☀How Hard Is It To Find Job &Apartment In MPLS?☀ (Minneapolis: fit in, sublet)

[breestadlman]

I am moving to Mpls in July, or as soon as I find an apartment and job... I am from a small town in South Dakota, so it's pretty easy here, but I think it's different in Minneapolis... Opinions? I'm 18 and moving alone, if that matters.

[GBCommenter]

In general, it's not terribly difficult to find an apartment. Be ready to generally qualify for an apartment. You should expect to have at least first months rent and deposit, which could be another months rent. In my experience, some (though not all) apartments also ask last months rent so it might not be a bad idea to be able to offer last months rent.

Most landlords also highly prefer to see income from their renters, in other words a job. In general, landlords seem to like you making (gross - before taxes) 3X the rent. In other words, if you want to rent a $600/month apartment, you should have a job paying $1800/month before taxes (or, if you are working FT, around $12/hour. I suppose some combination would work too such as two jobs that bring that amount of income). If you're open to whatever honest job you can find, I would imagine you can find a restaurant job, customer service job, stocking job. You might need two of those jobs to be get the combination of hours and hourly pay, but possible.

My guess is your biggest challenge is the catch-22 - You need an address to get a job, but you need a job to get an address. That said, it wouldn't be like you were the first person to ever try this. Unfortunately, I don't have the magic answer to address the situation unless you find a job online before you come here. Perhaps rent a box at a UPS Store for a mailing address? Of course, you have to be here to rent the box, I'm not sure to what extent UPS Stores require a local address to rent a box, and it doesn't give you a place to sleep until you find the apartment - but an idea?

[DannyBanany]

I too moved here from South Dakota three years ago and was in the same position. I finally made ends meet and am now living comfortably, but here's what I would do if I had to do it over:

1. Have a job lined up. You don't want to move here without a job waiting for you. Even if you do get a job fairly soon, your paycheck is a few more weeks out and you'll blow through your savings very quickly with the unexpected expenses of moving and setting up a new place. I suggest waiting tables. Making $200 on a busy night is NICE! I have a full time job and I still wait tables on weekends because the money is so good. Plus, it's a fun and fast-paced job.

2. Have a roommate(s). Even if you have to Craiglsist one. A two bedroom for $500 each is a lot cheaper than your own studio for $800. Splitting utilites is nice too. You may even afford to have cable.

3. Live in the city. Try to live somewhere that has everything close to you. Suburbs may have a lot of stuff too, but it's spaced out and you have to travel. Plus, you don't want to move from South Dakota at the age of 18 and live in the 'burbs. You're here for that city experience!

4. I don't know what your car situation is, but if you have one, make sure it is paid off. That extra $100-200 in your pocket will make a world of difference. Trust me. Otherwise, try to live close to bus/train routes. I had a car when I moved up but if it ever needed repair, I was lucky that a bus line was close and I could just take the train to work. Sometimes it was even quicker than I-94 traffic. I love having a car though, as expensive and unnecessary as it may be.

5. Cheap hobbies. Go to the beach and meet people. Ride a bike around and get lost in the city. Museums are free certain days too. You'll find a lot of things to do that don't cost much at all. The more cheap things you do, the more you'll save, and the more you'll be able to do expensive things later on.

Best of luck! You'll love the Twin Cities!

[rzzz]

It's easy to find an apartment, harder to find a job.

[vaporizor]

I plan on moving there in the next 1yr - 1yr1/2. This is whats going to worry me the most. Im going to take 2 weeks vacation next spring to check out areas in the city/neighborhoods, check out the kind of life I will have there and assess a few things. A priority will be to meet some recruiters, and hunt for a few jobs, probably waitering/busboy jobs will be a start for me until I can get a break in my field.

Finding a job is what worries me the most because finding a roommate seems pretty easy.

I plan on driving all my stuff up there in a uhaul and putting what I cant fit into storage, unless I get my own place, which I am considering. There are so many variables to moving your whole life there that it doesnt seem likely it will be smooth and without some problems.

[pinoyplaya]

I'm having a different problem. I found the job.... now just need to find an apartment. The apartment I was looking at had only 1 single bedroom available but now that one was rented out I already turned in that application form and did the background/employment check and the owner said I had excellent credit

He offered me a 2 bedroom apartment. I do like the apartment and I might just get it with a short lease contract until hopefully a 1 bedroom apartment opens up.

Do you guys know how hard it would be to find a roommate and whether the landlord will allow a roommate for a 2 bedroom apartment if I am the only one occupying it?

Or do you have to personally know the other roommate or can they just apply later on with the apartment to help reduce cost?

[rzzz]

I would just find a sublet for the summer and look around once you get there.
It is too hard to find an apartment when you aren't there, IMO.

It could be legit that the 1 br rented, but up selling you the more expensive apartment after they've hooked you into the application process is a common scam.

[DannyBanany]

I came up a couple weeks before moving to view several apartments and set up the moving date. Most apartments will have some type of on location storage. If you ever want to add another person to a lease it is possible. You just need to have them fill out an application (and pay the fee that usually accompanies it), and make an addendum to the lease. You cannot just have them move in without notifying your property manager. It is illegal. I have had several people move in and out of my apartment and this is never a problem. I've always known the people I live with, but of course that is not a requirement - especially when involving Craigslist.

When I moved up, I loaded my car with as much stuff as possible and U-Hauled my furniture. You can go grab a U-Haul the day of your move and just leave it at a U-Haul center in the Twin Cities when you are done with it. No need to take it back to where you are moving from.

If you already had a background check with one apartment but you didn't get the one bedroom you wanted, I would either keep looking for a one bedroom or get a roommate. No need to have a two bedroom to yourself unless you need an office or work from home.

[pinoyplaya]

Originally Posted by DannyBanany

I came up a couple weeks before moving to view several apartments and set up the moving date. Most apartments will have some type of on location storage. If you ever want to add another person to a lease it is possible. You just need to have them fill out an application (and pay the fee that usually accompanies it), and make an addendum to the lease. You cannot just have them move in without notifying your property manager. It is illegal. I have had several people move in and out of my apartment and this is never a problem. I've always known the people I live with, but of course that is not a requirement - especially when involving Craigslist.

When I moved up, I loaded my car with as much stuff as possible and U-Hauled my furniture. You can go grab a U-Haul the day of your move and just leave it at a U-Haul center in the Twin Cities when you are done with it. No need to take it back to where you are moving from.

If you already had a background check with one apartment but you didn't get the one bedroom you wanted, I would either keep looking for a one bedroom or get a roommate. No need to have a two bedroom to yourself unless you need an office or work from home.

Yes. I have the background check and employment verification and it all went well. But now, I am having difficulties trying to reach the office manager (landlord). Possibly very busy with tours and such. I don't want to have to waste another $$ on several apartment applications. Instead, I can just pay the $120 extra per month to get the 2 br apartment and hopefully be able to sign a roommate later on down the road.

The trouble I am having now is reaching the manager so I can reserve the apartment. It seems like he is giving out the tours first giving everyone else flexibility to pick/choose which apartment they want and then give me the left over -.- (if there is any left).

I might look into that sublet deal...... but the hassle of having to pack everything and moving out and moving back in to a different apartment again is just too much.

[DannyBanany]

That's a good plan. You have a place guaranteed because you are approved. Just pay the extra and get another roommate in the following months. If he is showing other people the apartment, it is because they are prospective tenants - they have not put any money down yet. Sorry you're having issues getting a hold of him.