Gooncave & Gardens: Moving & Apartment Living, Hunting, & Furnishing

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Gooncave & Gardens: Moving & Apartment Living, Hunting, & Furnishing

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ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

My question is along furnishing a place you live than moving out. Besides amazon, are there any places online to get fairly decent furniture (400-500$ for a slightly-bigger-than-loveseat sofa) who DOESNT absolutely price gouge on delivery? I dont know anyone who owns a truck and the nearest ikea is over an hours drive. I'm willing to suck up a delivery charge (or rent a truck, but gas+rental is about the same to drive the drive to ikea) if paying 100$+ to have something shipped to your house is the norm.

# ¿ Jan 11, 2012 09:49

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 20:55

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Otm Shank posted:

Depending on what "zone" you're in for your ikea, delivery is $59 for unlimited pieces of furniture. Most of the carless people I know just use public transit to get there and then have them deliver. I don't know if it's cheaper than gas + rental but it's definitely easier than hauling your own poo poo up three flights of stairs.

Where are you seeing this, because when I searched my local store (well, as local as it can get) it told me anything weighing more than 70lbs (and costing $250-800) will be a ~300$ to deliver..

edit: I think this is what you saw, which was mentioned to me as well by someone else

quote:

Get Same Day
Store to Door Delivery!
Get same day delivery on an unlimited number of pieces within 20 miles of our store when you purchase and arrange for your pick up by 2pm daily for only $59!

ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 11:13 on Jan 11, 2012

# ¿ Jan 11, 2012 11:11

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Ceridwen posted:

It can be well worth it to check out the local options fully before you switch to online.

You know, I haven't actually looked locally in over a year. I just got used to online shopping! Thanks

# ¿ Jan 14, 2012 07:09

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

For what its worth, overstock.com ships furniture for $2.95. Its a flat rate for all their stuff, but I didn't expect it to apply to furniture.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2012 08:05

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Even month-to-month, I wouldn't consider a lease agreement unnecessary and it would throw up major red flags if anyone did. How do you prove an 'oral agreement' if they screw you?

# ¿ Jan 19, 2012 08:09

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Duck and Cover posted:

I've been looking for a simple hardwood desk/table like http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19633&catalog=filter&menuCatalog=room&menuCategory=213&menuSubcategory=4Is is that reasonable a price for what I want? $1008 shipped for something that seems so simple just seems overpriced to me.

Your link doesn't work.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2012 22:56

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

witherlegs posted:

Does anyone have experience with moving cats across long distances? We're moving around 900 miles, with a planned stop at the halfway point. Will they be ok in their carriers for 8 hours at a time? Will we need to stop and let them out in the car to use the litterbox?

RabbitMage posted:

Yeah, don't let cats out in-transit, you will lose them.

Witherlegs, you can post in the animal questions not deserving their own thread about this question and get more responses from people who have traveled cross-country with their cats. Depending on when you're moving (say, in a month or more), you may be able to train your cats to walk on a harness. If you can get them to do this (use a harness, not a collar), then you may be able to let them out to walk around if you want to. However, they won't be harmed or anything by being in a crate for 8 hours provided they have adequate food/water/potty resources. They'll just be miserable and maybe cry a whole bunch.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2012 09:51

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

That situation is also why you always take pictures of every single square foot of an apartment the day you move in and the day you move out.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2012 21:47

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Schmeichy posted:

My husband and I are getting ready to move into our first apartment this weekend. It's technically the top half of a house from the 1900s, with lots of space. We have no furniture, and will need at least a bed frame and couch. There's already a dining table that comes with the place. Does anyone have some good suggestions for what to look for in furniture and where/what to get? I'm thinking about a futon instead of a normal couch, for when guests want to crash. Also, does anyone have tips for living in an old house? It has baseboard heading and no air conditioning, which will be fun during the summer. We live in the Midwest, so window a/c units will probably be required.

When I lived in the midwest there was a furniture company called CORT that had sales on their frames and mattresses almost constantly.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2012 23:30

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

It might be paranoid of me, but I'd get their full name and run it through your local court records and see if they have a criminal history. It's public information and freely accessible through your court's website. Or pay someone do to a background check on them with their SSN. This is only applicable to US goons, obviously.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2012 01:55

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Aquatic Giraffe posted:

About how long does it take between turning in an application and getting a lease/rejected? I turned in an application today and I'm wondering how long it'll take before I hear back.

