Moving across the state or even across the country here are a few tips on finding a place in your price range.
I just recently made the decision to go back to school and to do so I moved to Jacksonville Fl. The move was a very hectic one and all though everything turned out fine I want to share my experience with the hope of making everybody else's moves a little easier then mine.
I knew what school I wanted to go to and I had a few friends don in Jacksonville so I called my friends up and asked what areas around town would be best to move too. Now if you have a dog like I do you know trying to find an apartment or a place to rent is difficult and if you have a bigger dog like mine it's even more so. Now the one thing I had one my side what he is a 12 year old black lab.
Prior to moving to Jacksonville I looked on rent.com
and forrent.com
to look for apartment and prices. These sites are great because you can put in what you are looking for and it searches threw tons of apartment to find ones that meet your criteria.
Both sites give you tons of pictures and virtual tours of the apartments. ForRent.com will also give you floor plans of the apartments. They give tons of details as far as amenities and what kind of pet are allowed and what aren't. They also give contact numbers so you can call the offices if you have any questions.
Now if apartments aren't your style try renting or buying and house or condo. For these your best bet is to try to find the local newspaper online and search threw the classifieds. These don't give you as much detail and all but you will get some good deals and find a house or duplex or condo as opposed to an apartment.
Now if you can't make it down to look at the places ahead of time, like me, here is what I suggest. I went to budget trucks to rent a truck. Now you do need to be 21 years old to rent a truck or have some one who is 21 sign for you. But you can get a truck for the cheapest price I have found and they let you keep the truck for up to 10 days with out having to pay more.
I got he truck and loaded it up and drove to Jacksonville. I parked the truck; most hotels will let you park it there as long as you are staying there. I was staying with a friend so I was able to park it at her house. Then start looking immediately. I lined up 4 places to look at the very next day. They were all in my price range and they all accepted my pet.
I found one that I liked that day and filled out the application. Most places, like mine will let you know with in an hour or so if you have been accepted. When I was they asked about my moving day and I said ASAP! The got me in the next day. Now if you are moving and you have furniture you will most likely need help moving it. I got lucky had friends that could get a few people to help me move in but if you don't know any body then I would plan on trying to offer your new neighbors $40 to help move I the heavier stuff. This will help you make friends and get to know people. If you don't feel comfortable enough to do this then you most defiantly want to look into getting a moving company to help you move.
If you rent a truck you want to consider if you need a car tow or not. Also remember anything you will need right away or anything of value I would pack in your car so you know where it is right away and have easy access to it.
I hope these tips have given you an insight as to wear to start and how to get the best out of your move.
