<p>Please don’t laugh but I’ve lived in the same house since I got married so I have no experience with this. Son has just accepted an out-of-state job after graduation and I don’t know where to begin to help him locate an apartment, roommate, furnishings, etc. He plans to start by asking future employer for help. Was told at second interview that many associates room together. Not even sure if it’s a good idea to room with a colleague. In any case, want to have a backup plan. Is it safe to find a roommate on Craigs list or other website? How do you find an apartment in an unfamiliar city? How do you have enough furnishings delivered on day 1 to at least have a bed and a couch? How do you find a dentist? An insurance agent? Help!</p>
<p>Perhaps he would like to get to know his housing options through the employer. If it is too soon, maybe he can rent a room month to month for bit. I remember some of my friends right out of college did this. One went into an apartment which was more of a month to month situation (came furnished, kind of like an extended stay hotel with kitchen), but a couple of others rented rooms that people were leasing out of their homes. They made sure that they had use of the kitchen and laundry. They ended up living in that situation for a while and they were happy. One homeowner worked evenings and slept during the day. My friend never even saw her. She was single, did not have children and just needed money. My other friend lived with a family of four and the mother of the household cooked for him if he wanted to eat with them. He sometimes ate with them at the dinner table and he paid her for those meals at the end of the week. She even offered to do his laundry for a fee. This would not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they are options you might not have thought of. It would give your son time to get to know where he would really like to settle, and he could tavel light for a few months by renting a room.</p>
<p>A furnished apartment was hubby’s suggestion but I hadn’t thought of a room in a house. Thanks for the thought.</p>
<p>No laughter from this quarter. We can’t know what we don’t know! </p>
<p>I have a young friend whose first job out of college was as a political operative, so he had to relocate frequently. His parents gave him an aerobed as a gift. He had a folding table, a couple of folding chairs, a TV set, and minimal kitchen stuff. All his stuff fit into his Prius, and he managed to live like this for 2 years. That may not be your son’s idea of a good time, but it does indicate that one doesnt need that much to start. The items mentioned above take care of the bare necessities and are easily transportable if he is driving, or easily obtained once he arrives. He could fill in from there.</p>
<p>We’ve got an aerobed so I guess problem solved :)</p>
<p>When my brother was in grad school he rented his furniture for 6 mos. at a time. This worked out, but one of the pieces of furniture had an uncovered needle (could have been used for street drugs, insulin, who knows etc.) in it! Be very careful if buying used or rented furniture, or renting a furnished place. Fortunately my brother saw it before he was stuck by the needle. He called the place he rented from and it was quickly resolved.</p>
<p>It would be helpful to know the destination city. </p>
<p>My DD has had good luck with apts and roommates from Craigslist in NYC. She and her roommate held and “open house” for about 2 hours and had 60 people to talk to. They asked for CVs and references and chatted with each person. Newest roommate is a young man from Europe who DD has known for several years. The timing was perfect and he had help from DD to know how to get the bed delivered, where the best laundry/cleaner was, etc. </p>
<p>I don’t think it would be a bad idea to share an apt with a colleague. Much like having a college roommate unless the lifestyles are such that it may affect the workplace. </p>
<p>Every time we have moved to a new city, our insurance has gone with us. Dentists and doctors are usually found through referral from co-workers who have the same medical insurance coverage.</p>
<p>everyone of your son’s age uses Craigslist.My friends S (age 24) just used it to find a sublet in Manhattan,the room came mostly furnished. The rest of the apt was furnished from the other residents.My D used it in Phoenix to find her senior year roomate situation a few years back.They even use it to buy furniture.
