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Ashcans posted:
Yes, this is what we're planning to do if it comes to that. It's not to that point yet, but I think it's wise to know every single option available to me so when that time does come I can make an informed decision. But yes, if my wife does indeed lose her job we will no longer be able to afford the mortgage, and will have to rent it out in order to keep the mortgage. I'm also going to call my bank first thing Monday morning and see what my options are in terms of temporary mortgage reduction or deferment. I don't know how comfortable we'd be with a boarder. Our house is old and has kind of an odd setup, there'd really be no 'good' room for someone to take. Also, we have a four-year-old son and we don't know if there's anyone we'd trust enough to be in the same house as him even if we're here (we still have to sleep).
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Sep 9, 2012 04:47
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| # ? May 16, 2024 19:28 |
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Yo jackasses, I live in a building that's full of students and (fairly sure) Section 8 tenants, and it's awesome because I have a landlord who doesn't suck. So don't move into apartments with lovely landlords.
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Sep 9, 2012 04:58
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FISHMANPET posted:Yo jackasses, I live in a building that's full of students and (fairly sure) Section 8 tenants, and it's awesome because I have a landlord who doesn't suck. I have a landlord who doesn't suck and I don't have to put up with college kids  because, while I live in a college town, my yuppie loft is too expensive for them  .
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Sep 9, 2012 05:38
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My apartment is at one end of a balcony with a window at the end that has a sorta-bent flysceen. I'd like to put something green there to lighten up the dull grey concrete, but is there some sort of tree or bush I can put there that will help keep (flying) insects away from the window? I have a lot of room for something reasonably big to go on the ground in a pot. Would be nice if it was Australian native too.
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Sep 9, 2012 07:11
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My new downstairs neighbor is a nocturnal chain-smoker and I'm getting really tired of smelling smoke all night. I'm pretty sure he's smoking inside and the smell wafts up through my windows. Other than asking him to smoke in the driveway, is there anything I can do to get rid of the smell? It's gotten to the point where I'm considering putting baking soda in my windowsill, but my cat would not approve.
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Sep 9, 2012 07:59
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in_cahoots posted:My new downstairs neighbor is a nocturnal chain-smoker and I'm getting really tired of smelling smoke all night. I'm pretty sure he's smoking inside and the smell wafts up through my windows. Other than asking him to smoke in the driveway, is there anything I can do to get rid of the smell? It's gotten to the point where I'm considering putting baking soda in my windowsill, but my cat would not approve.
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Sep 9, 2012 15:58
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I'm thinking HEPA filter, maybe one with a gas/odor filter on it. Be sure to research the cost of consumables like replacement filters and prefilters before you buy. I've had good experience with Honeywell products (which are licensed to KAZ to manufacture). The passive-aggressive method would be to sign your neighbor up for a quit kit.
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Sep 9, 2012 16:52
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FISHMANPET posted:So don't move into apartments with lovely landlords. This helps a lot. Also, landlords that respect and take care of good tenants are really nice to have. So be a good tenant and vacuum every once in a while. My landlord (big property management company) actually has incredibly lovely reviews online, but in the experience of my housemates and me, they've been good to us. The owner had been over to our clean, organized place, and knew we were good tenants. Maintenance liked us because we respected the house, and also would tell us stories about lovely college tenants (some Hoarders-level horror included). Then when my housemates and I hosed ourselves over on the lease and lost our house, the owner personally helped us and got us set up in a place down the street (which turns out is WAY better (and cheaper) than the old place), all because we were good tenants who he knew would respect the property. Similar story with friends across the street. Their landlord loved them because they had the cleanest, best maintained house out of 40 properties, so their maintenance requests were always prioritized.
