Moving into Brickell in July, need help with apartments (Miami: rental, HOA)
MiamiMiami-Dade County
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Currently living in South Miami as a student, will be graduating in May and working in Coconut Grove.
Work pays rather well, and as such I'm looking for a studio apartment to rent. My budget is around $1600 incl. utilities. Since I've heard that there are parts of Coconut Grove that're not exactly the nicest area, I'm looking to perhaps live instead in Brickell, considering the relatively livelier neighborhood while still being somewhat close to work (~20min commute)
Questions:
1) Within my limited budget, what are some attractive apartments to look out for in the Brickell neighborhood, and what are some that I should definitely avoid? Note that I won't have pets, would not need a parking lot, etc.
2) What's the average expense of hiring a realtor to assist with the search vs. going at it myself? Note that since my work begins officially in July, I would not have last two months' payroll information, but I do have an offer letter with my salaries specified. If I do intend to hire a realtor, what's the best resources to find one that accommodates to my need?
3) I'm expecting to move in by July 1st; when should I begin contacting realtors/apartment offices?
Currently living in South Miami as a student, will be graduating in May and working in Coconut Grove.
Work pays rather well, and as such I'm looking for a studio apartment to rent. My budget is around $1600 incl. utilities. Since I've heard that there are parts of Coconut Grove that're not exactly the nicest area, I'm looking to perhaps live instead in Brickell, considering the relatively livelier neighborhood while still being somewhat close to work (~20min commute)
Questions:
1) Within my limited budget, what are some attractive apartments to look out for in the Brickell neighborhood, and what are some that I should definitely avoid? Note that I won't have pets, would not need a parking lot, etc.
2) What's the average expense of hiring a realtor to assist with the search vs. going at it myself? Note that since my work begins officially in July, I would not have last two months' payroll information, but I do have an offer letter with my salaries specified. If I do intend to hire a realtor, what's the best resources to find one that accommodates to my need?
3) I'm expecting to move in by July 1st; when should I begin contacting realtors/apartment offices?
Thank you so much for your help!
Welcome.
There is no fee to use a Realtor to find you a rental.
Most of the condos are privately owned so you'll need a Realtor to help you find a place, make an offer, get your HOA stuff going, etc. There are few & Far between apt. complexes in those areas and the ones in Brickell/Grove/Gables are going to be over your budget.
An offer letter will suffice for a landlord to show your new job and Gross Income. Assuming you have good credit, the offer letter won't be a problem/red flag. Most of my relocations just have an offer letter and previous job history and that suffices.
IF you want to move in by July 1st, you should be looking at the end of May and having something under contract by Mid June. Figure about 2 weeks for HOA/Condo approval and coordinating your move-in.
There is no fee to use a Realtor to find you a rental.
Most of the condos are privately owned so you'll need a Realtor to help you find a place, make an offer, get your HOA stuff going, etc. There are few & Far between apt. complexes in those areas and the ones in Brickell/Grove/Gables are going to be over your budget.
An offer letter will suffice for a landlord to show your new job and Gross Income. Assuming you have good credit, the offer letter won't be a problem/red flag. Most of my relocations just have an offer letter and previous job history and that suffices.
IF you want to move in by July 1st, you should be looking at the end of May and having something under contract by Mid June. Figure about 2 weeks for HOA/Condo approval and coordinating your move-in.
Hope that helps!
I too am moving to Brickell (or immediate vicinity) in the Fall and saw the HOA approval mentioned above. What sorts of things will my new landlord (i.e., Condo Owner) need from me to gain approval to rent his condo with the HOA? And how does one sign a lease when the approval process time is an unknown? For example, do you just leave the date open and then fill it in after approval? I'll be moving across country (from CA). As such, I'd have to put my stuff on a truck and transport. Hard to know exact dates/times if their is an unknown date. Thoughts?