I've never dealt with big commercial leasing companies before, and this is my first time being the tenant instead of the landlord so it's a little weird for me.

Some places are super prompt, others aren't. I'd give them ~5 business days. I used to work for a company doing background checks and, even with a backlog, it didn't take that long to get a company their results. Credit checks should be even quicker.

I can't recall it ever taking more than a week to get approved or denied an apartment. Alternatively, you can call and ask them what their usual turnaround is.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2012 05:49

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Overstock ships furniture for $1-3, for reference.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2012 16:54

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

I just went through that with my landlord and they said it was a reasonable range for the heat to go through so they weren't replacing anything. The likelihood of your apartment replacing it, let alone replacing it with a bigger one and having to knock out a cabinet, isn't great.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2012 01:20

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Millions posted:

I'm moving into my first apartment on April 1! Can anyone recommend some cheap seating solutions for a living room? I currently have one nice futon that's going in there, but that's not going to cut it.
Also, my current desk is super tiny and I'd love to buy/put together a larger one, but my budget doesn't exactly allow for anything extravagant. Any tips?

If you're living alone, I would save and buy something nice. One of my bigger regrets is gunning for cheap poo poo that I didn't really like, but it worked for what I needed it to, instead of saving for something well made. My couch has no coushins at the moment and I could replace it with a lovely CL couch that I dont really like for $50-100, or I could save $50 every week and get a nicer couch that I actually do like for a couple hundred. Same goes for a desk.

Otherwise, craigslist, ikea, walmart will probably have some decent options. If you dont have a truck to haul stuff in, overstock has decent sales and ships everything for $3

# ¿ Mar 12, 2012 18:30

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

dereekb posted:

I'm looking for a place to rent over the summer in College Station/Bryan,TX ~(May 1st - September 1st), which comes out to 4 months.

Is there a chance someone will be willing to lease to me for only 4 months, or will I possibly be stuck paying all 6?

Plenty of complexes do month-to-month contracts, but the rent will be more expensive than that of a guaranteed six-month contract. You can also look for temporary housing on craigslist and rent a room from someone for a few months. I don't know how common it is anymore, but some hotels even do monthly rates.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2012 17:56

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

It's a business relationship, not a friendship. She can't even get you her paperwork, you think getting rent is going to be any easier?

# ¿ Mar 27, 2012 21:40

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Nuntius posted:

Except now you get to have the same drama every month for the rent.

Almost guaranteed. I would refuse to lease to her if you know you can find a replacement, honestly.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2012 23:36

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

You can also just rent a Uhaul and drive it down yourself. I'm fairly certain they'll let you pick up in one area and drop off in another, but yeah call around and ask people about it. There has to be someone who offers that kind of thing (though you may pay quite a bit extra if its short notice)

# ¿ Apr 7, 2012 04:41

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

If you want good sheets at a discount, Macy's usually has a discount bin for poo poo they couldn't sell.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2012 04:02

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

On the topic of bed size: I have a queen and it is more than enough room for 2 (chubby) people from my personal experience. If you're a spawler, then a king may be preferable, but I still think a queen is reasonable.

On the topic of sheets: Touch em. I refuse to buy sheets online because I can't touch them. Forget about thread count or whatever, focus on how they feel. Is it a fabric that you want to sleep on night after night? I've found 100% cotton sheets to be the best, though microfiber sheets are super soft and wonderful if you're not one of those people who turns into a furnace when you sleep.

On the topic of paying people in beer to move your stuff down the road: Do it. Worst comes to worst, you have to buy extra beer because moving heavy poo poo 250 yards is a pain in the rear end.

e: I don't word good :downs:

ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Apr 17, 2012

# ¿ Apr 17, 2012 23:02

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Aquatic Giraffe posted:

The other option is to sell my car in Virginia and buy a new one when I get to Texas, which I might also do since I was planning on getting a new car this summer anyway.

This may be your best bet since you may run into unexpected (and expensive) car issues transferring a car from one end of the country to another. I don't know if VA or TX has a smog certification requirement like California does, but iirc, bringing a car to California from a state that doesn't have smog cert is a pain in the butt. That may have changed though, its been years since I've done that.

# ¿ May 4, 2012 15:30

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

The longest part of any apartment rental process I've ever had to deal with is the credit report and background check and thats entirely dependent on what company the property goes through for that. It should still take less than a couple days though.