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Sep 9, 2012 19:12
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I've lived in this building for 5 years in 4 different units. My roommates have themselves lived in 3 separate apartments. I've broken 2 leases here to move into bigger units. I've repainted just about every wall in my latest apartment with very bold colors that will be a huge pain to have repainted back to normal. Meanwhile I pay my rent on time, don't have loud parties, don't trash the units, and report problems to the landlord. In return most problems are fixed the same day, and I've gotten almost all my deposits back (and the little bit I didn't get back was clearly explained and not bullshit at all). I'll admit I'm incredibly lucky. I think the owner has quite a few large properties (this one is 71 units). We have a landlord with an office here who keeps regular business hours (8-4) and a maintenance person dedicated to the building. I've lived here through three years of undergrad, and 2 years while my fiance got her Masters and is now working on her PhD. We'll be here for at least another 3
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Sep 9, 2012 21:29
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Fixed Gear Guy posted:Is indoor smoking allowed? I checked, and neither my lease nor the rental application mention smoking, so I guess I'll consider the HEPA filter.
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Sep 9, 2012 23:50
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The OP should probably say something about how to be a good tenant. (Given the number of "lets stop living in squalor/pissbottling" threads I've seen around here.) In most cases a so-so or average renter could be desirable or even awesome with a few simple things eluded to above (the fruit fly trap and good housekeeping being really good examples). About the HEPA filter, I owned a Honeywell which came with a 5 year warranty. They honored that warranty twice when it stopped working after electrical storms (a fact which I neglected to mention during the otherwise painless process). The problem was probably in the control board. On/off and high-med-low voltage regulation to the fan was performed by a digital board that also counted runtime hours and lit 'change filter / prefilter' reminder lights after 12/3 month intervals. I suspect it was that board that died in the electrical event, not the fan. So there's a design flaw there that makes robustness something to look for in addition to cost of consumables. Try to find one in a B&M store, take it apart and get some idea of how easy it is to maintain. It will by design collect lots of dust and require cleaning. (I no longer run mine as I purchased it when I lived in a 100+ yo house and the place I live in now has a HEPA filter on the furnace.) Imodium AD fucked around with this message at 15:50 on Sep 10, 2012 |
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Sep 10, 2012 15:25
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So I'm looking for some help in the wind up to what will (most likely) be a pretty lucrative first major job and launching my career. Decent money, great atmosphere, work I'll enjoy, etc. First big step into the world, fabulous. There's a couple concerns though: I'm broke. As poo poo. With not great credit (mid 500s?). Haven't been paying CCs cause I've been out of work and barely scraping by. No cash reserves, etc. I need to relocate, for quality of life purposes. I'm looking at a 3 hour drive each way every day (all of it spent in stop and go, LA traffic). Not great for my sanity and the gas alone is not great. I realise I'll need to commute for a few paychecks or whatever, but.. Idk, credit's a worry. (Also haven't talked Relo but I have no idea how to tackle that and I haven't officially gotten the finalised offer) At this point I'm wondering how the heck am I gonna find a place with my poo poo credit, get in there with no cash reserves and basically tie this whole thing together. I'm looking to finally drag my life out of the doldrums and get my poo poo together. First job, first apartment, the works. Does anyone have any advice on pulling all of that together? A lot of the stuff on MyFirstApartment seems geared towards people coming out of college or otherwise somewhat stable situations; from what I can tell it's for folks who are taking a small step up to an apartment rather than a life reboot. So, uh, help? >.>
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Sep 11, 2012 17:33
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Heh, so I got the security deposit back, except for a $90 cleaning and maintenance deduction that we all know is bullshit because there was no post-move-out cleaning by the landlord. But there was also no inspection, so I'm just going to keep my mouth shut. If the landlord decided to realistically inspect the place, we'd be out a lot more, due to piles of ancient mysterious poo poo in the garage and basement that predates my housemates and me by like a decade. The lease charged a couple hundred out of the deposit for leaving stuff in the house. As for dicking the new tenants over by leaving stuff in the house, we overlapped with one of them and explained that the stuff was there before we moved in, but repeatedly offered to clear it all out. They said not to worry about, so whatever. We did get rid of most of it, and living areas were clear and clean. So we're just taking this as fee for 'we neglected to inspect the house and are essentially letting you off the hook for whatever damage/abandoned stuff you might have left. Also we weren't obligated by the lease to give you guys a new dishwasher, but we did'. And 90 bucks out of 1800 isn't worth bitching about. My housemate lost most of his security deposit for his summer housing for a bunch of repairs the landlord did on his unit. As a side note, houses with rolling tenancy are weird, especially when it comes to deposits and inspections. Avoid them unless you're sure you will not be the last of your particular tenant dynasty.
