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Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Sat May 27, 2017 8:51 am
by TopHatFox
Currently apartment hunting in White Plains, NY. Ideally I'm looking to find a small room for ~$400/mo that's within 3 mi of a large discount grocery/ethnic food store and work.

I've been checking out the Westchester Craiglist and found a few in that price range in WP, but many more seem to be in the $800/mo range, not to mention I got an e-mail with someone saying that "most rooms go for $1000+." I didn't like that guy's comments, considering it under complainypants territory--since I am not most people danmit--but it was a little discouraging.

Anyway, the job starts on July 17 and I'm hoping to secure and move all my stuff into the room by June 15. What are some of your strategies/last minute strategies to find a room in a new city? Got any other general advice?

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 11:13 am
by TopHatFox
Is paying $800/mo for a room too much? Seems like it to me.

How much do you ERE people in cities pay for housing, including utilities?

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 11:20 am
by OTCW
Varies from city to city and neighborhood to neighborhood within a city. Best you can do is a bunch of research/price comparison on what is available to make the best deal possible. Unfortunately, wether or not you think it is too much may not have anything to do with what you end up paying.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 11:33 am
by James_0011
I paid 600 a month in whiteplains. I can pm you the address of the place I lived if you want.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 11:46 am
by TopHatFox
James_0011 wrote:
Tue May 30, 2017 11:33 am
I paid 600 a month in whiteplains. I can pm you the address of the place I lived if you want.
Yeah, 600 sounds pretty good. Do you know if there's space in there now? And how long in general does it take to find a room? I have at max 6 weeks. Feel free to pm me details if that's better.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 12:15 pm
by James_0011
I sent you a pm, I have no idea if there is room at that space now. It only took me a week to find a room, but I was really flexible with my location within the white plains area.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 12:42 pm
by TopHatFox
James_0011 wrote:
Tue May 30, 2017 12:15 pm
I sent you a pm, I have no idea if there is room at that space now. It only took me a week to find a room, but I was really flexible with my location within the white plains area.
Did you only use Craiglist?

And how much did you ask to pay per month in your housing wanting ad? (if you made one, rather than seeking housing offered ads)

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 1:06 pm
by James_0011
Yeah I only used Craigslist, I just responded to an ad that was posted - never posted one myself.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 1:17 pm
by James_0011
Do you speak Spanish? I would suggest posting an ad in Spanish as well as one in English. There are a ton of immigrants in white plains and they are likely to live in the cheaper parts of town.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 1:32 pm
by CactusSurfer
I had some pretty decent luck posting in "Housing Wanted" on Craigslist a while back (late 2011). Found a room in a decent area of the (notoriously pricey) DC suburbs for $500/month that way. $400 might be a bit low these days near a major city, though. You might also want to look on local colleges' housing/roommate matching websites--they're often accessible to the general public, and I've known others who have found housing on short notice on those sorts of sites.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 1:01 pm
by TopHatFox
What are you all's thoughts on this e-mail, it's a reply to CL ads for a room in WP, NY:

------------------------------

Hi there!

I am strongly interested in your room in White Plains, NY. It's a one-bedroom space and centrally located - just what I'm needing.

Here's a little about me: I recently graduated from Amherst College in Amherst, MA, and I will be a young, single professional moving to White Plains, NY as early as possible this June, or at the latest July 1st. I hold a credit score above 700 with the three major US credit bureaus, and I offer over three years worth of renting experience without a single missed payment, including managing other tenants and their sub-lessees. I also do not own a lot of possessions, a car, nor pets, I do not smoke, I am a happy/optimistic person, and I keep a clean and quiet space. Some of my hobbies include hiking/backpacking, reading, cooking, and spending time with a few close friends. If you'd like more details, here is a room-wanted post I made on Craigslist: *link*

Please call or text me at *#*, or reply to this e-mail, so that we can set a time for me to visit the room, talk over the details, and agree on an arrangement. I'd be happy to provide references from my previous landlords and roommates, and I have first month's rent and the security deposit at the ready.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
*Name*

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 1:15 pm
by TopHatFox
James_0011 wrote:
Tue May 30, 2017 1:06 pm
Yeah I only used Craigslist, I just responded to an ad that was posted - never posted one myself.
What did you write to the people you reached out to through CL?

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 1:52 pm
by James_0011
@Olaz

I just said I was interested in the room, and gave them my phone number or asked for theirs. No offense, but I don't think most people will even read that long response you're sending out.

I think its also good to say that you want to meet them and setup a time to see the room, it might be worth taking a trip down there before you move.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 7:33 pm
by halfmoon
James_0011 wrote:
Tue Jun 06, 2017 1:52 pm
No offense, but I don't think most people will even read that long response you're sending out.
Maybe I'm an exception, but I would certainly read and view very favorably that long response. If I'm going to have someone living in my home, my MIL apartment or even a completely separate rental, I want to know as much about them as possible. Cheerful, informative, good credit, good references, doesn't plan to whine about the security deposit, and as a bonus can spell and punctuate? This response would hit me like a box of chocolate truffles. :D

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:40 pm
by Scott 2
Start any email with your call to action. You're lucky if they read the first sentence.

Applies to work too.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:55 pm
by JamesR
Here's an example of what I emailed the last time I was hunting for a room.
Hello,

I'm interested in the room.

I'm originally from Calgary, moved to Toronto a year ago. Since then,
I've been working full-time as a Software Developer. I keep to myself
and I'm quiet.

Can I see the place this weekend?

Thanks, James

P.S. You can also text me at XXX-XXX-XXXX
Yours is pretty similar except you've got a huge paragraph that you could break up into easier to read segments.

Short sentences & paragraphs ftw.

Paste your version into http://hemingwayapp.com and see what it says.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:43 pm
by TopHatFox
Haha, it's red and orange galore. Perfect. I like your version. I think I'll use something like that with the link to my longer post.

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:17 pm
by TopHatFox
Looks like I found a few people that can show me their place over Skype or in-person. What should I ask them?

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:23 pm
by distracted_at_work
Apartments? Noise is my # 1. Whether every appliance works would be # 2. Other than that, do a gut check on these humans. The people would be your roommates or landlord, I presume?

Re: Let's find Z a nice room to live in? #motivationthread

Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:33 pm
by TopHatFox
Yeah, these questions would be for roommates in apartments. One is a grad student.

$975/mo sure is a lot of mula...maybe I should ask if we can reduce the rent :mrgreen: