Since I was recently fired from my job in the manufacturing industry, I have not been able to find a new job. It has been well over a year and I have not even been to one interview. Our family has pretty much exhausted the savings so we had to move out of our rental home. We stayed at a friend’s place for awhile and spent our time looking for a cheaper place to stay. I had taken a low paying job so we could move out of our friend’s house. One day my friend told me about something that he had read. He said that my family could move to low income houses for rent.
Low income homes for rent were basically housing for poor people where the government helps pay for part of the rent. In order to get help from the government, you have to apply through HUD. The government will want to see your income and assets which will determine eligibility. If you are determined eligible, then you will receive a voucher which can be used at any rental home that you want so long as the landlord agrees to accept it. I was told that most landlords would probably accept it because then they are getting partially paid by the government. Payments by the government are hardly ever late. Our family got approved for housing pretty easily.
Next we started looking for a home to rent. We wanted to find a place that had good schools and was a safe place to raise our kids. We looked in home rental magazines and contacted a realtor to help us find a place. The realtor helps many landlords manage their property so we got to see a lot of homes. We eventually found a place that we really liked since it was large enough for our family. The house was also close to a good school. Most importantly, the landlord would accept section 8 tenants.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Income Based Apartments
When you are from a poor family like I am, you would not be able to afford many luxuries of life. We generally try to make do with what we have. We have also applied for government assistance such as apartments based on income. The apartments in the city that we live in are pretty expensive. If it were not for the government’s help in subsidizing some of the rent, we would not be able to live here.
To get apartments according to our income, we first went to the HUD website to look for apartment listings. On their website, you can search for apartments according to the several factors. First, you can put in the search your zip code or city that you want to live in. Then you can put the number of bedrooms that you want. The search engine will return results to you according to your criteria. Once we had a list of apartments, we called up the apartment complex directly to find out if they had anything available. If they did have something available, we made an appointment to go out there and check out the units. After looking over the unit and deciding on renting it, we would have to fill out an application with the apartment management. They would need to see our pay stub and some other information to determine whether we are eligible. Our household income has to be below a certain amount determined by the state. Luckily for us, we were within the limits so we were approved. Even though we were approved, we did not immediately get an apartment. There was a huge waiting list and management told us it could take several months before we could move into an apartment.
If it is possible, you want to find an apartment that is in a nice area. It should be close to work and shopping areas so that you can save money on gas. However, that may not be possible if there are alot of people applying for these apartments. Sometimes you just have to go with what you got. After we were told about the long waiting list, we applied to several other apartments so that we had a higher chance of getting into one.
To get apartments according to our income, we first went to the HUD website to look for apartment listings. On their website, you can search for apartments according to the several factors. First, you can put in the search your zip code or city that you want to live in. Then you can put the number of bedrooms that you want. The search engine will return results to you according to your criteria. Once we had a list of apartments, we called up the apartment complex directly to find out if they had anything available. If they did have something available, we made an appointment to go out there and check out the units. After looking over the unit and deciding on renting it, we would have to fill out an application with the apartment management. They would need to see our pay stub and some other information to determine whether we are eligible. Our household income has to be below a certain amount determined by the state. Luckily for us, we were within the limits so we were approved. Even though we were approved, we did not immediately get an apartment. There was a huge waiting list and management told us it could take several months before we could move into an apartment.
If it is possible, you want to find an apartment that is in a nice area. It should be close to work and shopping areas so that you can save money on gas. However, that may not be possible if there are alot of people applying for these apartments. Sometimes you just have to go with what you got. After we were told about the long waiting list, we applied to several other apartments so that we had a higher chance of getting into one.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Studio Apartments for Rent
I used to live in a pretty large one bedroom apartment. All of that changed when I lost my job and could not afford the rent any longer. I was able to find another job later on but it did not pay very well. Thus, I had to move to a less expensive place. All the one bedroom apartments in my city were out of my range. I had to settle for studio apartments for rent.
Studio apartments are basically one room apartments where the kitchen, living room, and bedroom are all in one room. There are no walls to separate them. These types of apartments are usually for single people that want to save money on rent. A good thing about studios is that it is convenient since everything is in one room. The bad thing about studios is that there is no privacy. If you have guests over, they would see everything in your apartment. Studios are also smaller than one bedroom apartments so you would not be able to invite many friends over.