1-800 Mattress is nationwide and will deliver the same day if S doesnt like the couple of days on the aerobed idea until he can look around for furnishings.</p>
<p>You did use the word “city” and as such I’d also recommend Craigslist. If you
don’t trust that or want other confirmation you can easily use a rental agent. Basically finding housing is the process of deciding proximity, ease of transport and price you want to pay. I have accomplished this several times w/
good results. As for finding professional services…that too isn’t difficult. One source is alum connections…older college alums and be sure to check
on professional status and complaints against…basic stuff. As for rental furniture…hmmm. Most folks I know buy Ikea and leave it behind. Costs less and delivery is almost always available. Your use of the term “city” is somewhat problematic here. Talking Boston/NYC/LA might be very different
than say St Louis or Kansas City.</p>
<p>Hazmat, I agree that Ikea is the better way to go than renting furniture.</p>
<p>I guess I just don’t get the concept of rental furniture. I mean cheap at IKEA and sell it on Craigs if you move…or as I said…leave it behind. Great minds
think alike.</p>
<p>Just went through the same thing with my son. After graduating from college, he accepted a job offer in a totally unfamiliar city. Since an old college roommate also lived in the city, my son moved in with him for a week while he checked out rooms he found on Craigslist. He located a room payable by the month on a Friday and I drove up on Sunday with bare-minimum room furnishings. (Many rooms he looked at were furnished.) He started his job on Monday. </p>
<p>He had three roommates-all of them grad students-and had no problems at all living with them.</p>
<p>My son used the next few months to explore the city and decide where he wanted to live. His old college roommate’s lease was up at the end of the three months, so they decided to find a new apartment together. They scoured Craigslist every day and contacted local realtors, as well. After visiting a couple dozen apartments, they finally found the perfect apartment on Craigslist. They couldn’t be happier.</p>
<p>As for doctors, dentists, etc., I recommend that your son examine his medical plan at work to see which doctors are preferred providers. He can then ask his work colleagues for recommendations. If he needs specialists, ask his previous doctors for recommendations.</p>
<p>My son found his rental insurance through an internet search.</p>
<p>What an exciting time for your son! I know things will work out just fine. Good luck!</p>
<p>Terrific advice mapesy. I plan to print it out. Glad your son has adjusted so easily.</p>
<p>Every medium-sized city has an apartment guide of some kind (usually several different ones). Fortunately, you can retrieve such information on-line in many cases. Also, you can view classified ads online sometimes. Find out what the city newspaper(s) is/are. Go to their website(s). In the past I have also contacted local real estate agents who can help you find a place to lease (they can even drive you around and give you a tour of the area while looking at different apartments). Ask fellow employees to recommend doctors, dentists, insurance agents, etc. In the short term extended stay hotels work well while checking the area out. The major hotel chains have brands like “TownHouse by Marriott” or ___Suites, etc. Furnished apartments are an option as well.</p>
<p>D too has had ultra-success using craigslist (dot ORG, not com) to find a furnished room when she moved to NYC last fall. She shares a large apartment with 3 others (each has their own room). She’s quite happy with the arrangement. None of the roommates has become “friends” but their living space has worked out for them all. I’ve been to the apartment, it’s nice and the others in it seem calm and laid back, and of all different ages (my D is actually the youngest).</p>
<p>Like all things internet, the seeker MUST use extra caution and care to not give out too much information at the onset, try to “meet” via telephone first, and ask just as many questions of the other party as would be asked of you. And ALWAYS get terms and conditions of rental (even if just a room) in writing, ALWAYS get receipts for rent paid (and hold on to them), and NEVER pay cash. A cashier’s check or money order works the same. And I’ll repeat, ALWAYS get a receipt for ANY money that changes hands, at the time the money exchanges.</p>
<p>One word of advice regarding medical recommendations from colleagues: Make sure your son is enrolled in the same medical plan. Many large corporations offer more than one medical option to employees. (My son’s employer offers 12 different options!) If someone enrolled in a different medical plan recommends a doctor to your son, it’s possible the doctor is a preferred provider in the recommender’s plan, but not in your son’s plan.</p>