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Sep 11, 2012 18:04
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Authentic You posted:This helps a lot. Also, landlords that respect and take care of good tenants are really nice to have. So be a good tenant and vacuum every once in a while. Being a good tenant helps a lot. It also will help smooth things over if any damages occur. We ended up ruining the carpet in two rooms with two separate accidents (damaged container spillage) and while it won't save us any money, the fact our place has always otherwise been spotless, and kept clean and quiet, meant the landlord was not on a hate parade since they knew it wasn't because we were just horrible tenants. After you see how a lot of people treat rental properties you understand why management and landlord can be such hard asses. They clearly assume you will destroy everything, and that they will not get paid for repairs.
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Sep 11, 2012 22:16
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Catagorical posted:stuff You are going to want to find a landlord that doesn't check credit or one who will waive you. First off, commuting six hours a day is neigh impossible. I had a conference in Brooklyn for three days and just driving back and forth from Philly was disheartening at best, and that's only two hours each way. By the time I got to the conference I didn't care, and I slept in and left late the second and third days. Now apply that to your new job and you probably won't make it a couple paychecks. Hanging out in your car sounds fun but it's exhausting unless you're a seasoned long haul driver. Second, your credit score is going to take at least a month to rebound after you pay up, and even then you will probably be denied/flagged for multiple 60 and 90 day late payments, assuming you have those. The good news is that it really can't be that hard to find a place in a major metropolitan area. Rent where the illegal immigrants and white trash live if you have to. You will also have some luck by going into a leasing office, presenting your sob story, and offering up a signed job offer letter with salary. You will probably need to front a few months' rent. But FFS do not commute three hours each way. Oh. Cash. You're going to need it. How are you going to afford gas to get to your job? Some decent clothes? Can you negotiate a small bonus or partial salary payment with your new employer? Do you have parents or relatives to loan from? Can you get an auto title loan or pawn something? Fixed Gear Guy fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Sep 12, 2012 |
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Sep 12, 2012 00:03
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Catagorical posted:Stuff If all else fails stay in some fleabag motel that rents by the week for a bit until you can scrape up enough for a decent first month/security deposit some place closer to the new job. That will also give you time to check out more than just one place and settle on it because you're desperate.
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Sep 12, 2012 01:17
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So this might be a goony question but how often should I be changing the sheets on my bed/pillow cases? I know people tend to change pillow cases often because they're cursed with acne but I've never had that problem. Frankly, I'm just not sure how often I should be putting on fresh sheets? 
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Sep 12, 2012 02:40
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I do sheets with my weekly laundry. Fresh sheets with fabric softener rule.
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Sep 12, 2012 03:53
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I also wash my sheets weekly or else they'll get absolutely covered in dog hair. I have two sets because I'm terrible at laundry and forget I'm doing it and no one likes going up to bed to discover that there aren't any sheets 'cause they're in the wash.
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Sep 12, 2012 03:56
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I usually wash mine every other week, or if I have a small load of laundry to do I'll go ahead and wash the sheets/pillowcases too so I have a full load. I have dark sheets so every little speck of anything shows up which is good incentive to wash them regularly. A sort-of related question: Can you wash pillows? I'm thinking it's probably easier to just buy new ones. A couple of mine are dirty on the ends from the open pillowcase side.