At this point, space did not matter much to me. I only needed a place to stay that was within my budget. I looked online on such websites like rent.com to help me find an apartment. I did find many studios within my price range and made an appointment to go see them. These apartments were pretty basic. They had a refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher. Some of them had washer and dryers too. The studios definitely felt pretty cramped though. I figured that this was only for a short term. Once I get a better paying job I would find a bigger place. Other methods you can use to find a studio apartment is looking through apartment finding magazines that you can get at grocery stores. There are so many sources out there that you can use to help you find the right place to live.
Studio apartments are basically one room apartments where the kitchen, living room, and bedroom are all in one room. There are no walls to separate them. These types of apartments are usually for single people that want to save money on rent. A good thing about studios is that it is convenient since everything is in one room. The bad thing about studios is that there is no privacy. If you have guests over, they would see everything in your apartment. Studios are also smaller than one bedroom apartments so you would not be able to invite many friends over.
At this point, space did not matter much to me. I only needed a place to stay that was within my budget. I looked online on such websites like rent.com to help me find an apartment. I did find many studios within my price range and made an appointment to go see them. These apartments were pretty basic. They had a refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher. Some of them had washer and dryers too. The studios definitely felt pretty cramped though. I figured that this was only for a short term. Once I get a better paying job I would find a bigger place. Other methods you can use to find a studio apartment is looking through apartment finding magazines that you can get at grocery stores. There are so many sources out there that you can use to help you find the right place to live.
Furnished Apartments for Rent
I work in a consulting job that requires me to travel around a lot. When I am working with a client, I may have to stay in a certain place for several months at a time. When I first started out, I would stay in a hotel but that got really tiring pretty fast. In a hotel, it is pretty cramped and you do not feel like it is a home. That was why I decided it would be better if I leased short term furnished apartments for rent.
A furnished apartment would be the best choice for me because I do not plan on buying any furniture. On my next business trip I began searching for apartments in the city. I began my search online using websites such as Craigslist. I like this particular website because there are a lot of private landlords that list their units for rent there. I was able to find a few units that were furnished. These types of units usually cost more than unfurnished units but that is ok with me because my company is paying for it. I think that finding a furnished apartment is more difficult than finding empty apartments. That is because you have to find a place where the furnishings suit you. I went to check out several apartments but none of the furnishings appealed to me.
Next, I decided it would be easier if I got a realtor who dealt with property management to help me find what I want. So I found a local realtor and told him that I wanted a furnished place and also the style of the furnishing that I wanted. Within a week, he contacted me and told me about a place that was up for rent. I went to take a look at the place and it was exactly what I wanted. It was close to my client’s office and was furnished with my taste. I immediately put my application in for the apartment.
A furnished apartment would be the best choice for me because I do not plan on buying any furniture. On my next business trip I began searching for apartments in the city. I began my search online using websites such as Craigslist. I like this particular website because there are a lot of private landlords that list their units for rent there. I was able to find a few units that were furnished. These types of units usually cost more than unfurnished units but that is ok with me because my company is paying for it. I think that finding a furnished apartment is more difficult than finding empty apartments. That is because you have to find a place where the furnishings suit you. I went to check out several apartments but none of the furnishings appealed to me.
Next, I decided it would be easier if I got a realtor who dealt with property management to help me find what I want. So I found a local realtor and told him that I wanted a furnished place and also the style of the furnishing that I wanted. Within a week, he contacted me and told me about a place that was up for rent. I went to take a look at the place and it was exactly what I wanted. It was close to my client’s office and was furnished with my taste. I immediately put my application in for the apartment.
Pet Friendly Apartments for Rent
Our family has been living in the same apartment complex for many years. We really like it here. Recently, we got a puppy for our daughter because it was her birthday. Unfortunately, our apartment complex does not allow dogs. We tried to convince the apartment staff to let our dog stay here but they would not budge. Because of that, we had to pet friendly apartments for rent if we wanted to keep our dog.
Thus began our search for a new apartment. There are a few options when it comes to finding apartments. First, I went online to Craigslist and searched for apartments that allowed pets such as dogs and cats. I found a whole bunch of listings for apartments. Usually apartments that are pet friendly will charge more rent if you have a pet. It is usually about 50 dollars more. After sifting through a bunch of listings, we found a couple of complexes worth checking out. So we drove over to the apartment complexes to see exactly what it was like. One of the apartments that we visited seemed really pet friendly. It was a very nice neighborhood with lots of trails for residents to walk their dogs. There were also waste disposal baskets throughout the complex so that residents can pick up after their dogs. This place really looked like a nice place to live. We kept this apartment as a potential place to live.
