<p>Your son should also consider contacting alums of his current school. (Based on prior posts…he’s at a Boston area LAC? Their Career services site indicates that there is a alumni network ) While many of these networks are career oriented, and your son already has a job, the same people would probably be very willing to offer suggestions on good/bad neighborhoods etc.</p>
<p>Many schools alsohave local alum clubs that are located througout the country. ( For example: [Tufts</a> University - Tufts Alumni Association](<a href=“Home | Tufts Alumni”>Home | Tufts Alumni) ) Contacting the leader of the club, if there’s one in the area he’s moving to, would also provide a good resource for local information. (Many of these clubs also have Young alumnae groups that have some great social events…a good way to get to know people in a new city)</p>
<p>2boys, I LOVE that suggestion! As you said, it is a great way to make new friends in the area as well as to get advice from people who already live there.</p>
<p>And I don’t know about his HS friends, but my S has reconnected with HS friends who’ve moved post-college to the cities where he has relocated. They have been really helpful in providing advice and information about where to live, shop, eat, play etc. He’s even been able to take advantage of their hospitality while looking for apartments. Case in point, he’ll be couch surfing this week while he starts work and waits for his March 1 lease to begin!</p>
<p>When my son went to California for his internship he used Craigs list in finding a room. I would recommend that your son first find a room to rent cheaply for the short term. That will allow him to scout out the area for longer term arrangements and perhaps find a roommate to share expenses with. The last thing he would want is to sign a year lease and find out a month later that it was a mistake or that there were better living options for him. </p>
<p>Our ds is planning to do this for grad school later this year.</p>
<p>D now in St Louis wishes there was an IKEA available.She’s used Target, thrift stores,Craigslist for furniture.Also bought a brand new “real” sofa …her first major adult purchase! H &I bought her a new bed in the local St Louis equiv of Sleepy’s and had it delivered.</p>
<p>My D furnished her apartment with garage sale items where she didn’t pay more than $20 for any single item and in most cases the quality and value were way above what one can buy new at Ikea/Target. There are also sometimes some ‘free’ items available at larger apartment complexes when someone wants to move and get rid of their old couch or something. In a college area where people live off-campus, there are usually lots of free to very low cost items to be had as students move on and get rid of their stuff. To start with, think light and portable. The airbed helps (if he likes it okay) and rattan furniture is also lightweight, easy to move, and very durable.</p>
<p>Since your S is fresh out of college he may want to check into living in an area that’s adjacent to a university in his new town. This area will likely be filled with people of his same age group, have many people looking for roommates, and have activities he might be interested in. </p>
<p>He should be able to ask his employer where ‘most people live’ and the merits of the different locations including proximity to work, safety, desirable area, etc. He can also do a lot of research on the internet as to what the different areas are like. Realtor.com, apartmentguide.com and others have some useful info. I think realtor.com has a function to display stats of particular areas. Hint - the top public schools are usually located in the nicest areas. However, your S might be more comfortable in a college area with a lot of students and recent grads than in some ritzy area (even if he could afford it).</p>
<p>And don’t forget to use Google Earth and Microsoft Live local to actually ‘see’ what particular areas look like. It can tell a lot.</p>
<p>So runnersmom, how did the living arrangements work out in DC? Will your son be staying on with those roommates? How about his job? Mine has just today responded to three house-shares in a town nearby to where he’ll be working come Labor Day. Although I still haven’t visited the area, I’m relying on the input of a realtor who’s a relative of a relative. She recommended this particular location for young professionals. Sunday DS and I will head out to IKEA, Target or some such place to start our search for a bedroom setup. The whole uncertainty has been weighing more heavily on my mind than his (no surprise; hence my screen name).</p>
<p>Worrywart - well, my S has been happily living in DC since late February. He is living in a 6 bedroom group house that he found on Craigslist and is contemplating moving out to be able to move in with his HS friends. IF he moves, and its a big IF, it will only be to be with these friends. His group share has been very successful. He likes the roommates, the landlord, the location and most if all, the house! He likes his job, and he likes living in DC.</p>
<p>But back to the original topic…his house (and room) came furnished. We did take him to Ikea the weekend we went to visit because his room did not have a dresser. Since he had just recently (when he moved to LA for his first post-grad job in August) put an Ikea dresser together, he just bought the same model he had bought (and sold!) in LA. He joked that if all else failed he could hire himself out putting Ikea furniture together.</p>
<p>Always good to have a sideline You make a good point. Until my S settles upon a place, I guess it’s premature to purchase any furniture. It’s possible some of it will already be in place. But how about kitchen stuff? When you move into a house in which others are already living, presumably they’ve already got pots and pans, etc. Is the newcomer welcome to use those usually? I can’t imagine that everyone has his own set of duplicate stuff like potato peelers and SOS pads.</p>
<p>In my S’s group share the kitchen is fully stocked, though by whom I’m not sure. His landlord is a relatively young guy who invested in and renovated some DC houses and rents them out. The only kitchen items my S brought were his favorite knives and his bamboo steamer. They all share whatever dishes, glassware and cooking utensils are in the kitchen, but have their own shelves in the refrigerator. It’s not communal (though some are), but they seem to share a lot.</p>
<p>Worrywart- If your son is lucky enough to live in one of the Not For Tourists Guide cities (just do a google search for Not For Tourists or NFT) then he can get a good idea of what neighborhoods are like, and where the local megamarts and coffee places and video rental places are. These guides are collaborative projects, updated every year. The full guides are available online.</p>
<p>NFT Cities are:
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Los Angeles
New York
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington DC</p>
<p>I’m really hoping that they come out with a Houston one soon. I loved my Los Angeles edition.</p>
<p>My D is moving to Chicago for grad school next month. She and new roommate (met via facebook) used an apt agent with good results.
I was completely surprised to learn that Chicago rentals (at least the ones we saw) didn’t require a month’s rent in advance. The total deposit for a two bedroom apt in a highrise was $300. I was shocked and pleased.</p>
<p>Once D had settled on her new school and city, the first book I bought her was one of those nifty NFT guides for Chicago. She’s already used it multiple times and doesn’t even live there yet. Great little guidebook that’s perfect for newly arriving residents.</p>
You make a good point. Until my S settles upon a place, I guess it’s premature to purchase any furniture. It’s possible some of it will already be in place. But how about kitchen stuff? When you move into a house in which others are already living, presumably they’ve already got pots and pans, etc. Is the newcomer welcome to use those usually? I can’t imagine that everyone has his own set of duplicate stuff like potato peelers and SOS pads.</p>