness varies. After narrowing down a list of 8 potentials, I telephoned them. (You’ll have to accomodate the time differences, btw.) From each, I explained I was looking for a two bedroom and that I’d be there around May. For the ones that had apartments available, I asked them to send me any brochures or information they could.
We decided on our place based on its proximity to Seattle, rent cost, and unit square footage. (Luckily, the biggest place had the lowest rent.) Once we made the decision, we had paperwork to sign. I assume this was basically information collection so they could size us up to make sure we weren’t wanted felons or folks with bankruptcies. We did this by mail.
May came, and we were here. Came in right from the airport and we were good to go.
Suggestions:
Explain that you’re calling from out of state and that you can’t be there in person to handle these preliminaries. It’s been my experience that when they understand where you’re coming from they’ll be more accomodating.
Write down everything apartment management tells you, from availability to utilities to repairs policies. Because you can’t be there in person, having these details will be handy when you’re making the final decision.
If possible, get your apartment as soon as possible. Don’t rush through the process, but don’t put it off to the last minute.
In case something goes colossally wrong with the apartment, have a backup plan. Know where the local motel is in case you need temporary shelter.
If you have a friend or family in the area, you might want to ask if they’ll check out your prospects for you. Have them get a feel for the area, the management, the care of the buildings, etc.
Check out any apartments you’re talking to at http://www.aptratings.net - it’s why I’m here in this apartment rather than another one (and one of my friends lives in the other one and hates it).
There are lots of Atlanta area dopers, so if you don’t have friends or family there, see if they’ll help you out with what they know about apartments, commutes and the like.
A lot of the rules for a local move also apply to a LD move, but more so. Make sure that phone and utilities are ready before you move - to be turned on the day before you are supposed to arrive. If you’re using a moving company, don’t expect your stuff to be there when you’re there - unless you are both driving cross country. Keep copies of everything related to the move, so that you can reference them. AudreyK’s advice is great. Good luck!
Whatever you do, don’t trust the rates on Rent.net. They’re usually off by a couple hundred dollars a month, in my experience.
I’m just one of the swarm of ATL dopers, let me know if you need to know anything specific. I live out in the Roswell/Dunwoody area.
I don’t know how close you’ll be to Atlanta, but I’ll second craigslist.
You can also check the website of universities nearby, some schools have classifieds for available off-campus housing.
Thread revived by an advertiser – reported.
Is there any way you could avoid signing a lease on a place you haven’t seen in person?
Could you find a short-term place to stay (Craigslist sublet, Airbnb, Roomie, whatever), and then hunt for an apartment while living in your temporary place, after you’ve started your new job?
Note that the OP asked his question in 2003. One hopes that he’s found a place by now.
Moderator Note
Agreed. Let’s shut this one down.