I too am moving to Brickell (or immediate vicinity) in the Fall and saw the HOA approval mentioned above. What sorts of things will my new landlord (i.e., Condo Owner) need from me to gain approval to rent his condo with the HOA? And how does one sign a lease when the approval process time is an unknown? For example, do you just leave the date open and then fill it in after approval? I'll be moving across country (from CA). As such, I'd have to put my stuff on a truck and transport. Hard to know exact dates/times if their is an unknown date. Thoughts?
Unless you pay a rush fee, you can end up staying in a hotel if you aren't approved in time.
Buildings like Brickell on the River, Neo Vertika, etc. have mandatory orientations that are only held a few times a week (no Skype allowed) so thats why I tell all my clients to start looking for a rental 30 days in advance. Figure 1 week to find something, then making an offer/waiting on a lease/ then doing the HOA process..doesn't leave much time for error. Always have a #2 option as well in case the 1st owner denies you, is difficult or comes off shady so you can quickly pivot to #2. I'd say about 40% of the time my clients don't end up with their 1st choice for those reasons (or they get outbid or someone else swoops in).
Otherwise, you'd get approved and then wait until your move in date to pick up keys/exchange the remaining monies due.
Since you're moving across country, you should look even sooner because once approved, you'll need to reserve the service elevator to move in. If its the 1st/31st, they tend to get booked up by current residents in advance. No high-rise allows Sunday move-ins and most don't allow Saturdays....keep that in mind!
There's no reason that you can't submit offers more than 30 days in advance and get a little more predictability in the situation. You improve your odds of your offer getting accepted if you view properties that are still tenant occupied, landlords will try to keep it rented as much as possible.
Unless you pay a rush fee, you can end up staying in a hotel if you aren't approved in time.
Buildings like Brickell on the River, Neo Vertika, etc. have mandatory orientations that are only held a few times a week (no Skype allowed) so thats why I tell all my clients to start looking for a rental 30 days in advance. Figure 1 week to find something, then making an offer/waiting on a lease/ then doing the HOA process..doesn't leave much time for error. Always have a #2 option as well in case the 1st owner denies you, is difficult or comes off shady so you can quickly pivot to #2. I'd say about 40% of the time my clients don't end up with their 1st choice for those reasons (or they get outbid or someone else swoops in).
Otherwise, you'd get approved and then wait until your move in date to pick up keys/exchange the remaining monies due.
Since you're moving across country, you should look even sooner because once approved, you'll need to reserve the service elevator to move in. If its the 1st/31st, they tend to get booked up by current residents in advance. No high-rise allows Sunday move-ins and most don't allow Saturdays....keep that in mind!
OK, I will anticipate staying in a hotel then. Re the "orientations", I'm not sure what this means. Does the approval process require the board to meet with me in person? Or is this something that can be done from afar? For example, can I spend those 30 days in California, before I move personally across country? What sort of documentation will I need to provide to them to peruse?
Re the service elevator, in other cities I have tried to pick a weird date (7th, 12th, 23rd, etc) as my move in date. This allows me not only to get the service elevator but more easily find a mover. Many movers are quite busy on the 1st/15th/31st. So I tend to avoid. I assume this is feasible here in Miami too?
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnRyan
There's no reason that you can't submit offers more than 30 days in advance and get a little more predictability in the situation. You improve your odds of your offer getting accepted if you view properties that are still tenant occupied, landlords will try to keep it rented as much as possible.
What do you mean exactly? For example, I find a place on Sept 15 and then place an offer to move in on Oct 15 (pending approval from the board of course)?
Why would a landlord be more inclined to deny me if their place is empty? I'm not sure I follow what you're trying to explain re your second sentence. If it was empty, wouldn't they want to "approve" me all the same?
They would want to rent to someone moving in sooner, is what she's saying.
Some people like to look 60 days out which requires the landlord to lose 45-50 of vacancy so they'll hold out for someone who's in a rush.
Just give yourself 30 days for the process of scouting, finding, offering, HOA approval and you'll be fine. 35 days if you want to feel less rushed.
You can make your offer and go back to Cali afterwards thats not a problem.
