Tris' Travel Tips! - The House

Apologies for the lack of updates, I've been running around trying to settle stuff and get to school and what-have-you, so this blog will STRIVE to be more updated. No guarantees though.

Anyhow, my next article regarding the housing application. I'm a bit torn as to what to say here, and I shall go into excruciating detail why this is the case. Bear with me a little as I take you through the past 6 days and my various anxieties.

2. THE HOUSE

As a UW student, you will find that you are at the bottom, or near the bottom, of the priority ladder w.r.t. on-campus housing. Do not see this as a problem; instead, use this as an opportunity to find your own housing and experience the highs and lows of finding your own house. It makes the house so much sweeter. I think only the St. Louis people had to find their own house as well - so you are part of an extremely elitely frustrated group.

a. Do your Research
You ought to find out prices of places where you might like to stay. Do note that Seattle, as with other big cities, is not cheap. I'm paying US$795 a month for my current apartment (photos when I finally take 'em) + electricity + cable + internet. So, just a word of caution.

Research is important because it gives you options, and it gives you a fair idea of what to expect when you get there. I like the following websites as they tend to be the most accurate / updated, in descending order:

Craiglist Seattle - The best listing site for all of your needs. Search under apartments OR rooms, and type in your price range, as well as 'UW' or 'District' to search for houses near the school. Updated so freaking regularly, you'd better check every hour. :p

UWHousing - Runs several apartments around the area, for pretty good prices.

NW Apartments - I believe this is attached to a local newspaper, so you're reading online classifieds. Good place to read up, but not as updated as Craigslist.

The idea here is to get a sense of what you want, and where you want to stay. If you prefer walking to school, then you shouldn't stay more than 1 mile eitherway. (i.e. between 11th-21st Ave NE on NE 41st - 55th.) If you don't mind bussing, you can go further out, prices tend to drop a little. Set yourself a price range and happy searching.

b. Reservation
You have 1 of 2 options:

1) You can agree with a landlord for a house first, before you even touch down, so that you have a place to stay OR

2) You can scout about and around after you touch down.

The most obvious benefit of 1) is that you have a freakin' place to stay, rather than the hotels I've been shacking up in. BUT, my recommendation goes against it because you should get a feel of the place once you're in Seattle AND inspect the area. The location is important but I don't think you get a sense of how far it is from the uni till you're actually there.

AND, if you stay at Travelodge, you get free wireless and Cable, while your house is still unequipped. (unless you get a fully furnished house, which is pretty pricey)

I thus recommend 2, for nothing beats the sense of being there. But do make calls if you want to have a place ready, make enquiries (rent, whether rent includes utilities, what connections there are, and facilities like laundry are all good questions. AND, when you can move in) and be ready to pay a deposit to reserve the place.

Do note though that if you want the widest spread of options, go as early as you can, noting that the earlier you go, the more you will end up spending due to miscellaneous costs. Including hotels, which will be your main residence and eat up money like no one's business, as I'm learning.

c. Preparation
Regardless of what house you want, all landlords will perform a credit check application on you, to ensure you're not a convicted felon and that you have good credit. SO, as a non-U.S. citizen, you think this doesn't apply. And you'd be wrong. So, let me tell you what you will need to show your landlord person.

i) Create a bank account.
You need a checking account OR you should purchase money orders at Safeway (it's near the Uni) to issue checks for deposit / credit check - landlords do not accept cash. The banks here open till about 8pm, so going late isn't a problem. Just remember to bring in your cash and set it up, and tell parents that your account is up.

But remember, set up a CHECKING account, not a savings one. This guarantees you access to checks and a check card (like a debit card). You want to be able to GIVE people money, not hoard it yourself you bastard.

ii) Make photocopies. Many of them.
Most landlords will accept proof of your identity as a student. So, make a copy of:

- Your passport photo page
- Your Visa page on the passport (and your I-94 departure card which should be stapled next to it)
- Your I-20 form (just the 1st page)
- Your bank account setup / proof / something. Ask your bank advisor to do this for you.

Bring all these, plus checks, to the house and look interested.

Uh, ok, so that's it for housing from me. Shall update the post if anything changes, as well as photos. :)