The very many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXV
- Thread starter hobbsyoyo
- Start date
- Status
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
I'm not too picky. As long as everything works I'm fine with it.
Thanks for the response. I'm trying to create a comprehensive list, and I want as many sources as possible.
I imagine parking should be a huge concern. Do they have a dedicated (and reserved for tenants) parking lot that is sufficiently large for all of the tenants, or are you going to have to park on the street? If the latter, how good is that situation?
Farm Boy
I hope you dance
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2010
- Messages
- 28,269
Having everything work will cost a premium over places where some most of the things work most of the time.
Read the lease. Expect that the landlord may attempt to screw you on the security deposit simply on principle. They may not, but be prepared. When you select a place, I've always found it useful to take pictures before you move in all your stuff. So you remember what was damaged/worn previous to you. Again, it might not help, but it isn't hard to do and it might. Do you own a car? Figure out the parking situation/what that costs. Ask around to see if car break-ins are an issue. Look to see if there are adequate visitor parking spaces if you want family/friends to be able to visit you.
Read the lease. Expect that the landlord may attempt to screw you on the security deposit simply on principle. They may not, but be prepared. When you select a place, I've always found it useful to take pictures before you move in all your stuff. So you remember what was damaged/worn previous to you. Again, it might not help, but it isn't hard to do and it might. Do you own a car? Figure out the parking situation/what that costs. Ask around to see if car break-ins are an issue. Look to see if there are adequate visitor parking spaces if you want family/friends to be able to visit you.
I'll try to help as much as I can, finding apartments is a pain.
In Boston, there are a lot of apartments that have fuel oil tanks, for oil heating during the winter. You generally have to schedule oil deliveries otherwise you get cold. Additionally, you usually need to pay the first month's rent plus a security deposit (that is again usually the last month's rent) up front. Some areas have brokerage fees attached to this transaction, so you should have at least 3x the asking price for the apartment on hand in case you need it.
Checking for pests is really important. Look for holes chewed in the corners, check for droppings in the cabinets and under stoves/refrigerators/etc. If it's dusty, then landlords didn't care to clean it up first which may not be a good sign because they might be slower to respond when you have a problem. If you see little black spots, I'd pass on the place--that's a sure sign of pests. Water stains or other evidence of flooding is also a bad sign.
If you can talk to neighbors before buying the place, that is a great thing. They'll tell you whether or not the landlord is responsive when things break, whether there are problems with pests, noise, leaking, etc.
EDIT: Yeah, ask about parking if you have a car. You might need to get a permit from the city to park on the street if there's not a nearby deck you can park in.
In Boston, there are a lot of apartments that have fuel oil tanks, for oil heating during the winter. You generally have to schedule oil deliveries otherwise you get cold. