OT: Moving to DC

[fishercob]

H Street streetcar will be operation in '13, Zonk.

[Zonkerbl]

Sweet!

[J.Kim]

I'm really having a hard time finding anything on craigslist. Is there anything else you guys could recommend that I could use?

Also, why does rent seem so high? All these postings are pretty much $800-1000 minimum for a shared apartment/house, and I'd be looking at $1100-1300 minimum for a studio apartment in a decent place.

One last thing: Coming from Canada, if I were to try and lease an apartment (studio or 1 bedroom) and they wanted a credit check, how would that work? Are there certain aspects they look for in people coming from abroad? Or are there certain limits like, I can't rent a place that's over a certain percentage of my monthly salary?

Any place within reasonable walking distance of a metro stop is going to be super expensive. Consider getting a bike and finding a place a little farther out from the metro. There are parts of Virginia (particularly inside the Beltway) whose high schools are rated top ten in the nation and you have to pay for that, even if you don't have kids. That's why a lot of young folks live in DC, where the schools suck so you don't have to pay extra for it.

I lived in a place in between Rhode Island and NY Ave metros, which was pretty cheap. They've built a bikepath there and a new Harris Teeter, walking distance to a farmer's market int he summer, cool place. Some friends live in Trinidad on H St. NE. In 2015, allegedly, H St will have a Streetcar that will take you straight to Union Station. But there's also a lot of tension in that neighborhood between the "hipsters" and the "natives." So if you're looking for less than $1500/month you may have to look for places like that -- "in transition," as they say in the real estate biz.

Is that the Chinatown/Union Station area? Or is it a bit further east?
Is it generally safe there? I've talked to a few people who've lived in the area before and they've all told me to stay away from the eastern parts of the region because of the crime.

[Zonkerbl]

It's just north of Union Station. The crime is very neighborhood specific. My experience in the two years I was there was good. Just north of me, by the Rhode Island Metro station, were a number of nasty incidents on the bike path. So, I'd put it this way: The really nice neighborhoods that you can't afford are to the West of North Capitol (because you've got the NW in your address, I guess). Like Bloomingdale, where the farmer's market is -- fun and very clean and nice looking, but super expensive. Don't live on North Capitol itself -- there is a lot of crime reported on that street.

I can testify that the neighborhood east of 2nd st NE and South of V St, and on the west side of the metro (Eckington) is safe and neighborly. Too close to North Capitol and you get caught up in the nastiness there, too close to Rhode Island to the north you get caught up there.

East of the metro you are in the H st neighborhood which has its advantages and disadvantages. That's the Trinidad area, a little more active crimewise, a little more to do nightlifewise, particularly on 13th and 14th Sts NE. From what I recall the cost of housing was about the same. Not walking distance from the metro.

There is also a nice little enclave if you take a compass and draw a little circle around the Yes! organic grocery store that's near the Brookland metro station. That's far enough away from the RI nastiness, but iirc it was more expensive than Eckington.

Speaking of crime, don't leave your bike outside, ever. It's crazy. These guys climbed to the second floor of the condo next to me, SAWED THROUGH THE DECK and stole the bikes that were kryptonited to it. Only reported muggings I've heard about were on the Metropolitan Branch Trail next to the Rhode Island Ave metro, some teenagers assaulted some of the bike riders and one kid threw a glass of PEE on a biker. That particular incident brought out a large outcry from the community and frankly I haven't heard of anything since. Might have just been one bad group of kids.

[Rafael122]

Use street smarts is what I think Zonk is trying to tell you in not so many words. DC is just like any other city, use common sense and you're fine. DC has its good areas and bad just like any other metropolitan city.

[Zonkerbl]

Speaking of Craig's List...

That's pretty much the only way to get stuff now. You have to really be on top of it ... you see a location/price/space combo you like, jump on it right away. Send an email, ask to set up a viewing of the property. Have your stuff together ... have a recent credit report that you can hand over, and references. It takes a lot of work, be prepared. Ask questions about the neighborhood, are there groceries nearby, public transportation, etc.

[Zonkerbl]

Use street smarts is what I think Zonk is trying to tell you in not so many words. DC is just like any other city, use common sense and you're fine. DC has its good areas and bad just like any other metropolitan city.

Yeah. Trust your gut. Go visit a place, walk around the neighborhood, talk to some neighbors and see what they're like. You'll get a feeling for it right away if you feel comfortable there or not.

