Looking for apartment or rental before residency start

[PhoenixAZ]

I am stressing out about finding apartment or rental before residency start. My residency program is on the other side of the coast, and with the current travel restrictions, I can't just jump on the plane and check out the area and properties before signing the lease agreement. I am wondering how is everyone doing in this regard? Any tips you can share?

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[Dantes]

I prefer to rent from individual landlords, but in this case it might make more sense to go through an apartment complex. This way you know the place you're giving your deposit to actually exists. A lot of places offer virtual/Skype tours, and you can also ask around on your new city's subreddit for places or reviews.

 

[Dro133]

One of the chief residents at my program sent out a word doc of good neighborhoods that residents have lived at in the past. I checked out apartments in some of those neighborhoods on apartments.com and contacted ones I was interested in. They will generally be happy to do video tours, and a lot of them have 3D tours you can view on your computer, as well. I also "checked out" the neighborhood by roaming around the streets a little on Google Maps street view -- obviously not the same, but I feel like you can get a decent idea of the general surroundings this way.

 

[MerYangBey]

I just picked a nice apartment building (a little pricey) that’s close to the hospital and signed a lease. I looked up reviews on google and apartments.com Our school sent a list of places like 10-15 places and I stuck to that list. If you don’t have a list then I would reach out to a couple residents for advice. I think a lot of us are content getting an apartment through a virtual tour at this point.

 

[PhoenixAZ]

Thanks to all for the inputs. I appreciate it.

 

[Laradd]

You need to have a visible secure place where they can offer a 3D/visual tour and to have secure deposits especially in this crisis.

 

[longhaul3]

Any place worth renting should have a listing agent who can do a FaceTime tour. Other than that I would just err on the side of more expensive, nicer neighborhood, etc. and take a financial hit for a year if necessary to ensure it's as livable as possible. Luxury apartment buildings are looking pretty good right now. Not the time to be hunting for diamonds in the rough near highways or warehouse districts or "up and coming" neighborhoods. Then if you want to move next year, you'll know what you want.