<p>Also thought I’d mention our original plans regarding my son’s relocation. Before we realized his old roommate also lived in the new city, we planned to get him a hotel room for a few days until he could secure a pay-by-month room in a house. We researched extended stay hotels, but found them much too expensive for our budget. </p>
<p>Once our son found a room, he planned to get the word out at work that he was looking for a roommate, as well as to check out the “roommate wanted” ads on Craigslist. As a last resort, he planned to utilize the website “Roommate Connection”, which charges a fee.</p>
<p>As for his apartment search, local newspaper ads were of no use. My son called on a couple of apartments he found there, but the ads were outdated and the apartments were no longer available. He found that Craigslist offers a more current and much larger database of available apartments than the local newspaper. As a matter of fact, many local realtors advertise their available apartments on Craigslist. </p>
<p>Apartment guides might be helpful in a small- to medium-sized city, but they aren’t as useful in a larger city unless your son is specifically looking for an apartment complex in the suburbs or a high-rise apartment in the city. In my son’s case, the high-rise apartments were much too expensive with his starting salary as a new-hire.</p>
<p>Most importantly, tell your son to really think about how he wants to live. Does he have a car? If he lives in the suburbs, would he mind a commute? Is public transportation available? Does he want to live in an area with other young people? Does he want to be able to walk to restaurants, etc.?</p>
<p>My son’s roommate made the mistake of leasing an apartment in the suburbs when he originally took his job in the city. The apartment was gorgeous–brand new, spacious, granite kitchen, pool and tennis courts, etc. His commute, however, was over an hour each way using public transportation. He had to leave his house very early in the morning to get to work, and if went out after work with friends, he had to leave early to make sure to catch the last train back. When his lease was up, he was thrilled to move back to the city!</p>
<p>My oldest D lives in Boston and graduated from Tufts. She and her roommates have had great luck using Craigslist to find apartments and/or rooms in both Medford (while in school) and in Boston (after graduation).</p>
<p>My S tried Craigslist when he moved initially to LA after college, without much luck. He found an apartment through a family connection and was able to have a college acquaintance move in with him. They furnished the apartment using a combination of Ikea, thriftshops, Craigslist and “the shop on the curb!” Fast forward 4 months, he’s been laid off (real estate business), hates LA and decides to move home (other coast) to look for the next job. Roommate stays, takes over the lease, and buys the common furniture and S sells the rest via, you got it, Craigslist! Packed up the car and drove cross-country. He’s lived here 3 months and will be relocating on Sunday to DC for his new job. He spent 5 days in DC looking at apartments and group house shares found on Craigslist while couch surfing with friends. He met and “interviewed” with the residents of several group shares and decided to take a 6 month lease in the one he liked best that liked him best! The house is already furnished so he is moving with clothes and computer alone. He’ll be living in the District, so he’s planning on scoping out the parking situation and coming home to get his car and bikes when he has it figured out. First move seemed overwhelming and daunting…this second move has happened quite easily and smoothly. I just think they’re really flexible at this age when it comes to living arrangements. And with a 6 month lease where the others are already in place the utility issue is a non-issue and if it doesn’t work out he’ll be looking for a better situation for August. We just asked him to keep safety in mind, since this is one who has a tendency to live “on the edge.” I guess our motto is, in some cities Craigslist works, in others it doesn’t. It helps a lot if you have a sense of the city and the neighborhoods that you might want to live in. Once you have a place to live, almost all furniture and living necessities can be had at Ikea and Target! Best of luck to your son.</p>
<p>Thanks, runnersmom and all who have posted such helpful ideas. After having moved him into off-campus housing for the past two years, I appreciate all that IKEA and Target have to offer the budget-conscious. What concerns me is not having any familiarity with the area to which he’s moving and not knowing which neighborhoods are desirable for 20-somethings. I’m hoping he’s able to get that type of info from his employer.</p>
<p>worrywart,</p>
<p>If you don’t mind posting the city he’ll be living in, perhaps some wise CC parents may have some intel on the neighborhoods, safety etc.</p>