How soon does she need to start looking for an apartment? Her start date is August 1. Where would you suggest she look for a place?
Congratulations! I live in suburban Madison (although not the Epic suburb, Verona). There are lots of apartments in Madison and the suburbs. Will your daughter have a car? If not, I suggest looking in or close to Verona or Madison’s far west side. Downtown Madison is increasingly trying to attract nonstudent renters. It’s a fun place to be.
Timing:
For each of my many job moves, I was given one month to find a home. But that also involved getting kids situated in a new school, getting a bank acct set up, finding a new doctor, buy/register a car, and other gazillion little things to get settled in a new community
Great first job!- son did it. Plus I’m from the area and he was a UW grad. I highly recommend starting out with a west side apartment near the West Towne Mall area since plenty of shopping (including groceries) and restaurants in that area. Son made the in town move from his campus area apartment when his lease expired. Better to be away from the campus area, plus a lot cheaper. Technically there is bus service to the Epic campus but having a car is needed- we checked on the bus schedules. Can also use bike paths to get to work. Usually free parking- some indoor (good for snowy weather) for far west side apartments. Plus undercover parking at Epic. Many newer complexes. She will meet a lot of other young people from both her area of expertise and others during the months long training. Son shared an apartment closer to work his second year with a guy he met there- we wondered why but the guy needed to save money for DO school and he traveled a lot. Living alone is a good idea. She should not attempt to find a roommate, especially a student whose schedule may be different.
Feel free to PM me with any questions about Madison, Epic, etc. Great place to live! Epic was a good employer for son- he learned a lot, made good money. Moved on to a CS job OOS later. We saw the Verona campus once- son gave us a Saturday tour, good environment. Easy commute, even in winter from the west side. I do not recommend downtown as one then needs to pass near the large campus area and its traffic. With the lakes there are no easy straight streets- it can be tricky. The Beltline highway is also very busy. She can always drive to State St and park in a city lot if she wants to experience the campus area.
Son lived in downtown and took the bus to Epic every day. He found his apt online a month or two before he moved there. It was a great experience and he saved a boatload of $$$. Wound up after two years with a chunky down payment for a house.
The young people at Epic I know live in downtown Madison (near the UW campus, State Street, Capitol) where all the fun, other young people, and convenience can be found, in some of the countless new luxury high rise apartment buildings.
My daughter is working at Epic, so feel free to PM me. Most leases turn over on Aug. 15 in Madison but she will still have options for finding one available in July. My daughter just signed a lease two weeks ago for an apartment becoming available Aug. 16, so this is the prime time for renting for August moves. She loves her first apartment (very nice place about a 20-minute walk to downtown, on the west side of the capitol) but is downgrading to be right downtown. She does not have a car and does not plan on ever getting one. She takes the bus to Epic.
She started in July last year and went in March to find a place. Over 700 people started at Epic on the day she did, so there were a lot of people needing apartments at the same time.
It’s a good first job and Epic treats its people well. My son ultimately didn’t care for the industry and left, but I think he learned a lot about getting along in a business environment.
Girl next door got a job with Epic 2 years ago. I believe she had 3-4 months to find an apartment. She opted to live in the downtown area (If you wish, I can ask her mom where). She has underground parking, a tiny balcony and a coffee shop/cafe across the street.
The hours are long and the travel can be extensive so when she is home, she enjoys having her own place away from work and away from the suburbs, yet in an area which makes it easy to meet up with friends for drinks/dinner.
My son has been working for Epic for 4 years. The campus is incredible, but it’s an intense place to work. I think my son used a facebook or Epic site that posted available apartments for sublet. He sublet a furnished place first, to get an idea of where he really wanted to live. I think Epic housed him in a hotel for a week or two until he could move in. He’s married now and they bought a house on the outskirts of Madison, near Epic. Madison is a great city.
Did he meet his wife at Epic?
Just drove past these 3 luxury high rise buildings this morning, all on West Johnson Street and just off State Street near the Overture:
The Lux (construction looks to be almost complete)
Domain
Ovation
He met his wife their freshman year of college, but they both worked at Epic. She doesn’t anymore-too intense for her.
Thanks to all for your help!
I guess choices for which part of town depend on the person. After graduation and no longer leading the student life it can be nice to be away from the campus area. Away from that area the August 15th housing change doesn’t apply. Son found he could rent for shorter than a year (but cheaper for the whole year instead of just a few months) with a first to the end of the month timing. Epic was intense so he wasn’t hitting the downtown/State St scene. Nicer to have a shorter commute- I was surprised he chose his second place closer to work and further from the stores by a few miles.
My Ds, as Peabodies’ D, have chosen to live right downtown. Though mine grew up a whole 10 minutes bike ride from downtown, when back for summer or this year for grad school, they want to live right there in the midst of the action. Though it goes for a premium, it is a good place to start to know the area. Most new Epic employees will gravitate there in off hours regardless. Later, wanting quiet or to buy a house, going elsewhere makes sense. The buses go from downtown to Epic.
Congrats to your D! Making the Epic grade is an affirmation of intelligence and good education.
Thanks everyone. There seem to be a large number of property management companies in Madison, many of which have mixed reviews. Any recommendations?
Whether to live downtown might also depend on whether you had that kind of experience either growing up or while at college. This is my D’s first time living where she dan actually walk to restaurants, shopping or a gym. So she has decided the closer the better.
Students can tell you plenty of faults with all of them. If you check the UW off campus housing webpage you will find apartment listings for all parts of Madison plus advice on apartment rentals. There is a tenants union et al. Things to check on include utilities- costs can vary depending on which part of a building one is in et al.
I just checked the UW website- they keep changing it! Used to be easier to get information, sigh. There is a campus area housing site with a resources guide- pdf that may be useful on a renter resources site. You can also Google the Madison tenant resource center for rights et al.