Picking a new apartment is probably the most fun part of moving. There's nothing quite like walking into a cavernous, empty, and perfectly clean room to make you feel like all your days are full of bright potential, and those walls and floors will always be just that fresh and spotless. But what if you were moving into an apartment you'd never seen before?
It's a bit nerve-wracking, I can tell you that. In about a month, my husband and I will be moving into an apartment in Germany that we've only seen via a 10-minute Skype tour during which the previous tenant carried around his laptop, and I attempted to extrapolate the dimensions of the place by comparing them to the three-year-old who was running around in the background. If that kid is short for his age, I'm in for a bit of a headache.
But in spite of the panic (I've purchased legs for a couch I don't own, in case I can't find couch legs in Germany), there are some things that can be done to make the transition a little easier. Here's some of what we were able to take care of:
Neighborhood: Internet research let us compare different neighborhoods in the area, as well as nearby cities we might want to consider. Do you want to live in a woody suburb, or a fashionable nightclub area? There were many areas that might have worked, but the Old Town area appeared to be the best by far, if we could find a place we could afford. When a former grad school acquaintance informed us of a good deal in that area with an English-speaking landlord and no broker fees, we were inclined to jump on it.
Distance to work: Google Maps is the best. Thanks to them, I know that our new apartment is exactly a block and a half from my husband's office.
Make a local friend: I didn't know anybody who lives in Germany, but thanks to the Internet, it's not hard to make new friends these days. If you participate in a large Internet forum for nearly any interest or hobby, you might be able to find someone in the area to which you'll be moving. A mutual love of Minecraft helped me find some helpful people in the area who could tell me if the rent was good for the neighborhood (it was), and what local laws are like regarding renters' rights (pretty darn great).
Enlist the employer: When moving for a job, the person hiring you is probably pretty excited about bringing you out. See if your contact person or friendly HR rep can help you out in any way, especially if the lease is not in English.
Find your nearest Ikea: You might not wind up buying anything at Ikea, but it's a great stress relief to know that there's one nearby, just in case. No matter where you are in the world, an Expedit is an Expedit. Whatever weird layout you wind up dealing with, or how little you speak the language, if there's an Ikea nearby, you know you'll be able to find something.
Daydream: I find myself daydreaming constantly about bookshelves and closets and curtains, and that's just great. Letting your imagination run wild helps replace nerves with excitement. But let your plans stay daydreams until you're actually in the the place; there's no point in buying curtains until you're sure how many windows there are.
Have you or would you rent an apartment sight-unseen? Tell us your stories and share your advice in the comments.
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I have, and it was a horrible mistake. My roommate found the place and told me about it over the phone, even sent pictures, but what she told me wasn't strictly true and the photos she sent weren't actually of my room. I ended up spending a small fortune breaking the lease to get out of there early--it was just unlivable. One could argue that it was because my roommate was dishonest, but I truly believe she thought she was being thorough and correct--the real problem is that someone else's opinion, unless you really really know and trust them, is never going to be your own.
I'm having a somewhat similar problem at the moment. My partner and I are moving in September, and while we saw the apartment two months ago with a realtor, my partner is horrible at estimating dimensions. I'm all right at it, but while we were viewing the apartment, I was extremely ill and don't remember much of anything except, "Wow, it's smaller than I expected," and, "Gross, the current tenants are really messy."
So I know that the new place is going to be much smaller than our current apartments are, and I'm insisting that my partner and I pare down our belongings in preparation. Even if it turns out we have more space than we expected, we'll be able to reduce a lot of clutter that way. I've also managed to find some pictures of the apartment on Zillow, but the pictures look as if they're stretched, and it's impossible to estimate dimensions.
I've been harassing the realtor to get us the dimensions; if it means that my partner and I have to come by after work to get the dimensions ourselves, that's fine, but we NEED the dimensions!!
