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A guide to first timers in the US - part III
Once you have got your social security number and credit card, the next logical step is to move into your very own accommodation. Here’s how you go house hunting in the US.
A roof over your head
Hopefully when you reach the US of A, you would be provided with a guest house or hotel accommodation for a couple of weeks. This is the time to scout for your own apartment.
There are multiple starting points for finding an accommodation. The local departmental store would have one or more copies of apartment guides available free of cost. The classifieds section of local newspapers would list some apartments that are to be let. Every city apartment finder service is a more organized version of our real estate guys. Or better still, use the Internet and do some spadework even before you leave India. Here are some of the sites that may come handy:
www.rent.net
www.apartmentsearch.com.
www.aptselector.com
www.apartmentlinks.net
www.aptsforrent.com
www.aptline.com
www.aptusa.com
www.Apartments.com
www.Apartmentworld.com
www.aptguides.com
Elsewhere in this series I had mentioned the importance of credit worthiness and while apartment hunting too, this would apply. Since this is your first time in the country, there might be a small problem. The company you work for needs to step in, to establish your credit worthiness.
In all other aspects, apartment hunting is more or less the same as in India. Check out the neighborhood, ask your neighbors about the facilities and how well they are managed etc. Going in for an apartment complex would be a better idea (until you have settled in well). A complex has the advantage of security and maintenance taken care of by the rental office.
Furnish your apartment
If you are a bachelor, you don't have to really worry about furniture right at the beginning, as there are more important things to worry about. However, if you are with a family or are expecting your family to move in soon, you will need some minimum furniture to start with.
Most people start off by renting furniture, say for a month or so. This then provides you an opportunity to look around and get a good bargain in Yard Sales or Moving Sales. The latter are held by families moving out of town or maybe out of the country. You can get good deals with them--but in most such sales, you would need to negotiate well to strike a good deal. Taking somebody from your office or a friend who has stayed for some time in the US would be an advantage in helping you settle for the right price.
Unlike in India, you are expected to do lot of work on the home front yourself. Most services (read touched by a human hand) are very expensive. Hence, it would be a good idea to pick all if not most items from some sale or the other. You would have to move the items yourself or make arrangements to do so. Again, remember commercial arrangements are costly. This being the case, it may also be a good idea to buy items that can be dismantled easily.
Get your phone connection
Just like the credit card the phone too is a necessity in the US. You will have to learn fast the art of leaving crisp and clear messages in the voice mail system. And you will also have to learn to use your voice mailbox at home and office. Unlike India, the phone systems are used extensively for leaving, retrieving and listening to voice mail. And like e-mail, people expect that you will respond to voice mails left on your voice mailbox.
This preamble was to highlight the importance of the phone system in the US. It is better that you apply for the phone as soon as the apartment is finalized. You will need to contact the local telephone company and provide basic information about yourself and the address of the apartment. Local phone carriers are region specific, like Ameritech is for Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio and Bell Atlantic is for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It usually takes about three to five working days to activate the service. The information about the local telephone company would be available with the rental office associated with the apartment.
Do check the small print and services offered before putting your signature on the dotted line. In most cases, services like call waiting, caller ID and call screening would be default options unless specifically opted out by the user. Needless to say, each such service would add to your bill.
You need to buy the telephone instrument. The cost of the instrument starts from $15 upwards. Cordless phones cost $29.99. As mentioned in the beginning of this section, it would be a good idea to buy a phone with an answering machine.
To avail the facility of long distance calling (same as STD or ISD in India), you would need to subscribe to a long distance carrier like MCI, Sprint or AT&T. Do check out the special packages offered by them. Careful study can save you a lot of money when you want to call India.
Get a TV and cable connection
Whether you are alone or accompanied by your spouse, you would na
Once you have managed this much amidst a hectic work schedule in a foreign atmosphere, you deserve a well-earned break. Put your feet up on a piece of the newly bought furniture, tune in to your favorite channel and relax. Or else you could pick up the just installed phone and call your folks back home to update them on your home away from home.
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