[pineappleheadindc]

BTW - When you land, PM me and I'll swing by wherever you end up and drive you over to Annandale. It really is the DC's K-town, you'll see business signs in Hangul, etc.

I'll even have you over for some kalbi (I have a really decent recipe).

In fact, for board regulars, against my better judgement, I'm thinking about hosting a BBQ for you regulars at the end of summer. Not sure yet b/c work's been horrendous and I've got a boat-load of travel coming. But maybe 50/50, I'll have the ability to pull this off time-wise.

BTW - Donkey...way to go!

[NewYorkDon15]

Are you urban? If you are I would stay out of Arlington, the majority of people that live in Arlington don't go out as much in DC. The river does divide us to some extent. Most of my Arlington friends come into the city about once a week, I used to see them practically every day when they lived in DC.

If your a social kind of person, I would just look on craigslist for a short term lease of 1-2 months. Spend your time looking around for good places to live. Since your new to the area it's really benefits you to find fun people you will get along with to live with. If you take your time you can find a shared apartment/house where you have your own room for around 800 dollars. You can also explore a little bit and find the area that's right for you. Given your age it sounds like Columbia Height, U-Street, Eastern Market, or Adam's Morgan would be perfect.

If I was in your shoes I would look for a fun group house with 4-5 roommates, that throws house parties. When I first move down here I would search craigslist for the word "party" in the sharedhousing section. You'll meet a lot of people fast that way.

People in DC are much friendlier then people that live in Northern cities has been my experience. Have fun and be positive and you'll have a great time.

[J.Kim]

Speaking of Craig's List...

That's pretty much the only way to get stuff now. You have to really be on top of it ... you see a location/price/space combo you like, jump on it right away. Send an email, ask to set up a viewing of the property. Have your stuff together ... have a recent credit report that you can hand over, and references. It takes a lot of work, be prepared. Ask questions about the neighborhood, are there groceries nearby, public transportation, etc.

I've pretty much been doing that but it's tough. I have no time to go down there to visit the places because of prior commitments over the next month and a lot of these room shares are looking for people who can come down and visit the place.

Also, how does the credit score thing work for people moving from Canada to US? Can people in the US request for credit scores of Canadians?

This all seems pretty new to me. I've rented places in different cities in Canada before (for school and for co-op work terms) but I've never encountered a place that requests credit scores and references.

Thanks again for all your help!

BTW - When you land, PM me and I'll swing by wherever you end up and drive you over to Annandale. It really is the DC's K-town, you'll see business signs in Hangul, etc.

I'll even have you over for some kalbi (I have a really decent recipe).

In fact, for board regulars, against my better judgement, I'm thinking about hosting a BBQ for you regulars at the end of summer. Not sure yet b/c work's been horrendous and I've got a boat-load of travel coming. But maybe 50/50, I'll have the ability to pull this off time-wise.

BTW - Donkey...way to go!

That sounds awesome. Maybe some time after I get settled I'll take you up on the offer. Thanks!

Are you urban? If you are I would stay out of Arlington, the majority of people that live in Arlington don't go out as much in DC. The river does divide us to some extent. Most of my Arlington friends come into the city about once a week, I used to see them practically every day when they lived in DC.

If your a social kind of person, I would just look on craigslist for a short term lease of 1-2 months. Spend your time looking around for good places to live. Since your new to the area it's really benefits you to find fun people you will get along with to live with. If you take your time you can find a shared apartment/house where you have your own room for around 800 dollars. You can also explore a little bit and find the area that's right for you. Given your age it sounds like Columbia Height, U-Street, Eastern Market, or Adam's Morgan would be perfect.

If I was in your shoes I would look for a fun group house with 4-5 roommates, that throws house parties. When I first move down here I would search craigslist for the word "party" in the sharedhousing section. You'll meet a lot of people fast that way.

People in DC are much friendlier then people that live in Northern cities has been my experience. Have fun and be positive and you'll have a great time.

Thanks for the advice! Given my price range, I figured that I would have to live in a group house anyway; so yeah, the places I've been looking for have mostly been places where there's a bunch of people close to my age living there.

I've lived in Toronto proper and I've lived in the suburbs surrounding Toronto and I much prefer living in Toronto than in the suburbs. So, I guess this is a similar situation and that I should be looking for something inside DC as opposed to something in VA/MD.

[BigA]

This all seems pretty new to me. I've rented places in different cities in Canada before (for school and for co-op work terms) but I've never encountered a place that requests credit scores and references.

The rental market is tight, so landlords have the upper hand. They'll request what they can get away with.

