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How to find affordable, safe accommodation in the States

B

Babsido

Registered Users (C)
Hi there
Can any of the previous winners suggest how one can go about finding nice, affordable, safe accommodation for new comers in the States?
I am South African and have entered the Lottery with high hopes to win and would like to be ready when my dreams come true.
I would also like to know what the routes are of finding a job, when I land there, anything (legal) to start me up
Thanks for you time:)
 
Coming in from SA, you are going to find the US a much safer place to be. this is not to say that its all a theme park where joy is everywhere! hahaha.

As a general rule, the suburbs tend to be safer than major cities plus they are cheaper to live in HOWEVER, this is due to travel distances. so yes it will be nice but it will also be boring and dull.

I recommend checking out craigslist, and look up apartments for rent. I dont know your age, but housing NEAR college campuses would be a very general safe bet. (again you need to look at each city individually) but starting with campuses would tell u that there will be tons of College police.

give me more details and i will go deeper into it
 
Start by looking and reading about State taxes, property taxes, etc...so you have info which States are cheaper to live than others...check DMV websites for licencing fees in various States as well...that way you know that if property taxes are lower, the rental prices will be lower...also rural areas are cheaper to live than the city but you need a car to get around:)
 
ec6863 said:
Coming in from SA, you are going to find the US a much safer place to be. this is not to say that its all a theme park where joy is everywhere! hahaha.

As a general rule, the suburbs tend to be safer than major cities plus they are cheaper to live in HOWEVER, this is due to travel distances. so yes it will be nice but it will also be boring and dull.

I recommend checking out craigslist, and look up apartments for rent. I dont know your age, but housing NEAR college campuses would be a very general safe bet. (again you need to look at each city individually) but starting with campuses would tell u that there will be tons of College police.

give me more details and i will go deeper into it
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Thanks so much, I am 32 and will be a woman on my own. ( I know I talk as if I already got the GC, I am practising the law of Attraction here guys:) )
 
cheap housing and safe does not come together in this country -you might find safe but its always expensive and cheap housing is ALWAYS IN THE BAD area-so your question is rather strange
 
bmx88 said:
cheap housing and safe does not come together in this country -you might find safe but its always expensive and cheap housing is ALWAYS IN THE BAD area-so your question is rather strange
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You are a real ray of sunshine aren't you?

I wouldn't generalize like that because the US is a big country and there are plenty of places where it is possible to find both, depending on where you're going. Obviously it can be more challenging in large expensive cities like SF bay area, NYC, Boston etc than areas like the mid-west or more rural places.

In the big cities you might have to live in a smaller place and/or have to make a long commute in order to find something affordable and safe. SF/NYC rents can easily be $1500 for a small 1 bedroom apartment, if you need to house a family it can be more than that.

In areas like the midwest it will be easier to find affordable and safe housing depending on the place. Think around $500 for a condo.

Like others said before: your best bet is to start with craigslist and local newspapers. Use the internet to find out more on specific areas of places and find out where students live.

Can you tell me what city/area you are looking at?
 
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thanks for your replies. how much do people generally pay in the more affordable parts of New York for a room in a shared apartment or house?
thanks
 
heyMike said:
You are a real ray of sunshine aren't you?

I wouldn't generalize like that because the US is a big country and there are plenty of places where it is possible to find both, depending on where you're going. Obviously it can be more challenging in large expensive cities like SF bay area, NYC, Boston etc than areas like the mid-west or more rural places.

In the big cities you might have to live in a smaller place and/or have to make a long commute in order to find something affordable and safe. SF/NYC rents can easily be $1500 for a small 1 bedroom apartment, if you need to house a family it can be more than that.

In areas like the midwest it will be easier to find affordable and safe housing depending on the place. Think around $500 for a condo.

Like others said before: your best bet is to start with craigslist and local newspapers. Use the internet to find out more on specific areas of places and find out where students live.

Can you tell me what city/area you are looking at?
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LOL and you are funny guy -
LOOK DUDE IN YOUR POST -REPLAY TO MY POST YOU JUST WATERED DOWN WHAT I SAID IN ONE SENTENCE - THATS COOL !!
I CAN SEE YOU CAN STRECH A SHORT STORY LOOOOOONG -
I BET YOU ARE NOT MARRIED .:D
 
