House Hunting

[faith5x5nomore]

So as it stands right now we are looking to close the distance in January and I have been looking online and in the Florida newspapers for homes to get a feel for the cost of living down there, alot higher then where I am now. My 1st question.. is it a little to early to start looking? With Joes work scedule this house hunting thing isn't going to be easy ( we r looking to rent) What I am trying to do is find homes that have what we want and then when I narrow it down, I will have him go and look at them. My concerns are that landlords will look down on us because A. We aren't married B. Because of relocating and C. between the 2 of us we have 4 kids and a dog. I was just wondering if anyone has advice on how we should be doing this and when? Most places say available now so I don't what to say to these people when I am not looking to rent till January, in a way that sounds like a long time but its only a few weeks.

[LadyMarchHare]

It's the perfect time to look, if you ask me, to get a feel if not see where you might secure a place by putting down a deposit. And don't worry about the landlords judging you. So long as you don't cause problems, you pay rent on time each month, and don't need a crapton of maintenance then they could care less who you are and what you're moving in with. As for the 'available now', it's not a "OK here's the keys" the day you meet. It takes weeks for them to process the paperwork. When stuff like that says 'now', it usually means less than a month, not instantaneous. Good luck with the home hunting!

[Zephii]

Looking is fine, but it's likely by the time you're ready to go most of those places will be off the market. If something stays vacant that long generally there's something wrong with it. The good ones go fast, or that's my experience anyway. In my experience "available now" means you move in within two weeks. But looking around is good because you'll learn to recognize the good deals and the really overpriced places.
The dog may be the hardest part, a lot of people will not consider pets. But if you're non-smokers that looks very good. And kids? well they can't refuse you on the grounds of having children. Don't worry about them looking down on you, their opinion doesn't matter really... and they are not going to refuse your money on the grounds you're not married. Lots of couples live together unmarried these days! They shouldn't care where you're from or who you're sleeping with, as long as your renting record is good and you pay them on time.
Good luck with the house hunting

[amandamayaaa]

i havn't gone through this yet but all i can tell you is it is def not too early to start looking. my SO and i are closing the distance in a little less than a year, and i'm already searching for apartments.. not necessarily ones we would rent because it's too early for that.. but just to get the idea. but it's never too early! it's always nice to get a feel for what you're getting yourself into and congrats on closing the distance by the way!