[montestewart]

^
Toronto is a much larger city, with much more of its sprawl within city limits than in Washington. Maybe in Toronto, much of what is within city limits is viewed as suburbs. Some areas I saw there seemed analogous to areas of Arlington, Alexandria, Silver Spring, etc.

[gswhoops]

Are you urban? If you are I would stay out of Arlington, the majority of people that live in Arlington don't go out as much in DC. The river does divide us to some extent. Most of my Arlington friends come into the city about once a week, I used to see them practically every day when they lived in DC.

If your a social kind of person, I would just look on craigslist for a short term lease of 1-2 months. Spend your time looking around for good places to live. Since your new to the area it's really benefits you to find fun people you will get along with to live with. If you take your time you can find a shared apartment/house where you have your own room for around 800 dollars. You can also explore a little bit and find the area that's right for you. Given your age it sounds like Columbia Height, U-Street, Eastern Market, or Adam's Morgan would be perfect.

If I was in your shoes I would look for a fun group house with 4-5 roommates, that throws house parties. When I first move down here I would search craigslist for the word "party" in the sharedhousing section. You'll meet a lot of people fast that way.

People in DC are much friendlier then people that live in Northern cities has been my experience. Have fun and be positive and you'll have a great time.

I'll co-sign this. I'm just in DC for the summer but I'm living in a similar situation (shared house with 5 ppl total) and it's been awesome.

[Zonkerbl]

You should be able to ask for a credit report for yourself. Hm, I don't know if Canadians can get one. Huh. Never thought about it. You should... Try it, see what happens!

[J.Kim]

I was actually able to check my credit score on Equifax and apparently it applies for the States as well, so I guess this will do.

Just curious, what's considered a good credit score for someone fresh out of university, had student loans but was able to pay them off immediately? And what is the general range of credit scores that landlords look for in tenants? (I guess this one's a bit more of a long-shot in asking)

[Zonkerbl]

Uh... anything in the low 600s or lower is an alarm bell, I think. 700 or above is golden. Most people right out of college have a score between 650 and 700. Depends. I'd be more interested in reading through the details of your credit history rather than the overall score. Did you ever live in a place that paid rent? How much did you pay? Were you ever late? Do you have a habit of leaving your last Comcast bill unpaid when you move out? Stuff like that can reveal a lot about how responsible you are with your money.

[J.Kim]

Uh... anything in the low 600s or lower is an alarm bell, I think. 700 or above is golden. Most people right out of college have a score between 650 and 700. Depends. I'd be more interested in reading through the details of your credit history rather than the overall score. Did you ever live in a place that paid rent? How much did you pay? Were you ever late? Do you have a habit of leaving your last Comcast bill unpaid when you move out? Stuff like that can reveal a lot about how responsible you are with your money.

Ah, that's good to hear then. I've never had a single late or overdue payment (even in student loans) and my credit is above 700 so I don't have to worry about this.

Sorry to bother you with so many questions but, is there a general rule of thumb that applies when landlords accept a tenant? For example, monthly rent can't exceed 1/2 of your take-home pay or etc? (I'm just trying to do all my due diligence so that I have my finances covered)

Thanks for your help!

[Zonkerbl]

No rules of thumb. For your own protection you could follow the mortgage guidelines - if you're paying $1300/month, you'd better be making $55k or so. If I'm charging $1500/month and you've never paid anything above $800 that would make me feel uneasy.

[J.Kim]

No rules of thumb. For your own protection you could follow the mortgage guidelines - if you're paying $1300/month, you'd better be making $55k or so. If I'm charging $1500/month and you've never paid anything above $800 that would make me feel uneasy.

Okay, that's good. It's good to know that the finances that I've set all make sense.

Just a general question to everyone: What's the Petworth/Mt. Pleasant area like? That's where most of the group house/room-share listings seem to be located on PadMapper

[Rafael122]

No rules of thumb. For your own protection you could follow the mortgage guidelines - if you're paying $1300/month, you'd better be making $55k or so. If I'm charging $1500/month and you've never paid anything above $800 that would make me feel uneasy.

Okay, that's good. It's good to know that the finances that I've set all make sense.

Just a general question to everyone: What's the Petworth/Mt. Pleasant area like? That's where most of the group house/room-share listings seem to be located on PadMapper

Mt. Pleasant is awesome. Petworth is up and coming. If I had to choose, I'd go with Mt. Pleasant, younger crowd, and you're much closer to the nightlife.