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Sep 12, 2012 05:15
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Depends on what the pillow's stuffed with. If it's polyester fiber stuffing, then wash away! You might be drying it longer than usual to get the inside thoroughly dry, but it'll also be super fluffy again when it comes out. I wouldn't risk washing something with actual feathers in it in case they react badly. I actually sleep with this pillow (Don't judge! I study freshwater fish!) and it gets its own load, some detergent, cold water, delicate setting if available. Dry on low heat. Then sneak up on fiance and whack him in the head with a 4' stuffed trout.
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Sep 12, 2012 08:52
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You can wash feather pillows, but they will get less fluffy and more clumpy every time (I do it every once in a long while). If your other option is buy new ones anyway, it's not like there's any harm in trying to wash them and see if they turn out acceptable.
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Sep 12, 2012 11:53
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TunaSpleen posted:Depends on what the pillow's stuffed with. If it's polyester fiber stuffing, then wash away! You might be drying it longer than usual to get the inside thoroughly dry, but it'll also be super fluffy again when it comes out. I wouldn't risk washing something with actual feathers in it in case they react badly. That pillow is awesome! I really want one, sadly I think I'll be waiting until I get back out on my own before I do that.
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Sep 12, 2012 13:54
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I wash my sheets weekly. I went for a flat sheet and blankets rather than my usual duvet and duvet cover because in this place I have a double bed and my tiny t-rex arms make it difficult for me to change a duvet. I need to get some more pillowcases because I'd like to be able to change my pillowcase twice a week. I sleep face down and have mild acne and changing my pillowcase more often would probably help.razz posted:A sort-of related question: Can you wash pillows? I'm thinking it's probably easier to just buy new ones. A couple of mine are dirty on the ends from the open pillowcase side. Advice on cleaning and replacing pillows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db1qchs4G8s
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Sep 13, 2012 01:32
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Is there anything important you should know going into a month-by-month lease? Me and my friends found a place at a good rate, good location, etc, and the place is a month to month lease.
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Sep 14, 2012 19:01
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The most important thing is that the landlord can make you move at any time with a 30 day notice. He can also raise the rent with a 30 day notice.
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Sep 14, 2012 19:04
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:The most important thing is that the landlord can make you move at any time with a 30 day notice. Would a month to month option generally require a lower credit score than a 6 or 12 lease from the same complex? I know month to month tends to be pricier, but if it helps me work around the credit issue I mentioned above, it might be worthwhile.
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Sep 14, 2012 20:44
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Catagorical posted:Would a month to month option generally require a lower credit score than a 6 or 12 lease from the same complex? I know month to month tends to be pricier, but if it helps me work around the credit issue I mentioned above, it might be worthwhile. If I'm reading your posts correctly you have both bad credit, and zero cash reserves for rent/security deposits. I'm not sure how you're going to get an apartment with "Hi, I know I have bad credit, but can I get an apartment from you without paying a deposit?" If you show up with proof of employment, and a check to cover the deposits, they aren't going to care about your bad credit. But you need to get the cash to cover those deposits somehow. Is there anyone in your family willing to loan you $1,000+ dollars temporarily? Do you have a vehicle you can use to get a car title loan (borrow against the value of your car)?
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Sep 14, 2012 21:01
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Catagorical posted:Would a month to month option generally require a lower credit score than a 6 or 12 lease from the same complex? I know month to month tends to be pricier, but if it helps me work around the credit issue I mentioned above, it might be worthwhile. I'm not sure that it would matter. I would ask why they're doing month to month as opposed to one year leases though. If it's because they intend to reoccupy it in a few months, then they may be willing to take a lower score in order to get some money in the short term. But otherwise, if you don't pay, its going to take the same amount of time to evict you as it would in a one year lease.
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Sep 14, 2012 21:02
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Costello Jello posted:If you show up with proof of employment, and a check to cover the deposits, they aren't going to care about your bad credit. Why do you think that?
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Sep 14, 2012 21:03
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Costello Jello posted:But you need to get the cash to cover those deposits somehow. Is there anyone in your family willing to loan you $1,000+ dollars temporarily? Do you have a vehicle you can use to get a car title loan (borrow against the value of your car)? Oh yea I'm not terribly flummoxed about the deposit. That's sortable. I was just wondering if there was any benefit to month-to-month vs a longer term. Thanks for all the answers y'all.
