Seeking housing. Any tips?

[Bells]

before moving out i just suggest preparing to move out. As one that has done so and that experimented the sour side of leaving home and leaving with near strangers, if you can plan ahead, if you can do anything more contemplative than a leap of faith, you'll benefit from it.

Leaving home is certainly a big deal and one you will get a LOT from, but is not something you should ever do on a whim unless you actually have to. If you can plan it, then plan it 6 months in advance on the very least.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Originally Posted by RickZarber

!!?!?!?

I'd like to know just of whom this is true, and how much they actually earn, and where they live. Because I don't think I know anyone like that. Myself, my bills total at least 60% of my income.


I don't have any advice for Loyal, sorry. That bit just tripped me up.

It pays to remember Nikose is rich as fuck.
For us normal people in normal world you get whatever house you can find that you can afford.

I'm amused that Poch pays people in cheques though. Do you send these cheques by telegraph? Or maybe you hail the nearest hansom.
My browser is giving me the "this is not a word" red scribbly line under cheque- that is how 19th century you are.
Make sure the place you are moving has internet so you can pay the rent over the internet like a real person and not like a victorian dandy.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

Cheques is how they do it in America for some reason. No idea why, though. Just set up a standing order at your bank to transfer a sum of money every month and boom. Rent is paid for unless your account doesn't have the richies on it.

As a rule, though, I don't move into apartments if I can't pay the rent via PayPal. If the house doesn't have a PayPal donate button at the door you know it's a shit place too, so watch out for that.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I don't think I've ever actually seen a cheque. I wouldn't even know what to do with one.

[Bells]

[Professor Smarmiarty]

More like the man who came early.

[Loyal]

Thanks for all the tips, guys. I'm seeing someone about an apartment today and I'll be sure to keep all this in mind while I'm out (except the 30% thing - I'll be thankful to find a ~500/mo place on my 900/mo income). See how it goes.

[Aerozord]

Hey I wanted to see if this was normal or just my area. Pretty much all apartments around here give you free water and heating/gas, that everywhere?

[Bells]

is it free or "free"? Probably just diluted into your rent... i know some buildings do that, but it's usually one bill for the whole building divided over all apartments, which makes it pretty cheap.

If it's an average cost, they could probably just be including the diluted value over your rent and saying it's free cause it sounds way sexier of a sales pitch.

Either way, more important than being free is that you must know if there is a quota of any of it for you to use...

[Nikose Tyris]

Originally Posted by Professor Smarmiarty

It pays to remember Nikose is rich as fuck.
For us normal people in normal world you get whatever house you can find that you can afford.

I'm not rich as fuck, I work the same minimum wage jobs. I just had a healthy inheritance that I put to work for myself so that I could help others.

And living in whatever housing you can afford is brutal advice; the 30% is advice based on banks for calculating if you're in 'too much debt' or spend too much of your income to get any financial assistance. That's why I try and advise people to aim for it.

And no this is not an invitation to debate trusting banks.

Originally Posted by Professor Smarmiarty

I'm amused that Poch pays people in cheques though. Do you send these cheques by telegraph? Or maybe you hail the nearest hansom.

Checks/Cheques are a very easy way to keep track of where your money went; it functions as it's own rent receipt, so you don't get screwed at years end by some scumsucker landlord who rents you an apartment for $600 a month all inclusive, then cuts you an end of year rent receipt for $400/month to claim on your taxes and tells you the rest went to "paying utilities so you can't claim that".

Cash is easy but has no security; Checks are safer than cash but will cost you $2 for a checkbook; and E-Transfers are safest and give a secure paper trail, confirmation number of payment, etc. but hit you with a $1.50 fee for every transfer, depending on your bank and account type. I only accept checks and E-Transfers, and I have them send $1.50 less to cover their fee.