Need to find a new place remotely? Don’t panic!
Moving to a new city can be stressful, but it can be even more nerve-wracking when you have to find a roommate and secure housing remotely while you’re still in your current city. Figuring out which areas to live in, commute times, etc. can be solved today with a bit of online research tools (blogs, rating sites and google maps), but picking the right apartment can be quite challenging without being ‘on the ground’. For all of our out-of-towners that are planning to move to New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco or any other city, we’ve gathered some tips that will help you find your new home, without being physically present.
Video Chat is king
One easy way to simplify your move is to find a roommate that is also offering a vacant room. This will save you from having run around apartment hunting and signing a lease. But before joining someone else’s home you want to make sure you’ve done your homework, get familiar with the area and of course get to know your potential roommate and new home. We suggest to skip the texting and the online stalking and leverage any video chat tool. Be it FaceTime, Skype or WhatsApp, get acquainted with your new roommate as well as get a virtual tour of the apartment at the same time. Talking live with your potential new roommate will give you a better gage to see if you would mesh well, and also cover anything else that was missed during your message exchange online or via text.
Hire a real estate agent
If you need to find a new place, on your own or with a roommate but don’t really know where to start, then getting a real estate agent to help you might be a suitable solution (also make sure to read our blog on why hire a real estate broker). While not all agents will be willing to run around the city without you present, there are many that would. They can initially go over your move in date, preferences and budget and present to you what’s possible and available. Later they can either send you videos, photos or have you view the apartment in real-time via FaceTime. As an added benefit, you’ll be leveraging the knowledge and experience of someone that knows the city inside out. While it’s not as ideal as being there in the flesh, this is a great option to find a place without being there. Alternatively, you could set some viewings of your top apartment choices and arrive a few days earlier than your expected move. In most big cities, real estate deals tend to move fast.
Soft landing with a co-living room
Another option that is becoming more popular these days, is starting off at a co-living apartment. These are usually complexes or apartment buildings that offer flexible and individual leases, are fully furnished and include many amenities and perks (social events, free cleanings, and more). Starting off in a co-living apartment will ensure a really soft landing, where you don’t have to worry about a long term commitment or hauling furniture. But the best benefit is that you’ll have time to explore the city while you stay there and figure out where you’d like to live full time after that. Further, by co-living you’ll likely meet like-minded individuals, be it your roommates or neighbors, so you’ll be gaining a new social circle very quickly. Something that is invaluable when you’re new in town.
Leverage your network
If you already know someone in the city you intend to move to, it might be time to cash in a favor. Aside of local recommendations and tips, your family members, friends, former classmates or even future colleagues can help you in your search for a new place. You can get recommendations from your future employer or colleagues on areas that will be a good commute into work. They can also recommend the building or complex they live in which most likely fit your budget and desired area. You can leverage family members or friends to verify that the prospects that you found online, check out in reality. They can offer you an unbiased description on the area’s vibe, the actual size of your potential room (pictures sometimes lie), and most importantly, that the place actually exists. Which brings us to our next point.
Don’t get scammed
If you are trying to rent a place, without seeing it with your own eyes, or meeting the roommate, subleasor or landlord in person, please be extra careful and diligent. You are a prime target for a widely popular online scam. While some platforms are safer than others, there’s always scammers that manage to overcome whatever safeguards are put in place. Scammers today have become savvier, and they can have a robust social media account, a local telephone number and a valid address. That is why we recommend having a video chat while the other person is at his apartment and can prove to you that he is located in the actual address he is advertising (as opposed to being somewhere halfway around the world). At Diggz we employ robust tools and A.I. to detect and prevent scammers, but we still urge you to be careful. Don’t fall for any ‘too good to be true’ deals, or pay in advance using dodgy payment methods that cannot be reversed (i.e. Western Union, MoneyGram). If you have any doubts, please contact us and we can further advise you if we have any concerns with the potential roommate you’re talking to.
We hope that you find these tips helpful; If you are just starting your apartment search, don’t forget to check out the the rooms that are offered by roommates or new apartments for rent that are available on Diggz.
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