USA Appartment Help

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Allenatore
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Hey Guys,

I will be going to the US on september 30th and i will be staying in New York and in California for like 10 days, i was wondering if any of the residents there could help me out. I am looking for an appartment that really doesnt have to be big, studio is fine, that would be in a good place and will be around 600-800$ per month, any help would be appreciated.

I have a couple of listings myself that i will take a look at but i know there are members here that live in the US so any help would be appreciated.
 

Michael

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Where are you going to live in California (city, zip code, etc...)? Let see if I can help.
 

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Allenatore
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I have no preference actually, for now i still have one semester left in uni so i will still be in Egypt from October to January and then i go to the US again in January so i wanted to set up my appartment situation when i go next week.
 

Michael

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OK. Check your PM.
 

FCBarca

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You need a place for 10 days or for a month?...Craigslist is a good option for vacation sort of rentals or short term like under a month...But in New York?...NYC?...You're unlikely to find anything too cheap there...Not the greatest areas but Brooklyn & Queens will be cheaper to stay

And California?...Big state, senor...You'll need to narrow down....But again, craigslist is a good place to start...Bear in mind, renting an apartment in the US for longer than a month is not an easy task, you need to have proper identification & credit report - something that foreigners don't have
 

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You need a place for 10 days or for a month?...Craigslist is a good option for vacation sort of rentals or short term like under a month...But in New York?...NYC?...You're unlikely to find anything too cheap there...Not the greatest areas but Brooklyn & Queens will be cheaper to stay

And California?...Big state, senor...You'll need to narrow down....But again, craigslist is a good place to start...Bear in mind, renting an apartment in the US for longer than a month is not an easy task, you need to have proper identification & credit report - something that foreigners don't have
Exactly. I had a huge problem when I first got there, they wanted a 3 month rent deposit and shits like that.

Only after a year of regular payments did the landlord trust me and just asked me to put a month deposit.

But yes Khaled, craigslist is your best bet for short-term stays. You will not get a formal apartment agreement for just a few days for sure. I wonder why you don't wanna stay in a hotel if it's such a short stay?
 

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Allenatore
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My 10 day stay i am arleady staying in a hotel...i wanted to look for appartments during my time there so when i go there again in January i would aleady have a place.

I could look for one when i go back again but since i am was going there already now i thought i would look around.
 

FCBarca

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What's your length of stay for an apartment?

The credit report issue will be difficult to circumvent, along with social security number etc....Landlords want collateral or something that demonstrates that you'll be able to make payments...Of course, in this economy who knows if standards aren't dropping

Depending on where you go in either California or NY, you'll need a lot of time to find a place, tbh...10 days won't cut it unless you make looking for an apt your main objective...Searching sites like craigslist and then contacting them ahead of time will cut down on the time you'll need...Perhaps some will be happy to rent to travelers/visitors but generally that's a difficult issue to solve

Subletting is an option, even Craigslist has a section just for that...Basically taking over someone else's lease for a certain time period...Usually they are cheaper and less restrictions on being able to move in

Some cities also have glorified type of hostel accomodations for monthly rental...In SF, for example, Vantaggio rents studios or a 'shared' room on a monthly basis and it can be relatively reasonable...Best part, they're geared towards foreigners or the traveler - so no issues with credit report
 

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I agree with the guys above who said it's hard to just rent by the month in the US. Most renters require a lot of paperwork and at least a 1 year lease. I would do one of two things... look on Craigslist for people who are looking for roommates and see if any of them are fine with someone just staying with them for one month. People who are just looking for someone to rent out a room in their apartment or house might be easier to negotiate with. Second thing is to look at "extended stay hotels" as they are tailored for people who might be staying for weeks at a time.
 

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I am looking to rent something for 6 months or something, guess people here like craigslist so i will check it out as well.
 

FCBarca

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6 months starting in January, depending on where you go, that can be an issue too...Most people who rent are on yearly contracts that typically begin/end in either September or April/May...In other words, a January start will be atypical for the typical apartment - it probably will mean your options will be fewer

When I was in college, in LA, I stayed in a guest house in Bel Air...Didn't need a lot of the usual documents for renting as it was a private home but typically they scrutinize more on a personal basis instead...Smaller towns are also more likely to perhaps look the other way with the credit report but searching before you arrive is the smart move

Unfortunately, there's no real built in system to address travelers or foreigners for short term rentals like this - without paying a premium

---------- Post added at 07:12 ---------- Previous post was at 07:10 ----------

Also, Khaled, if you're Egyptian, you should reach out to the Egyptian communities in any big city you might be heading to - they'd be a great resource for finding something or circumventing the credit report issue
 

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Dude, shoulda mentioned right from the beginning that you're looking for a 6 month stay.

It should be considerably easier then. The most important thing is, like we've mentioned, collaterral. As long as you're willing to trust the landlord and put 3 months worth of rent with him/her, it shouldn't be that hard to look for one.

Heed FCB's advice. Look for the Egyptian community and you should find things much easier. Not sure if I saw many Egyptians in SF. :|
 

Visca

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Yep, a six month stay is a hell of a lot easier :D

I would suggest before you sign a lease as well to use Yelp.com or ApartmentRatings.com, or hell even just Google to make sure you're not getting ripped off, a run-down apartment, shitty area, etc.

BTW, if you end up in San Francisco, be sure that you don't live in a place near the university. Most of those buildings are run-down and disgusting because they know students will live there anyway since it's cheap and close by (I was one of those people until I graduated, at which point I promptly moved out. Never again.)
 

Handoyo

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BTW, if you end up in San Francisco, be sure that you don't live in a place near the university. Most of those buildings are run-down and disgusting because they know students will live there anyway since it's cheap and close by (I was one of those people until I graduated, at which point I promptly moved out. Never again.)
Um no, it really depends Visca.

My sister-in-law (future) stays in The Village (Fulton x McAllister IIRC) and the place is fantastic. It's right next block to USF. :)
 

Visca

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Um no, it really depends Visca.

My sister-in-law (future) stays in The Village (Fulton x McAllister IIRC) and the place is fantastic. It's right next block to USF. :)

Oh I meant SFSU not USF. Myself and almost everyone I knew over there had horrible apartment experiences.
 
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