Mynyel Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 without being able to visit first how did you do it? We have been thinking of relocating but are just having a hard time logistically. We can afford the move (moving van, first, last, deposit and the like) but we can't afford to visit fist to look at things. We are familiar with the are we are looking at so we know the area we want to live but not being able to see a place and meet the landlord fist is proving a difficult thing. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I have rented houses for vacations without visiting but have never rented a house for living in without visiting or having moved first. One time it was me who visited, once my dh, but either we visited or we moved first. Why can't you move and then get the house? Live in a temporary place for a bit and have your stuff moved into storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Is it possible for you to rent something short term and put your stuff in storage? We rented a furnished house (it was a holiday let) for a month while we looked for somewhere permanent - we moved our stuff to the area but put it into storage. This was a move from China to Scotland, so we couldn't come and check it out first. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 yep, done this! once we packed up and just moved and stayed in a hotel and rented an apt after a few days. once we moved but had an apt rented over the phone sight unseen. It was less than our normal standard but it turned out to be a great location and we actually enjoyed it. then we moved again and did this apt over the internet. It was nice looking but we didn't know it was beside the landfill. it was SMELLY all the time. moved out quick! Obviously a visit is best but so many places online now to see pics beforehand that you can rent without going to see it. but you may not know about the landfills...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Phone and internet are helpful. Call around. Contact the person in charge of the local homeschool community. He/She could probably give you a bit of information about the area. Call the local newspaper and request a couple papers so you have the classifieds. Contact a local estate agent, he/she may have rental properties or know of rentals available. Good luck. We've done this a couple times. My brother moved across the country with all his stuff and no place to live on the other end. It worked out fine for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I would personally FIND some money to go visit. We moved from CA to NC and there was no way I was moving without checking it out first. It would be far more costly to move and hate it and have to move back than to do your homework first. DH flew out 3 times (on company dimes) for interviews. The kids and I flew out once and spent over a week looking. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 We've done it both ways. We are military and have moved around a fair bit. It really, really helps if you know someone in the place you are moving - someone who can physically go and check places out for you. When we moved from North Carolina to Hawaii, I actually "met" someone online (a new group I joined) and she offered to look at places for me. That was really nice and I took her up on it (it was only two places and they were close to her). When we moved to San Diego, we had a good friend go and look at a house, but we also got A LOT of pictures, and in all fairness we were very familiar with the San Diego neighborhood we were moving to because we lived here for four years previously. With small children, I hated the idea of living in a hotel long term, but honestly sometimes it is better if you don't find something that seems ideal. Having a good landlord is key also, in this market. We've always owned in the past, but won't do that in this market since we may have to move again one more time in 2-3 years. However, we have two friends who moved into places this summer here and both are having to move - one house is going into foreclosure, and one is going to a short sale. One thing we really liked about our current landlord is that they are very stable and we knew that nothing like that could happen with them, which for us made higher rent justifiable. You have to trust your gut a bit. I would also consider looking at arriving without having a place rented (find a furnished corporate suite or something to live in the first month) and then hit the craigslist ads hard once you get to your destination. That was our plan but because we found something we really liked ahead of time, we didn't have to. Good luck. I know how stressful moves like this can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommytobees Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 We move all the time without going to our new duty station to check things out all the time. Three times we have moved with an apartment rented, sight unseen and one time with a house. I wouldn't recommend it. So far, we have a track record of 2 hits and 2 misses (BIG MISSES!!!). My preferred mode is to go with the intent to look at a several different places within the first 24 hours. If you are trying to rent a house, then I would go so far as to contact a rental agency (or real estate agency with several rentals on their books AND ones you pre-approved to check out) and go ahead and get the credit check and basically "pre-approved". With the internet a click away and pictures easily uploaded, I would plan ahead. It isn't the easiest, but it is safer than getting stuck with something you haven't seen before. Good luck, Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Do you know anybody in the area whom you would trust to check out a rental? The one time we rented a place sight unseen, my cousin and his wife (whom I knew to be *VERY* picky) checked it out for us first. If you do PODS for your move, they'll store your stuff until you find a place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 We moved 15 years ago without knowing where we were going to live. Our stuff went into storage and we lived in a Residence Inn for 3 months ( 3 kids, dog and homeschooling) while we went house hunting. We had been here to check out the bigger area and interview with the new company, but had no idea where we were going to live. I am glad we took our time and found just the right area. It can be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burleygirl Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 There are multiple resources on line to help with this. We have moved 3 times without visiting first. Most of the information I obtained online and then I made a list of questions. I made several phone calls to get my questions answered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Just did this, and would not recommend to anyone. Take moving money and look first. Or plan on living in hotel for a couple wks. prior. Do not move site unseen, b/c you cant back out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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