I Like To Move It, Move It
Honestly, I don't like moving at all. In fact, I hate it. Statistically speaking, moving is one of the most stressful life experiences most people can have, falling somewhere after death and taxes on the list of "Things People Really Would Like To Avoid!"
But since I just suffered through it recently, I thought I would share some of the ways I made it easier on myself (and others) and the things I plan on avoiding next time. You can thank me later (by helping me the next time I move).
What I Learned on My Summer Vacation
How to and not to move in 10,000 characters or less
As I mentioned in my introduction, I recently made a cross country move. Basically, I was offered the job of my dreams in Washington, DC. One little problem: I was actually living in Houston, Texas. That might not sound like too much of an issue, except for the fact that I had a total of three weeks to find an apartment across the country, pack up everything I own (plus two cats), and find a way to get myself there without going broke or losing my mind.
I still have a little money left over and I am sure they will let me out of this institution very soon, so as you can see, I was very successful.
I was lucky enough to have friends and family to help me out, but there were some web-based resources that came in extremely handy. I spent hours and days and weeks sorting through them, so I figured sharing them so *you* wouldn't have to would be the least I could do! Plus, I'll share some extra special tips I learned after making my own very not-fun mistakes.
Finding an Apartment
This is probably the hardest thing to do from a thousand miles away. I was lucky enough to have a friend in DC already who could visit places for me and give me the *real* truth about what I was getting myself into. You might not have that luxury, so using these sites is probably even more important before you make your decision.
Craigslist - Yes, you really can find everything you want on Craigslist. If you are moving to a big city, there really isn't a better place to browse. It's free for the posters and ridiculously easy to use, so you'll find the biggest variety. There are always going to be scammers, but the CL community is pretty good picking them out of the crowd and getting rid of them.
The most important lesson I learned in my search is DO NOT WAIT! If you see an apartment you like, call/e-mail/drive over/give up your first born as soon as you can because if you don't, some stupid jerk is doing to rent it out from under you. I can't tell you how many times I found the *perfect* place only to find out that 87 people were already on the waiting list or that it had been rented three minutes before I managed to call about it. Check every day for new stuff and pounce as soon as you see something you like.
Rent.com - While renting a cute little studio in the art district might be your dream, when you are moving across country, find a nice, reliable complex to move into is a lot easier. At least it was for me. Yes, they lack character but a lot of them are looking to fill every nook and cranny, so they tend to offer more deals and lower prices than your rent-by-owners. Rent.com is a good place to start looking. I list them mostly because they did actually send me a $100 gift card for putting their name down as a referral on my lease. You can also use Apartment Guide, Move.com or Apartments.com. In fact, I suggest you use all of them. If you find a place you are interested in, search for it on all the sites and see which one has the lowest price listed and make sure to note that. You should also call the complexes directly because a lot of times they are offering better deals than any of the sites are showing. Even if you think something is a little out of your price range, it can't hurt to call. You might end up with a better deal. Plus, you can still put Rent.com down and get your $100 like I did. Yes, it took four months and it's actually in the form of a Visa gift card but still. Money is money!
Extra Special Tip - Get a recent copy of your credit report! Most places charge a fee when you put in an application and they generally require it to cover the cost of getting the report themselves. You may be able to get out of paying it every time if you have a copy of your report you can share with them. Plus, it's good to know where your credit rating is before you march off to find a place. You don't want any nasty credit surprises keeping you from finding a place to live.
Not Missing Your Favorite TV Shows/Phone Calls/E-mails, etc.
For most people, moving priorities include new furniture, scoping out the neighborhood, stuff like that. For me, it was all about making sure my cable, phone and Internet service were ON ON ON as fast as possible. I can eat dinner off of a cardboard box while sitting on the floor but there better be some TV for me to watch and a way for me to check my e-mail, or there are going to be problems.
Of course, no one enjoys dealing with Big Phone Companies or Evil Cable Empires but we do what we have to do. This can be kind of difficult if you are moving to a completely new area. You may not even know what is available. I found a few sites that were helpful in getting the *really* important things set up.
WhiteFence.com - This site is pretty simple. Put in your new address and it shows you the stuff that's available. TV, phone, Internet, electricity, whatever. You can also use it to get hooked up to the services as well, if you don't like calling all around. Either way, it's a good starting point to see what the big companies are in your area. For instance, I found out it was either Comcast for me or nothing because I had no balcony to stick a satellite dish on. So it was easy to make that decision and get an appointment set up around the time I was moving in to keep the wait down a bit. Of course, you still have to deal with the actual company that you are buying the service from, so make sure to stay on your toes about when the appointment is supposed to happen, or you may get stuck staring at the wall instead of your fancy new cable service. Their home service blog was also helpful, as it features moving tips and the like. I added it to that fancy RSS feed down there for your browsing pleasure.
Consumerist.com - Once you have found companies available, you can check out this site to see the absolutely positively worst thing about each of them to decide what the lesser of your evils you should choose. I cannot stress enough to take this site with a grain of salt because, wow, are they cranky. However, it's a good way to see what some companies are consistently doing wrong and choose accordingly. I also checked out CNet Reviews on Internet services before making my final decision.
