Hey guys,
Are you moving somewhere completely new soon? Trying to find a place to live in a new location, where you don't know the city or anyone that lives there can be daunting. As someone who has done this 5 times in different countries, I can help you out!
1. Facebook Groups!
Honestly, they have a house share/apartment search Facebook Group in most cities. Vancouver in particular has a couple:
- Vancouver Rooms and Rentals
- Vancouver Rooms
It's basically a place where locals can list their rooms, which they want to rent. A lot of the ones I've found on these groups are month to month or they have shorter leases.
2. Facebook Marketplace/Local Craigslist
This is a great place to find rooms and rentals. There is always people advertising places to live on marketplaces like Facebook or Craigslist. Not all cities have Craigslist, but they will all have sites like it. I know in Canada they have a website called Kijiji and in Melbourne you can use Gumtree.
When I was in Toronto I found most of the apartment listings I looked at in Kijiji and that was actually where I found my apartment I lived in too. Where as in Whistler it was mainly on Facebook marketplace or on the Facebook group. So it varies place to place.
3. Getting to know the area/pricing
When you move somewhere, you're not going to know the area and there are a couple of things that you can do to help yourself find an area that you really like.
First thing I would suggest is go on to Google Maps to get an idea of the different places in
that city. Pick out areas which are close to things that you want to be near, for example one of the reasons I chose Kitsilano was because I know I wanted to live near the beach.
If you don't know anyone who has lived in that city then I would suggest going into the Facebook groups I previously mentioned, write a post asking about the different areas and what the rent prices usually look like. I have found people in these groups are normally pretty helpful and they can give you some good advice.
4. Viewing Properties
At the moment because of the virus a lot of people are being very cautious with the amount of people they are allowing in their house. My suggestion for this is, if you are going to go for a viewing, please wear a mask and gloves. This person is allowing you into their home and it wouldn't be respectful to walk into someone's house without protecting yourself and them. If they tell you it's okay to take off your gloves and mask, only then should you do so.
Another safer option for viewing properties is to video call them. You will then be able to view the house without putting yourself or anyone else at risk.
5. Meet the Housemates
Try to meet your housemates, whether it be in person or via video call, make sure you pick a time that some of the housemates will be in. Your housemates are so, so important to your sanity because they're the people that you're going to be interacting with every single day. You really need to get along with them and you may be become friends with them.
I've lived in quite a few places now, especially over the last like three years. I've lived in lots of
different environments and I can honestly say the places I loved the most are the ones where I got along with my housemates. I found that when I was in an environment that I was uncomfortable, I would avoid going into communal area, because I wouldn't want make awkward small talk.
6. Make a list of your priorities
Make a list whether it be in your head or like on a piece of paper (I would suggest writing it down) of the most important aspects you need in a living space. For example, for some people the location is more important how nice the house is because it is closer to their job. But for others, their room has to be a certain size because they work from home.
Making a list where you order your priorities will help you only view properties you will actually be interested in. It is very unlikely any place is going to have everything on your list, it is just so you have a guideline of criteria that you can use to search for a place.
7. Ask questions!
Make a list of questions that you want to ask when you go to these places. You don't do this by yourself, get your parents involved, they're always going to have like an opinion and they may think of questions you have not thought of. It's so easy to go to a place and get so caught up in seeing the house/apartment that you forget to ask the questions.
A question a always go to is "how far is the grocery store?" that's super important because if a grocery store is far and you don't have like a mode of transport to get there, it's going to be really really difficult for you to do your grocery shopping.
I recommend writing all your questions down on your phone, as that is something you generally won't forget to take with you. You can also use it to write down the answers to these questions.
8. Take a notepad and pen
Or make sure that you have your notes up in your phone. I say this because it is so easy to forget information someone is saying to you especially if that is your 4th viewing of the day! The worst thing is like getting back from a day of like looking at houses and not remembering everything that you need to so you can make a good decision.
Some of the things I recommend taking notes on are:
- how the rent/utilities are taken
- the things that you have prioritised from number 6
- the answers to your questions
- what the housemates were like, what kind of vibe you got from them, do you think you'll fit in
- Is there something that you don't like?
- Is there something that you love?
Making these notes are so important, as you are not going to be making your decision on the spot. You will have to remember everything about the houses/apartment you viewed later on. That way you will be able to make an informed decision.
9. Make a Pros and Cons list
If there are a couple of places that you can't choose between make a pros and cons list for each property. It's such a simple thing but it is so helpful to get your thoughts in order to make an informed decision.
10. Be open to the whole process
Have fun with it, honestly choosing somewhere to live shouldn't be the worst task in the whole entire world. You're going to go see/meet so many different people (and see their houses!)
Even though it can be nerve racking it can also be an interesting experience.
I hope that was helpful! If it was leave a comment down below. I always love to hear what you guys have to say.
Travel safe and stay happy
Love From,
Kesvi x
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