Regarding the Orientation/Interview, every building is different. Some allow Skype but most don't. Most require you to do it BEFORE you move in. Some will let you do it the day of move. Bigger buildings tend to have orientation only 2x a month, sometimes 3x. Small buildings do the 'interviews' and yes, if they don't like you they'll deny you but risk getting sued. For a highrise, you just pass the background check and you'll be fine.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
7,411 posts, read 6,565,413 times
Reputation: 6691
HOA acceptance varies by building...1060 Brickell approved me within 48 hours during Christmas week; others take quite a bit longer. YMMV.
Be prepared to shell out first and last month plus security (same $ amount as monthly rental) prior to moving in...also, if private owner, expect them to want you to do bank to bank transfers each month (vs mailing the landlord a check) due to owner being based out of the country and/or the high level of distrust that exists in this city.
expect them to want you to do bank to bank transfers each month (vs mailing the landlord a check) due to owner being based out of the country and/or the high level of distrust that exists in this city.
Don't forget just the general laziness too of having to deposit a check and/or mailing a check :-)
Also, nice high-rises will charge a 1 Month Deposit for their own amenities. Usually, your agent can help negotiate this to be paid by the landlord. But some are stubborn, so that would mean 4 months to move in. Better to offer: 1st Month, Sec Deposit, Building Deposit vs 1st/Last/Sec. Or find out ahead of time what the building requirements are. Some buildings won't take a deposit from a landlord if they know its for a tenant.
HOA acceptance varies by building...1060 Brickell approved me within 48 hours during Christmas week; others take quite a bit longer. YMMV.
Be prepared to shell out first and last month plus security (same $ amount as monthly rental) prior to moving in...also, if private owner, expect them to want you to do bank to bank transfers each month (vs mailing the landlord a check) due to owner being based out of the country and/or the high level of distrust that exists in this city.
Bank to bank transfers? I've set up auto-pay with my bank to landlords before. Sort of like setting up bill pay. Each month the bank cuts a check and mails it. I've also ACHed from one bank to another before but this requires me to own both accounts. What is a bank to bank transfer exactly? Can't be a wire transfer, can it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc Middleton
Don't forget just the general laziness too of having to deposit a check and/or mailing a check :-)
Also, nice high-rises will charge a 1 Month Deposit for their own amenities. Usually, your agent can help negotiate this to be paid by the landlord. But some are stubborn, so that would mean 4 months to move in. Better to offer: 1st Month, Sec Deposit, Building Deposit vs 1st/Last/Sec. Or find out ahead of time what the building requirements are. Some buildings won't take a deposit from a landlord if they know its for a tenant.
I'm not overly concerned about the amount required to put down initially. If it's 3 months, that's fine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc Middleton
They would want to rent to someone moving in sooner, is what she's saying.
Some people like to look 60 days out which requires the landlord to lose 45-50 of vacancy so they'll hold out for someone who's in a rush.
Just give yourself 30 days for the process of scouting, finding, offering, HOA approval and you'll be fine. 35 days if you want to feel less rushed.
You can make your offer and go back to Cali afterwards thats not a problem.
Regarding the Orientation/Interview, every building is different. Some allow Skype but most don't. Most require you to do it BEFORE you move in. Some will let you do it the day of move. Bigger buildings tend to have orientation only 2x a month, sometimes 3x. Small buildings do the 'interviews' and yes, if they don't like you they'll deny you but risk getting sued. For a highrise, you just pass the background check and you'll be fine.
I'm sorry, I think I'm being dense here. But you are saying:
1- week 1, search for apartments.
2- end of week 1, make offer of $x for apartment.
3- fly back to California day 8.
4- Stay in California for 21 days.
5- Fly back to Florida for "in person orientation/interview". Assume approval, but understand I could be denied and if so, this whole process has to start all over again.
To stop the above from happening, I assume it would be better to stay in Florida for interview after offer is accepted, correct? Then fly back to California. Am I understanding this properly?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