I also found some more apartments through a realtor friend that I knew. He happened to manage many apartment complexes so he was able to give me a few places that were pet friendly. When looking for an apartment, be sure you check a variety of sources. Most sources are not all inclusive so you may find something from one source that you did not from another. In the end, our family decided on the apartment that had good walking trails.
Thus began our search for a new apartment. There are a few options when it comes to finding apartments. First, I went online to Craigslist and searched for apartments that allowed pets such as dogs and cats. I found a whole bunch of listings for apartments. Usually apartments that are pet friendly will charge more rent if you have a pet. It is usually about 50 dollars more. After sifting through a bunch of listings, we found a couple of complexes worth checking out. So we drove over to the apartment complexes to see exactly what it was like. One of the apartments that we visited seemed really pet friendly. It was a very nice neighborhood with lots of trails for residents to walk their dogs. There were also waste disposal baskets throughout the complex so that residents can pick up after their dogs. This place really looked like a nice place to live. We kept this apartment as a potential place to live.
I also found some more apartments through a realtor friend that I knew. He happened to manage many apartment complexes so he was able to give me a few places that were pet friendly. When looking for an apartment, be sure you check a variety of sources. Most sources are not all inclusive so you may find something from one source that you did not from another. In the end, our family decided on the apartment that had good walking trails.
Privacy Policy
This website/blog uses third-party advertising companies to serve ads when visiting this site. These third parties may collect and use information (but not your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, you can visit Google's Advertising and Privacy page.
If you wish to opt out of Advertising companies tracking and tailoring advertisements to your surfing patterns you may do so at Network Advertising Initiative.
Google uses the Doubleclick DART cookie to serve ads across it's Adsense network and you can get further information regarding the DART cookie at Doubleclick as well as opt out options at Google's Privacy Center
Privacy
I respect your privacy and I am committed to safeguarding your privacy while online at this site. The following discloses how I gather and disseminate information for this Blog.
RSS Feeds and Email Updates
If a user wishes to subscribe to my RSS Feeds or Email Updates (powered by Feedburner), I ask for contact information such as name and email address. Users may opt-out of these communications at any time. Your personal information will never be sold or given to a third party. (You will never be spammed by me - ever)
Log Files and Stats
Like most blogging platforms I use log files, in this case Statcounter. This stores information such as internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring, exit and visited pages, platform used, date/time stamp, track user’s movement in the whole, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses etc. are not linked to personally identifiable information.
Cookies
A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user’s computer tied to information about the user. This blog doesn't use cookies. However, some of my business partners use cookies on this site (for example - advertisers). I can't access or control these cookies once the advertisers have set them.
Links
This Blog contains links to other sites. Please be aware that I am not responsible for the privacy practices of these other sites. I suggest my users to be aware of this when they leave this blog and to read the privacy statements of each and every site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Blog.
Advertisers
I use outside ad companies to display ads on this blog. These ads may contain cookies and are collected by the advertising companies and I do not have access to this information. I work with the following advertising companies: Google Adsense. Please check the advertisers websites for respective privacy policies.
If you wish to opt out of Advertising companies tracking and tailoring advertisements to your surfing patterns you may do so at Network Advertising Initiative.
Google uses the Doubleclick DART cookie to serve ads across it's Adsense network and you can get further information regarding the DART cookie at Doubleclick as well as opt out options at Google's Privacy Center
Privacy
I respect your privacy and I am committed to safeguarding your privacy while online at this site. The following discloses how I gather and disseminate information for this Blog.
RSS Feeds and Email Updates
If a user wishes to subscribe to my RSS Feeds or Email Updates (powered by Feedburner), I ask for contact information such as name and email address. Users may opt-out of these communications at any time. Your personal information will never be sold or given to a third party. (You will never be spammed by me - ever)
Log Files and Stats
Like most blogging platforms I use log files, in this case Statcounter. This stores information such as internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring, exit and visited pages, platform used, date/time stamp, track user’s movement in the whole, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses etc. are not linked to personally identifiable information.
Cookies
A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user’s computer tied to information about the user. This blog doesn't use cookies. However, some of my business partners use cookies on this site (for example - advertisers). I can't access or control these cookies once the advertisers have set them.
Links
This Blog contains links to other sites. Please be aware that I am not responsible for the privacy practices of these other sites. I suggest my users to be aware of this when they leave this blog and to read the privacy statements of each and every site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Blog.
Advertisers
I use outside ad companies to display ads on this blog. These ads may contain cookies and are collected by the advertising companies and I do not have access to this information. I work with the following advertising companies: Google Adsense. Please check the advertisers websites for respective privacy policies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)