Extra Special Tip - Before you lock into contracts to get a great deal, see what might be coming soon in your neighborhood. For instance, I choose Comcast for that Triple Play deal but now I see Verizon FIOS is moving into my building soon. If you are moving into a complex, the leasing office can be a good resource to find out. If they think it's going to get you in faster, they will tell you whatever it is you want to hear. But there will be truth buried in the sell.
Coming Soon: They Will Move It, Move It For You versus The Do It Yourself Shuffle.
I still have a little money left over and I am sure they will let me out of this institution very soon, so as you can see, I was very successful.
I was lucky enough to have friends and family to help me out, but there were some web-based resources that came in extremely handy. I spent hours and days and weeks sorting through them, so I figured sharing them so *you* wouldn't have to would be the least I could do! Plus, I'll share some extra special tips I learned after making my own very not-fun mistakes.
Finding an Apartment
This is probably the hardest thing to do from a thousand miles away. I was lucky enough to have a friend in DC already who could visit places for me and give me the *real* truth about what I was getting myself into. You might not have that luxury, so using these sites is probably even more important before you make your decision.
Craigslist - Yes, you really can find everything you want on Craigslist. If you are moving to a big city, there really isn't a better place to browse. It's free for the posters and ridiculously easy to use, so you'll find the biggest variety. There are always going to be scammers, but the CL community is pretty good picking them out of the crowd and getting rid of them.
The most important lesson I learned in my search is DO NOT WAIT! If you see an apartment you like, call/e-mail/drive over/give up your first born as soon as you can because if you don't, some stupid jerk is doing to rent it out from under you. I can't tell you how many times I found the *perfect* place only to find out that 87 people were already on the waiting list or that it had been rented three minutes before I managed to call about it. Check every day for new stuff and pounce as soon as you see something you like.
Rent.com - While renting a cute little studio in the art district might be your dream, when you are moving across country, find a nice, reliable complex to move into is a lot easier. At least it was for me. Yes, they lack character but a lot of them are looking to fill every nook and cranny, so they tend to offer more deals and lower prices than your rent-by-owners. Rent.com is a good place to start looking. I list them mostly because they did actually send me a $100 gift card for putting their name down as a referral on my lease. You can also use Apartment Guide, Move.com or Apartments.com. In fact, I suggest you use all of them. If you find a place you are interested in, search for it on all the sites and see which one has the lowest price listed and make sure to note that. You should also call the complexes directly because a lot of times they are offering better deals than any of the sites are showing. Even if you think something is a little out of your price range, it can't hurt to call. You might end up with a better deal. Plus, you can still put Rent.com down and get your $100 like I did. Yes, it took four months and it's actually in the form of a Visa gift card but still. Money is money!
Extra Special Tip - Get a recent copy of your credit report! Most places charge a fee when you put in an application and they generally require it to cover the cost of getting the report themselves. You may be able to get out of paying it every time if you have a copy of your report you can share with them. Plus, it's good to know where your credit rating is before you march off to find a place. You don't want any nasty credit surprises keeping you from finding a place to live.
Not Missing Your Favorite TV Shows/Phone Calls/E-mails, etc.
For most people, moving priorities include new furniture, scoping out the neighborhood, stuff like that. For me, it was all about making sure my cable, phone and Internet service were ON ON ON as fast as possible. I can eat dinner off of a cardboard box while sitting on the floor but there better be some TV for me to watch and a way for me to check my e-mail, or there are going to be problems.
Of course, no one enjoys dealing with Big Phone Companies or Evil Cable Empires but we do what we have to do. This can be kind of difficult if you are moving to a completely new area. You may not even know what is available. I found a few sites that were helpful in getting the *really* important things set up.
WhiteFence.com - This site is pretty simple. Put in your new address and it shows you the stuff that's available. TV, phone, Internet, electricity, whatever. You can also use it to get hooked up to the services as well, if you don't like calling all around. Either way, it's a good starting point to see what the big companies are in your area. For instance, I found out it was either Comcast for me or nothing because I had no balcony to stick a satellite dish on. So it was easy to make that decision and get an appointment set up around the time I was moving in to keep the wait down a bit. Of course, you still have to deal with the actual company that you are buying the service from, so make sure to stay on your toes about when the appointment is supposed to happen, or you may get stuck staring at the wall instead of your fancy new cable service. Their home service blog was also helpful, as it features moving tips and the like. I added it to that fancy RSS feed down there for your browsing pleasure.
Consumerist.com - Once you have found companies available, you can check out this site to see the absolutely positively worst thing about each of them to decide what the lesser of your evils you should choose. I cannot stress enough to take this site with a grain of salt because, wow, are they cranky. However, it's a good way to see what some companies are consistently doing wrong and choose accordingly. I also checked out CNet Reviews on Internet services before making my final decision.
Extra Special Tip - Before you lock into contracts to get a great deal, see what might be coming soon in your neighborhood. For instance, I choose Comcast for that Triple Play deal but now I see Verizon FIOS is moving into my building soon. If you are moving into a complex, the leasing office can be a good resource to find out. If they think it's going to get you in faster, they will tell you whatever it is you want to hear. But there will be truth buried in the sell.
Coming Soon: They Will Move It, Move It For You versus The Do It Yourself Shuffle.
WhiteFence Home Services Guide
Homes Services Tips
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byNew Guestbook
Like this lens? Want to share your feedback, or just give a thumbs up? Be the first to submit a blurb!