ok i will
1 CRAIGS LIST IS POLUTED BY SCAMERS SO ITS NEXT TO USELESS -SO ADVISE SOMEONE TO PUT THE FAITH IN CRAIGS LIST FOR ANYTHING IS JUST PLAIN STUPID AND NOT NICE AT ALL
2 ''SAFE AREA'' IN EVERY MAJOR US CITY IS FOR PEOPLE WITH MONEY ( A LOTS OF IT )
3 FOR PEOPLE OF ''COLOR '' AFORDABLE ACCOMODATION IN THE USofA MEANS LIVING IN THE UNSAFE AREA ON A CHEAP -BRONX (NY) .SOUTH CENTRAL (LA) ETC -YOU GOT THE PICTURE
4 IN NY SAFE AREAS) MIGHT BE BROOKLYN OR QUEENS BUT AGAIN IF YOU ARE ANYTHING BUT ''EUROPEAN ''- DON'T BOTHER APLAYING FOR A ROOM
5 MANHATTAN (DOWNTOWN) HAS SOME CHEAP AND SAFE ACCOMODATION BUT ITS ONLY FOR ASIANS - AGAIN IF YOU CALL THEY ASK YOU POINT BLANK WHERE YOU FROM AND IF YOU SAY ANYTHING ELSE THEN CHINA OR FAR EAST ASIA YOU WON'T BE GETTING INN
THERE YOU GO I WAS NICE - IN THIS COUNTRY IF YOU HAVE MONEY YOU ARE SAFE IF NOT ...WELL TO BAD FOR YOU .
 
Ditto,

I bought all my cars and motorcycles, and housing from craigslist without any problems. You can spot the scammer a mile away. They usually want to ship the goods or do online payments. Just make sure you do all transactions in person. Craigslist is an awesome site.
 
Another positive vote for craigslist. I found my rental house through Craigslist and it's a great way, if not the main way, to find rental accomodation.
The two cities bmx88 gripes about above are both relatively expensive locations to live in. Of course it costs a lot to rent a nice place in these cities. If you don't have the money and you want to rent a nice place, then live somewhere else.
In general the US is a very safe country. Here in Portland Oregon the UPS guys leave deliveries sitting on my porch steps and people leave their front doors open during the day through summer, no worries about anything getting stolen.
Don't believe the hype about crime in the US. Basically people trust each other. It's why Craigslist works. (However use your head. If it doesn't sound right, it probably isn't.)
 
slackerdemigod said:
Another positive vote for craigslist. I found my rental house through Craigslist and it's a great way, if not the main way, to find rental accomodation.
The two cities bmx88 gripes about above are both relatively expensive locations to live in. Of course it costs a lot to rent a nice place in these cities. If you don't have the money and you want to rent a nice place, then live somewhere else.
In general the US is a very safe country. Here in Portland Oregon the UPS guys leave deliveries sitting on my porch steps and people leave their front doors open during the day through summer, no worries about anything getting stolen.
Don't believe the hype about crime in the US. Basically people trust each other. It's why Craigslist works. (However use your head. If it doesn't sound right, it probably isn't.)
Click to expand...

and may i ask what are the cheap cities that can have affordable rooms to rent and work,good colleges as well ?
 
slackerdemigod said:
Another positive vote for craigslist. I found my rental house through Craigslist and it's a great way, if not the main way, to find rental accomodation.
The two cities bmx88 gripes about above are both relatively expensive locations to live in. Of course it costs a lot to rent a nice place in these cities. If you don't have the money and you want to rent a nice place, then live somewhere else.
In general the US is a very safe country. Here in Portland Oregon the UPS guys leave deliveries sitting on my porch steps and people leave their front doors open during the day through summer, no worries about anything getting stolen.
Don't believe the hype about crime in the US. Basically people trust each other. It's why Craigslist works. (However use your head. If it doesn't sound right, it probably isn't.)
Click to expand...

craigslist WAS an awesome site long time ago (5-6 years ago0 now its just scam site - abour 70% of the ads are SCAM or they are just set up for half scams - some people are smart and they are not falling for the scams but I KNOW AT LEATS A DOZEN OR SO PEOPLE WHO FELL FOR TH CRAIGS LITS SCAMS ONE TIME IN THE PAST - and that is a lot
 
rockstarw said:
and may i ask what are the cheap cities that can have affordable rooms to rent and work,good colleges as well ?
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Try http://www.findyourspot.com/ . It might throw up some fresh ideas. Obviously don't just blindly follow the list, but follow up with your own research, particularly on jobs/employment stats.
There are good colleges all over the country so unless you have a particular college in mind it's just another attribute to look at. Good colleges often cost lots of $$$, so you might want to look for "good-enough" colleges. Once you have been resident in-state long enough you might qualify for lower fees.
 
bmx88 said:
I KNOW AT LEATS A DOZEN OR SO PEOPLE WHO FELL FOR TH CRAIGS LITS SCAMS ONE TIME IN THE PAST - and that is a lot
Click to expand...

...perhaps you just know the wrong people...

The chance of a rental scam is low as you are dealing face-to-face with the landlord and you get to see the product first-hand.
 
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