Advice on moving out of state?

[Kuhdaytee]

I'll be moving from California to Salisbury, Maryland this July. I'm planning on filling up my car and driving there, but I'm stressed about the whole process.

I'd prefer to live alone, but finding an apartment and all the furniture is worrying me. I don't have a large car, so I'm not sure how I would go about buying furniture and moving it to my apartment. Flying out to look at apartments is expensive, but looking online doesn't feel very reassuring to me. I've been looking at apartment complexes, and a lot of them don't offer 1 bedroom or studios.

Any advice would be helpful, really. Living with roommates would make this a lot easier, but I think I would be happier alone, at least for the first year until I can get to know my classmates better. Thanks for reading. 🙂

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[somo47]

My first question would be is there a Facebook group for your incoming class yet? If so, I would assume at least a handful are from the area and could give you good advice about reliable apartments/neighborhoods. I also wouldn't be surprised if someone living in the area would particularly mind driving by a potential apartment for you once you've found one you're ready to put a deposit down for.

If you really aren't able to get in contact with future classmates in the area, it's likely that if your program has undergraduate degrees as well they have an off campus housing center that could guide you to reliable real estate companies (or at least, not particularly UNreliable real estate companies!). I'm not sure if schools that only have graduate programs would have something similar, but it's worth calling and asking.

 

[89bogues]

You could look for something short term; a room to rent (with roommates) or some situation where you won't be locked in to a long term lease. That way you can get to know the area a little bit and take your time to find someplace more suitable to move into after your first semester or even sooner if you are not averse to moving during the semester (assuming this is for school).

Any family or friends in the area?

Edit: I would be very wary of entering any kind of agreement without seeing a place in person or at least having someone you know look at it for you. I've looked at some houses that looked good from the online pictures, but looked pretty run down in person.

 

[SwampPT]

I'll be moving from California to Salisbury, Maryland this July. I'm planning on filling up my car and driving there, but I'm stressed about the whole process.

I'd prefer to live alone, but finding an apartment and all the furniture is worrying me. I don't have a large car, so I'm not sure how I would go about buying furniture and moving it to my apartment. Flying out to look at apartments is expensive, but looking online doesn't feel very reassuring to me. I've been looking at apartment complexes, and a lot of them don't offer 1 bedroom or studios.

Any advice would be helpful, really. Living with roommates would make this a lot easier, but I think I would be happier alone, at least for the first year until I can get to know my classmates better. Thanks for reading. 🙂

I would talk to the secretary at your DPT program and ask which apartment complexes are popular with their students. They will certainty have a list. You could also talk to the student housing department, but the first option is a better choice. As for furniture, most places you buy furniture will deliver it to your apartment. Go somewhere like Value City.

 

[tweaze]

I'm moving too - from WA to AZ, and have the same worries on finding a place. Contacting the program/future classmates sounds like a good first step to me. I've had a friend suggest using a realtor, but I don't know how feasible that is - it doesn't seem like a consistently offered service, and could be pricy.


Anyone have advice on moving with pets? We have three cats, and I'm hesitant to fly them, as they are FIV+ and one is elderly.

 

[DesertPT]

Do not ever trust the condition of any rental based on what you see online.

Wherever you go, sign the absolute shortest lease you can without having to spend a fortune. You can always re-sign another longer lease if the first one works out, but if you sign a long one from the beginning and it ends up being a disaster, you're hosed.

I would definitely take the advice of calling the school and asking what info they have. If there is any way you can book as cheap a flight as possible and spend a weekend looking at several places, it would probably be worth it. Even if you end up somewhere you don't love, at least you will have the peace of mind of knowing you picked the king of the losers.

Later if you want to have roommates you should be able to find some. I highly recommend looking into renting a privately owned condo, it is generally a nicer situation overall than apartment complexes. If you could split a 2 bed condo with a roommate second year after living in a cheaper apartment first year, it might not be to bad. Just some thoughts...there are soooo many different ways to approach this and they all have their pros and cons.

Alternatively, get married and have a permanent roommate for life. Problem solved. 🙂 lol

 

[CBAforPT]

Like others have said, do not rent solely based on internet pictures! At least not if you have to do a long term lease, and even then only as a last resort. It isn't a bad idea to try to find a cheap flight to Maryland to check out apartments. A $400 flight might sound expensive, but if it saves you the hassle, cost, and time that dealing with a crummy apartment will cost you, it will be well worth it. If you can do that make sure to spend a few days finding apartments, condos, or houses to rent online beforehand and schedule a viewing for at least 4-6 viable options (more if you can find them). If you aren't able to do that, getting some word of mouth from future classmates may be the way to go. You may want to see if the PT secretary can put you in contact with any current students so that you can get their opinions or see if any have room (some programs have a PT ambassador or mentors who can give you advice on moving or other questions).