So yeah. I'm trying to manage my stress by convincing myself to reduce my belongings as much as possible anyway (again, if I get rid of more stuff than I needed to, that's even better), by planning out the ways I'm going to decorate and organize the apartment, and by getting excited that my partner and I will be moving in together.
I have, my last 8 apartments were done this way. Due to my husband's work we move frequently and can't take the time to fly out to the new city and look for places that way.
I'm stuck on the odd notion of purchasing couch legs ahead of time, for a sofa you don't have. In these days of Internet shopping, nothing is unavailable.
@Rural, I agree. Order it on-line and it shows up at your door.
We are moving - tomorrow! - to a new place that I've only seen in pictures, but I am really excited. We went through an apartment hunting company and our agent was really thorough, including not just numerous photos of the 4 or 5 places we looked at, but also giving us detailed information like who our neighbours would be, if the landlord seemed friendly or flexible (or not), if there was a smell, what condition the paint was in, etc. It really helped us feel confident in our decision. And when we picked our apartment (a big 3.5 bedroom flat) but I still couldn't get a feel for the layout of a couple rooms from the photos, our very accommodating new landlord had her father come over, measure the entire place, and create a very thorough floor plan for us using a program called Magic Plan. I feel like we really lucked out - fingers crossed that it's as good in person as it is on paper!
Like others I'm thoroughly baffled by the couch legs. Why would you be purchasing a couch that doesn't already have legs? Do couches in Germany not have legs? How do you know what legs to buy if you don't yet have the couch?
I did it once—my then-boyfriend webcam-toured me around the New York apartment we ended up moving into while I was still living on the West Coast (for school). It worked out fine, in large part because I was selling everything to make the move anyway and didn't have to worry about whether the space would accommodate my things. I think if I had a bunch of objects, it would stress me out way more—@Phira's deaccessioning seems like a good plan to me.
We traveled across the country to move in to an unseen apartment that we had secured. I feel very fortunate with the outcome, the property management team is great, the building is well kempt and we decided to sign another year long lease after our term was up. I think that obviously photos, a look at the floor plan and a chat on the phone with the landlord/management company are all good starting points to weed out any potential surprises. I also have found that yelp can be helpful for investigating the reputation of properties and their management. However, we all know that sometimes people write reviews when they are irrationally angry about something and when it comes to housing, people get sensitive (sometimes, rightfully so). My residence was not rated as highly on yelp as I would have rated it myself. We all have our standards, I guess.
Look at it this way....you didn't BUY the place sight unseen, you just signed up for [semi] temporary housing and sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind!
The sofa legs were a moment of crazy, but I still think my husband wins: He bought a selection of bitters bottles to take with us, and they arrived with a packing slip that said, "Handmade in Germany."
I've been spending a lot of time alternately daydreaming and panicking. One day I was daydreaming about sofas, and thinking I might go with the Karlstad from Ikea, because it's cheap and I could buy replacement covers for it whenever I change my mind. But I hate the blocky legs on it. So then I daydreamed about replacing them with long, pretty legs. But then I panicked about being able to say, "sofa legs" in German, so I bought them on Amazon. When they arrived, I felt properly ridiculous and hid them under the bed. I was planning on keeping the story secret, but have clearly failed utterly at that.
"I felt properly ridiculous and hid them under the bed. I was planning on keeping the story secret, but have clearly failed utterly at that." LOL!!
We did it(Illinois to Ohio) and regretted it when months later the "freshly painted basement" was an attempt to cover up the sewer back upS in the basement. None of the plumbing ever worked right (I could go on for 20 minutes) and we have finally moved to a much nicer place with a more responsible landlord. YAY!
I did that with my last 2 apartments with various degrees of failure.... My current space is simple. Since all units are identical I was able to see both the land lords and the one they use as an on site office, but not the exact one since she wasn't home. Also saw the huge patio that I would have to myself, sold! The space was as expected luckily. But the problem was that it wasn't cleaned well and so I had to have them come back twice (cats are cute but seriously leave the worst smell ever behind). Not a deal breaker, but a pain for sure.