# ¿ May 10, 2012 19:36

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Nuntius posted:

Stop using your debit card or cash for any purchases and purchase everything on your card.

While I agree with the rest of your post, you dont need to use the credit card to build a good score. Your score is based on the percentage of credit you use every month, the less the better. If you get a credit card, activate it, and then put it in a safe space to never be used (maybe in case of emergency), it'll build your credit score all the same.

While there may be other added benefits to using a credit card (points, etc), I'm pretty certain transactions used with a debit/VISA card are protected the same as a regular credit card, but that I am only half sure of. Everyone who is staking out on their own should visit the personal finance thread in BFC so you are aware of how to build good credit because you will absolutely need it no matter how you feel about it. Without credit, and if you accidentally give yourself bad credit because you didnt know maxing out your card and paying minimums was a bad idea (hi, 19 year old me!), you are going to be screwed on getting anything you cant pay for in cash, like apartments or homes. In theory you could probably pay cash for a home, but if you have the financial restraint to save 100k+, you probably have the good sense to read BFC and learn how to use a credit card responsibly.

Always go with a credit union over a bank! That is the only piece of advice I can 100% give on the subject. Some credit unions only require you to prove you live in your city/county to get an account. Oh and make sure if you do go the secured route that you get one with a bank/CU that reports to the credit agencies. A lot of banks don't (unless thats changed in the last few years). I have a secured card through US Bank to help improve my credit and they do actively report it to all three major bureaus.

ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 15:08 on May 13, 2012

# ¿ May 13, 2012 15:02

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Heath posted:

How many months does it take before any credit actually starts building on my report, generally? I went to creditkarma and entered my info and it said I have a "thin file" (which is to be expected) and it recommended me a few card options that (I assume, I have to look deeper yet) will actually go toward improving my credit.

From the Newbie Personal Finance thread:

skipdogg posted:

The utilization factory doesn't have a history. If one month you're at 80% utilization, and next month your down to 10, your score can and will change dramatically. It's not like making a late payment where the effects gradually go away over time, it's pretty much instant.

You could have 80% utilization on all your credit cards and a 670 credit score, you know your going to buy a house in the next 3 months so you pay everything off, and your score will probably jump into the 720 range or better lowering your mortgage interest rate and saving you money over the long run.

# ¿ May 13, 2012 17:30

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

b0nes posted:

Is there a thread like this but for houses not apartments?

Theres a House Buying Megathread in BFC.

# ¿ May 23, 2012 00:45

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Month to month contracts tend to run MORE since the landlord has to account for the fact that the tenant can skip out with a months notice, rather than having to break a lease (and still potentially being on the hook for the remainder of the lease). I would personally be wary that its cheaper AND its month to month.

# ¿ May 31, 2012 16:37

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Wicaeed posted:

More of a rant/bitch than anything, but is it standard fare for a landlord/potential landlord to ask for the last months + first months rent PLUS a security deposit equal to the monthly rent for new renters?

This is pretty normal, yes. Not crazy common, but I've seen a fair few places ask for this much.

# ¿ Jun 14, 2012 09:58

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Do not move in with this kid. You will seriously regret it.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2012 20:17

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Karthe posted:

What's the deal with my getting charged so much for an apartment I want to move into in August? I'm in a situation right now where I was quoted $1350-$1460 per month for a 1BR/1BA, but the lease I (willingly and with complete understanding) signed was for $1480/mo. I was told that it was expensive because of supply and demand, but since the apartment isn't one of the upgraded ones and it doesn't have a better view that other similar apartments in the complex, then why is my rent so high? Is "supply and demand" reason enough for them to charge me through the nose?

Do you live in a college town? Rent being jacked up in August sounds like they get flooded with kids who didn't plan housing ahead and need a place to live ASAP because school starts late august or early september.

# ¿ Jun 28, 2012 05:45

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Trilineatus posted:

This is not unusual. Take timestamped photos when you bet ready to vacate and send them to him certified mail. Make him do a walk through with you before you return the keys and have him initial on a list the rooms etc with no fault. If he refuses do this yourself and once again certify mail it along with a letter outlining the timeframe he is legally allowed to provide you with either receipts or your deposit as well as a list of fees for the losing party in la small claims court.

Id say its pretty unusual considering his landlord is explicitly violating the terms of the lease.