As far as sharing an apartment goes, I definitely understand wanting to live alone (I made sure I could find some single rooms all throughout my undergrad so that I could stay sane and get decent amounts of sleep), but it may be a good idea to try and find an apartment or condo with 2 single bedrooms that you can share with another PT or graduate student, especially if you are using Grad Plus loans to pay for your living expenses. The extra $$$ you will pay to live alone may end up being more than you expect, especially when you factor in utilities, maintenance, and the extra loans you will need for rent. In all of the schools I have visited there have been several PT students who mentioned living with other PT students and loving the experience. It may also make the move easier if you live with someone or at least know someone nearby (being the only one in the apartment or area= potentially lonely, scary move). Just an idea.

As far as furniture goes, I don't recommend trying to buy furniture in California and move it cross country. It will be much easier and cheaper to buy furniture in Maryland, or buy from a store that has branches in both California and Maryland so you can test the furniture beforehand. Many furniture stores have sales during holiday weekends (Memorial Day and Independence Day are both coming up) and you can get furniture for significantly cheaper. They may be willing to hold furniture for you and deliver it after you move. If you are ok with buying used, you can also look on Craigslist for moving or estate sales after you move. You may even be able to buy higher quality furniture if you buy used since low-cost options at furniture stores are often low-quality. If it takes you an extra week or two after moving to buy a kitchen table, chairs, or couches you will be fine. Just make sure to pack an air mattress or something you can sleep on so that you aren't sleeping on the floor for the first couple nights.

Best of luck! I am sure you will be fine!

 

[DesertPT]

All good advice from @CBAforPT. 👍

Consider the fact that half the cost of a 2 bed/2 bath will be cheaper than the entire cost of a one bed/one bath.

My spouse and I have had great luck with Craigslist furniture (wouldn't do it for a mattress, but great for a leather sofa set, dining room set, coffee table, etc.). If you are willing to spend some time and look at a bunch of people's stuff and not settle for anything too gross you can furniture that is in very good shape for less than half of what it costs new. Estate sales/old people moving into homes are some of the best finds. If you lined up a bunch of these purchases and then just rented a U Haul for a Saturday to get them all to your place that could work. A lot more work than just ordering from furniture stores obviously, but what could cost you $2000+ in a furniture store may only be $800-1000 lightly used.

 

[ptlover]

Just my two cents- I'm moving to Florida. I asked in the Facebook group for my DPT class, if anyone was looking for roommates. I then found 3 others I clicked with. It was the easiest because we can split the cost of furniture and household items. And whats nice is that we are all going to be studying etc. And there are 4 of us total so we should all have someone to get along with and coexist lol. I really like my roommates because they are so helpful. I flew down here this week to meet them, look for apartments,and visit the school. Its been awesome because it gives me a different perspective on the area. I also asked previous students on areas that were safe and what complexes to avoid etc. It was totally worth coming to vist because everything comes full circle and puts your mind at ease!

 

[DesertPT]

Anyone have advice on moving with pets? We have three cats, and I'm hesitant to fly them, as they are FIV+ and one is elderly.

Aren't you going to be driving your stuff down in a moving truck at some point, or no? Why do they have to fly?

 

[merebear]

I moved from California to South Carolina for undergrad. I did live in the dorms the first 2 years but my junior year I packed up my car and drove across country to move into an apartment. I live in a fully furnished apartment which was a great idea especially if you don't think you will be planning on staying in the area after school.

I know you say you don't want to live with roommates, and trust me after 4 years of roommates I understand, but in this situation it may be good. Especially moving to a new place. I didn't know a single person in South Carolina and of course I met people in my classes, and you will become friends with your class but roommates are nice to have sometimes.

As I am now about to move to Ohio for PT school, I am happy that I don't have any furniture or large possessions to move with me.

Good luck with your move, moving to a new place especially where you don't know anyone can be scaring but it was the best thing I've ever done!!

 

[Kuhdaytee]

Wow, thanks for all the amazing advice everyone!