The other time I was shown the "model" since the people moved out the day before I moved in.... Most likely becuase there was a huge cockroach problem and they knew it!!! Needless to say that lease did NOT last long.
My next place will require me seeing the actual unit before moving in, even if the current resident is home.
I moved across country to take a 9 month sabbatical replacement position. I had to trust the admin assistant at the school to help me find a place. She looked at several and took tons of photos. She wasn't doing it for money (like a realtor) and gave me her honest opinions. I ended up with a decent apartment, owned by a retired professor from the department.
Your advice to make a local friend and to ask HR for help is really useful. I would never have found the apartment I rented. And moving from California to Michigan, I was stunned at how much apartment I got for the money!
I moved from Florida to NYC without visiting the apartment or meeting my two roommates and their two dogs. They sent me pictures, and we talked on the phone, and that was it. They mailed the lease down, I signed and sent it back. My parents were not happy. To cap things off, I moved in on April 1, and when I got in a cab at the airport, the cabbie had never heard of my street. It also wasn't on Google Maps. I was totally expecting to drive up to a burned-out lot with a giant "April Fool's" banner.
Best apartment and roommates I've ever had. I've been to one's wedding and will be at the other's later this year. It was a brand-new building, with a free gym and lounge, I had the huge master bedroom with a private bathroom and views of Manhattan, we had rent breaks, the neighborhood was great.
I never should have moved out. Thanks for depressing me, AT.
Elizabeth, I won't tell you that Amazon.de exists and is pretty great! And if you don't find want you want, jump on the train to Paris - some of the big stores have departments full of amazing interior hardwares, I was impressed! Also, you should look up to see if there is a 'HEMA' store in your area, it is great for all the smaller household items you might not take with you.
I moved unseen to China, and it certainly was a relief to find an IKEA when we first moved and needed a lamp and a potato peeler! After a while you find your way around but when you don't know anything about your new city or home, the familiar blue and yellow is comforting. Good tip.
Oh, but the apartment we got was rubbish! he he!
I guess sometimes it's inevitable. But if you're renting, at least it's not permanent. After some house hunting, and looking at pictures of adorable homes, I was so shocked when we actually saw the houses in the flesh, they were wrecks! I can't believe people actually buy homes sight unseen. For me it's too risky. As for rentals, I'd still be worried, since well, you just don't know what you're really going to get.
Europeans tend to like their couches and chairs low...much lower than the U.S. or England. I say, brilliant forward thinking about the couch legs!
*lol*@kitty, you DO know that England is actually part of Europe, do you?
;)
We moved sight unseen from NY to LA to live in/renovate this house owned by a woman who was the twin sister of someone my boyfriend had done renovation work for in the past. It was totally terrifying packing everything to move cross-country on just a handshake (or an email, no less!) but after hours of Google-mapping the street and neighborhood, we were so smitten with the idea of having a backyard, driveway, and snow-free winters that we decided just to go for it. It was especially tough knowing that we were moving into a place that "needed work", but I think that ultimately it helped to have low expectations.
If you're really going sight unseen and to another country, try to check up on local customs. I've always heard that some German apartments don't come with kitchen fittings (cabinets and appliances), so you must buy those and move them in separately. WHat a shock that would be if you didn't think to ask in advance!
I work for a property management company in an area that has a heavy military presence. I am surprised at how many people are willing and even eager to rent sight unseen. People are arriving from all over the world, tho, and I think the idea of not having a place when they get here scares them more then signing a lease sight unseen. We do not encourage it, but in certain circumstances, it happens. We haven't had any unhappy tenants as of yet, tho!
I've done this! I was moving from NYC to Florida for just 5 months, and I didn't have the time or money to apartment search in advance. I found an apartment I liked on Craigslist -- all of the details were right, so I wanted to pull the trigger. I was lucky that a Twitter friend (who I had never met in person) lived in the same neighborhood and was willing to go check it out on my behalf. I kept my expectations low in general and I asked to answer 2 questions: does it smell, and would you live there? She answered both correctly, so I took it!
