Moving is always something to not be taken lightly, whether you are moving to the end of the road or another country. One of my lovely friends is moving to Philadephia in the USA for a new job and I have been helping her make arrangements. I thought I would talk you through her journey. She has managed to get a huge promotion at work and this has also enabled her to take the biggest leap of her life and move to the USA. This is her dream come true and she is very nervous and excited to move on to the next chapter in her life and career.
Of course, you need to sort out all the visa arrangements for moving to the USA but today we are going to talk about how to find the right apartment when you are making a big move and what you need to think about and why.
Finances
This one is the big one you need to think about and work out your finances. Having your finances in order and working out how much you can afford to spend on your apartment is really important. You need to be realistic with your budgeting. If you like to have an active social life then you need to budget for that. You need to really sit down and work out what you can afford per month and what is realistic. It is really important to not over budget here you should leave yourself with money to save every month in case of an emergency.
Where to find your rental.
You need to make sure you find a good rental company to help you on your search for your perfect apartment. After doing extensive research on online apartment search resources in Philadelphia we decided that Zumper is by far the best option for her.
What is Zumper?
It is an online search resource where you can find everything from houses, condos to apartments for rent. They only have the best inventory of rental listings and they work in real-time so you can check for new listings at any time. Plus this makes them the first place to get a listing and you can see them online first and this gives you the best chance of finding your dream property before anyone else.
Zumper are used but millions of people in the USA to find their perfect home and they have lots of great reviews too. They also offer real-time alerts too. You can filter these alerts via location, price, bedroom pet friendly and amenities. We set this up and it was so simple. We now get to see the listing as soon as they are on the site.
Zumper offers online Submit digital rental applications and credit reports with Zumper's screening service, powered by TransUnion making them a fantastic choice.
Decide Where You Want to Rent?
After we found the right place to search for a listing it was time to make the hard choices. What does she want in an apartment? This is really important and you have to be a bit ruthless to make the right decision. My friend is single and has decided she wants a minimum of two bedrooms, near her work but also near a park for her runs and she wants to be in a safe but lively area. She would also prefer it if it was pet friendly as she would like a small dog as a companion. All of this is within her budget and she would like a nice view. You need to have an element of flexibility and open-mindedness when you are searching for the right apartment.
Viewings
These are super important. She has had a work friend from her new office look at a couple of listings and rule them out for her. She is due to fly out and look herself in a week. It is really important to go and look at the apartment before you do any deals. This is where you will be living and photos can be deceiving. I always recommend really looking at a property and trying to get viewing at a busy time so you can hear the noise levels of the apartments. I also recommend turning on the shower and checking water pressure there is nothing worse than a bad shower is there.
Check the T and C's
The terms and conditions are really important when you sign any contract. There are too many people who will sign, not read the contract and then learn to regrate it. You need to take time and ask questions if you do not understand something and equally, if you are not happy then you can ask for amendments. Make sure you are clear about deposits and what is expected if you stay in the apartment longer term. You need to check things like wear and tear. There should be a natural expectation that nothing lasts forever and this is a two-way street. Never sign a contract you are unhappy with this is after all one of the biggest decisions you will make.
I hope this has helped you find a new rental apartment.
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