How to find a new house for dental school

[DDSWant2B]

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Hey guys,

I am a long time follower of this forum but I wanted to post for the first time. I recently got accepted to a school which is about 1000 miles from home (WI). I have also always lived in apartments but I want to move into a house. What do people do to find houses at their new dental school destination? I feel like I am so overwhelmed with moving my family and getting ready for the grind, I don't know where to begin. Any advice is welcome...

Thanks
Pete

 

[mahfouz]

Hey guys,

I am a long time follower of this forum but I wanted to post for the first time. I recently got accepted to a school which is about 1000 miles from home (WI). I have also always lived in apartments but I want to move into a house. What do people do to find houses at their new dental school destination? I feel like I am so overwhelmed with moving my family and getting ready for the grind, I don't know where to begin. Any advice is welcome...

Thanks
Pete

I would probably start with Craigslist and also see if university housing will accomodate family. Since you have a family you probably want to start early and make sure the area you are moving to is family friendly.

 

[txlotusboys37]

Depending on the age of your children, I would look at the quality of the school district(s) that are near the dental school. Then I would look for houses within the school district that you want. So, you may want to find a realtor down there that can help you find houses in your price range and the type of neighborhood you may want. Also, get pre-qualified for a mortgage loan.

 

[maloccluded]

i was faced with this same problem a couple of years ago and have some advice for what it is worth:
1. Research as much as possible about schools and see if your dental school admissions staff can make suggestions.
2. Look into commute times to make sure that you are not setting yourself up for failure.
3. Try your best to find a good realtor who will be patient with your circumstances and the fact that you may come into town and need to see a bunch of houses. I lucked out and found a good one, but have had some dental classmates that had a horrible time. I just had a buddy who got into a medical residency and used a Realtor reference website (i never even knew these existed). I think he used dontliveinabox.com or something like that which made things very easy on him.
4. start talking to banks about getting a mortgage early, because it is harder than it used to be. A few years ago (before the crash) they were trying to pre-approve my wife and I (when we were both FT students) for a house way out of our budget-recommending ARM. Then after I finished my residency, I couldn't get anything until I had an employment contract.

Best of luck and keep us informed

 

[HeyCharlie]

There are always houses to squat in. Not the most desirable but very cheap.

 

[Sisero68]

Look at Zillow they compare all listings of new and recently sold properties in the area, on a map view. Plus you can see the value of the area to asses the market and all sales and listings on the properties in the past 10 or so years.

 

[Saddleshoes]

i was faced with this same problem a couple of years ago and have some advice for what it is worth:
1. Research as much as possible about schools and see if your dental school admissions staff can make suggestions.
2. Look into commute times to make sure that you are not setting yourself up for failure.
3. Try your best to find a good realtor who will be patient with your circumstances and the fact that you may come into town and need to see a bunch of houses. I lucked out and found a good one, but have had some dental classmates that had a horrible time. I just had a buddy who got into a medical residency and used a Realtor reference website (i never even knew these existed). I think he used dontliveinabox.com or something like that which made things very easy on him.
4. start talking to banks about getting a mortgage early, because it is harder than it used to be. A few years ago (before the crash) they were trying to pre-approve my wife and I (when we were both FT students) for a house way out of our budget-recommending ARM. Then after I finished my residency, I couldn't get anything until I had an employment contract.

Best of luck and keep us informed

Excellent advice! Let me add...

5. Ask the people at the school to put you in touch with the senior class somehow. Chances ar that there will be a dental school senior looking to sell just the house that you are looking to buy. If that works everyone wins!

 

[McKnightRider]

Consult the current students. Sometimes you can find month to month housing before you choose a permanent place