# ¿ Jun 30, 2012 11:04

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

How often are you supposed to replace your mattress (as in, every 1yr, 2yr, etc)? Is it worth getting a tempurpedic mattress (etc)?

# ¿ Jul 3, 2012 14:24

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Eggplant Wizard posted:

Woah nowhere near this often. I don't know the actual answer but I would think a mattress should last like 10 years.

I figured as much, but asking and being told 'hey should have 8 years!' is better than not knowing :shobon:

I would be interested in any actual studies regarding the whole box spring vs no box spring crowd as far as sleep and comfort (relatively) goes, if there is any.

eta: That may be good for the OP? That you only really need to replace a (good?) mattress every 10 years? Also, that you need to steam clean your carpets, at least annually. Buying couch/chair covers isnt a bad idea either if you plan on taking your furniture apartment-to-apartment or have animals.

e: You should really steam clean your carpets at least twice per year. Its 25$ to rent a steam cleaner and 150$ to buy a vacuum-like steam cleaner. Its a good investment overall.

ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 14:39 on Jul 3, 2012

# ¿ Jul 3, 2012 14:30

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

If you have absolutely no proof (i.e. bank statements showing regular deposits, and even thats a big maybe as far as 'proof of income' goes), then the only other option I can think of is paying your lease in full if they will consider doing that.

# ¿ Jul 12, 2012 01:17

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

JD posted:

Yeah forgot to mention that I don't have bank statements. Big mistake in retrospect. Would it be a horrible idea to mock up some pay stubs with the permission of the owner at the coffee shop?

Yes because thats fraud.

quote:

And there's no way I could pay a lease in full right now. I was also thinking of asking the company I'm going to be working for, for a letter from their HR or something.

If you have an employment contract that states you will be making $X per month/year, that might work. However, you've really put yourself in a horrible spot. You have no verifiable source of income, you have no bank statements to show you make deposits or have any kind of savings to cover your rent, and you're moving to an entirely new city. I wouldn't rent to you either, honestly. The best advice I can give is to look into apartment hunting agencies. They'll have the most insight on how to handle your particular situations and which complexes would work with you, but I'm pretty sure you'd need some kind of signed employment contract stating you're actually employed and going to make $X/year. Even then, do you have enough for a first, last and security deposit if it's required? Do you at least have good credit?

# ¿ Jul 12, 2012 02:16

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

a shameful boehner posted:

I'm looking into purchasing a house in the next year in Colorado, as apartment rents for the place where I need to be for work have increased to the point where (I think) it doesn't really make sense to not at least start building equity and get the tax advantages from owning a home.

You'll probably get a better answer in BFC's house buying megathread.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2012 21:18

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Get a screen for your window? Close the window? They're flies, they go wherever.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2012 12:34

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Comstar posted:

For those living in small (cheap) apartments, what's life like living with communal laundries? A chance to meet other people or too much of a hassle to live without your own washing machine?

You go in, do your laundry, leave. I've never hung out in the laundry room and chatted beyond saying hi to someone. Don't use every washer at once.

vv I've never babysat my laundry. I put it in, turn it on and leave. I come back 45 minutes later to put it in the dryer and leave again.

ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Aug 23, 2012

# ¿ Aug 23, 2012 16:12

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Baltimore is pretty expensive overall isn't it? That may just be an incorrect impression I have. My bill is usually 90$/month in California, but it can double easily if I'm not careful. You may be able to have your utility company come out and make sure your meters are correct.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2012 19:31

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

Mike Danger posted:

Newbie apartment hunt question: if the listing says "credit report required", and I basically have nonexistent credit, should I even bother contacting them? I pulled the free report from one of the big bureaus (Trans-something? I have the hard copy somewhere) but it was just a list of my student loans (which I'm assuming don't help my case at all).

No credit is better than bad credit. All places are going to pull your credit report.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2012 07:27

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 20:55

ladyweapon: Nov 6, 2010; It reads all over his face,
like he's an Italian.

thizzin forever posted:

Am I right in assuming that once the original lease is destroyed this fiasco will be over with?

No, I don't think so. You may want to get someone who knows what they're doing involved because this is incredibly sketchy. :psyduck:

# ¿ Sep 17, 2012 22:29

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Gooncave & Gardens: Moving & Apartment Living, Hunting, & Furnishing

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