This whole ordeal has been stressful because I realize that it'll be cheaper and easier to live with roommates, but there's that thought in the back of my mind that I might not get along with them, or that it would be nice to come back home after class to an apartment that is exactly how I want it to be. You guys are making me reconsider not living alone.

My class does have a Facebook group already, and several groups have offered to take an additional roommate, so I do have plenty of options if I decide to go that route. Pretty much the entire class is from Maryland, and many know current students, so I have asked their advice for some apartment suggestions. However, the popular places don't have one bedrooms. Signing a lease without seeing the place is a bad idea, so I would have asked some classmates to check it out for me...it just seems like a pain to find an apartment before visiting it myself, and flying out isn't really an option for me. Finding an apartment in college was so simple in retrospect.

I definitely was going to buy furniture once I got to Maryland haha I got all my college furniture from thrift stores and family members, but wasn't sure how I could transport larger items from the store to my future apartment. I did consider a Uhaul, but didn't realize that some stores will deliver for you.

I think I'm going to start talking to some of my classmates and see if I click with any of them. I can always move to a single once I'm in the area, and not having to find an apartment and furniture takes a lot of stress off my shoulders.

 

[SwampPT]

Do not ever trust the condition of any rental based on what you see online.

Wherever you go, sign the absolute shortest lease you can without having to spend a fortune. You can always re-sign another longer lease if the first one works out, but if you sign a long one from the beginning and it ends up being a disaster, you're hosed.

I would definitely take the advice of calling the school and asking what info they have. If there is any way you can book as cheap a flight as possible and spend a weekend looking at several places, it would probably be worth it. Even if you end up somewhere you don't love, at least you will have the peace of mind of knowing you picked the king of the losers.

Later if you want to have roommates you should be able to find some. I highly recommend looking into renting a privately owned condo, it is generally a nicer situation overall than apartment complexes. If you could split a 2 bed condo with a roommate second year after living in a cheaper apartment first year, it might not be to bad. Just some thoughts...there are soooo many different ways to approach this and they all have their pros and cons.

Alternatively, get married and have a permanent roommate for life. Problem solved. 🙂 lol

Spirit airlines is dirt cheap.

 

[tweaze]

Aren't you going to be driving your stuff down in a moving truck at some point, or no? Why do they have to fly?

Yes, at some point. I should have been more clear. We briefly considered shipping our stuff, and that is when flying was a possibility. I'm mostly concerned about keeping them comfortable through a long drive when a short drive is usually cause for extreme hysterics.

My spouse and I have had great luck with Craigslist furniture (wouldn't do it for a mattress, but great for a leather sofa set, dining room set, coffee table, etc.). If you are willing to spend some time and look at a bunch of people's stuff and not settle for anything too gross you can furniture that is in very good shape for less than half of what it costs new. Estate sales/old people moving into homes are some of the best finds. If you lined up a bunch of these purchases and then just rented a U Haul for a Saturday to get them all to your place that could work. A lot more work than just ordering from furniture stores obviously, but what could cost you $2000+ in a furniture store may only be $800-1000 lightly used.

We've also had good luck with Craigslist - bookcases, desk, dressers. It does require more patience, (and caution with meeting up with strangers from the internet in a city new to you...) but you can save quite a bit of money and get nice furniture for not too much (or cheap furniture for almost nothing or free).

 

[The_Trainer]

Some schools have a "off campus housing" database that rentors use to list rooms. You can usually find it through the school website.

I found using this to be particularly helpful because the apartments were all close to campus, and the rentors are looking specifically for graduate students / faculty, so the living space tends to be a lot nicer than beat up undergrad apartments or a frat house. (which I've also lived in, and trust me you do not )

 

[Kuhdaytee]

Some schools have a "off campus housing" database that rentors use to list rooms. You can usually find it through the school website.

I found using this to be particularly helpful because the apartments were all close to campus, and the rentors are looking specifically for graduate students / faculty, so the living space tends to be a lot nicer than beat up undergrad apartments or a frat house. (which I've also lived in, and trust me you do not )

Mmmm I didn't know that schools did that. My school is in a really small town, so everyone lives in the nearby town that has another university. I'll check out their website and see if they have anything, thanks!

 

[atcdpt]

Check out the apps trulia and Zillow. Those were really helpful for housing!

 

[Kuhdaytee]

This is a related subject and I don't want to make a new thread, but what's your opinion on living with those in your class vs. those who are in the 2nd/3rd year of the program?