I wouldn't want to do this again if I could avoid it, but I know that it can work out.
I'm doing this! I'm moving into an apartment this fall that I haven't so much as seen a picture of the interior. (I've seen the outside, and it's fine, the neighborhood is fine.) All I know is that it has two bedrooms.
I'm nervous, but really, it's all I can afford and it's in a good safe location, so it will have to work. *fingers crossed*
Perhaps this is because I'm a New Yorker, and poor, but I have never, ever EVER moved into a place that was "cavernous, empty, and perfectly clean." More like "squalid hovel but the rent is cheap and I can make it liveable with a week straight of cleaning."
I just moved less than a month ago. I sold my NY apt and moved to San Diego to rent. The process of search was horrible. 90% of the ads had some kind of dishonesty. Most had pictures that were not even of the same apt. All - lied about the sq footage. It was such a disappointing process. I finally found a place I was willing to settle for, however, it turns out the landlord is unreliable.
At 20 years old, I would usually fall into a place I liked without a thought. 25 years later... picky, picky picky.
I moved sight unseen when I first moved here to Japan. The apartment was rented by my employers, and I'd have two roommates when I moved in. I had always lived in decent places, so I never even considered that it might be a bad place.
Luckily, the place as great! It was by far the nicest place that I've lived in in Tokyo. But one roommate was awful and had no concept that smoking outside meant that she should close the doors, too. In fact, she would stand in the patio door facing inside and talk to the other roomie while lit up, and get smoke all over the house. It was awful. So, so disgusting. Then, the job was awful too. The funny thing was, this lady was in her 60s and married, yet I was much more mature than her. When I got tired of asking her to stop polluting my air and living space and getting yells and threats back, I reported her to our employers. I moved from there soon, though, as I found a much better job.
I wouldn't take the roommates, but I'd kill to have that apartment again. Afer living in Tokyo on a low-income salary for nine years, the nicest apartment I've lived in couldn't even compare to the lowest apartment that I'd seen in America. Cockroaches? Check. Insulation? No check. Hearing your neighbors play loud music? Check, though strangely, never while I was touring the place. It's always completely silent when I go to see. Tiny and cramped with doorways low enough to bang my head on? Check.
I'd give so much to be living in a place like that again. Alone, though.
Yup. We're military and we've rented sight unseen several times. In fact, we just bought sight unseen! I was very nervous, but the home is as advertised. I'm not looking for my dream home at this time. I just wanted something in the right place without any major problems that can house a family of six. Certainly makes life exciting!
Well, my Mum's just bought an apartment off the plan. That's definitely sight-unseen, given that they won't even be built until late 2013...
If the photos looked like the picture in this article, I'd rent it sight-unseen in a heartbeat!
I didn't see my current apartment until move in day, but my fiance and his mom had visited and said it was great. They sent me pictures and a floor plan, and since I trusted their judgement I was ok with it. It worked out perfectly and I love our apartment!
Apartment hunting,...the most fun part of moving?
Overly optimistic writer, may I introduce you to the San Francisco housing market? That bubble will be burst in no time ;-).
Ha! That's true. When I was in the Bay Area, I was happily ensconced in grad student housing that to this day might be the nicest apartment I've ever had. (Views, balcony, storage unit, no bugs or operational issues of any sort.) But my friends and I used to read the real estate listings and laugh, because they always cost a million dollars per bathroom, literally. If you took the number of bathrooms in a listing and multiplied it by a million, you'd invariably get a rough estimate of the cost of the house. It was completely crazy.
I am moving from Florida to a studio in the PNW, site unseen in just 30 days. I have never done this before but I did not want to spend one months rent on a week in a hotel, so I did tons of internet research. I made sure I rented from a well-known Property Management company and not an individual. The company I ended up going with I had found through their stellar reviews on Yelp. I did extensive googling and ended up finding that the realtor I had been talking to has actually had her apartment featured here on AT!