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Sep 14, 2012 21:13
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:Why do you think that? Out of the 5 apartments I've rented in my life, only two even checked my credit. And there are tens of millions of Americans with bad credit who somehow find roofs over their head.
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Sep 14, 2012 21:16
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Just as a datapoint, my credit score has to be absolutely in the toilet, and I'm in New York, which is a really competitive market. I just got a nice place -- despite the credit check -- because I showed them paystubs, letter from employer, recommendation from last landlord (just the people I was subletting from), and bank balance. This was all standard on the application; they didn't make me jump through extra hoops or anything. I didn't even have a guarantor. I did put down a double security deposit, but I offered that and I'm not sure they'd have thought of that if I hadn't. They also gave me a one-year lease instead of a two-year lease, but I can renew for as long as I want anyway. Tl;dr: If you have a job and some savings, it's possible to get a nice place even with abysmal credit.
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Sep 15, 2012 00:17
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i like nice words
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For what it's worth, I rent from one of the largest property management companies in Indianapolis, and they refused to rent to me without a cosigner due to my credit check. YMMV. Every place/company is different, obviously.
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Sep 15, 2012 00:54
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So, I'm in my new place. It's stopped leaking for the most part. It's set up (mostly, just gotta put some pictures up) and I'm really proud of it. It's clean. It's cute. It's mine. My boyfriend has suggested having a housewarming, and we've set it for next Saturday. Never had a house warming before, so uh...what does it entail? We were thinking of getting some chips to put out in bowls, some bottles of soda, and ordering pizza for those who want it. I've also said if people want to bring snacky stuff, it's appreciated and encouraged (kinda like a potluck of snacks). What else should I get? How else should I prepare? What else should I do? Oh god, adult things!
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Sep 15, 2012 02:14
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cuntvalet posted:So, I'm in my new place. It's stopped leaking for the most part. It's set up (mostly, just gotta put some pictures up) and I'm really proud of it. It's clean. It's cute. It's mine. RE: Credit check, I have like a 675 TransUnion and I had no problems with a swanky place. Just had to pay a full deposit and do a proof of income. This is my first place as well, so I have no landlord history. Managers need to fill units and as long as you don't have a string of missed payments, and you don't have an eviction, collections, etc then the manager really doesn't care if you have tons of consumer debt as long as you have the income.
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Sep 15, 2012 06:03
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Housewarming is just a name for the first party you have at your house. What do you normally do for a party? Do that, don't stress about it. If you have never had a party before, uh, what you suggested seems fine. Maybe try to have something to do, like some boardgames/drinking games/beat poetry (depending on your crowd).
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Sep 15, 2012 12:02
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Another tip for those trying to rent with bad/no credit: sometimes if your credit is questionable enough that the landlord won't rent to you based on that alone, they'll ask for contact information of your old landlord(s). They'll call them up and all they'll ask is 1) did they pay the rent on time, and 2) were they generally a good tenant (didn't destroy the place, etc). If your old landlord gives you a good recommendation that can help. If you've never lived on your own before, obviously this isn't applicable and they'll likely ask for a cosigner. No, your parents don't count as a previous landlord unless you've been paying them rent. Re: housewarming: Some people throw housewarming parties as a sort of baby shower for their house, where people bring them presents of housewares and other house stuff they'd need. If you don't want presents, make it clear in your invites or don't be surprised if some people show up with gifts.
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Sep 15, 2012 16:39
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:If you don't want presents, make it clear in your invites or don't be surprised if some people show up with gifts. Better yet, make it a "stock the bar" party and ask everyone to bring a bottle of booze.
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Sep 15, 2012 17:08
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:Better yet, make it a "stock the bar" party and ask everyone to bring a bottle of booze.
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Sep 15, 2012 19:49
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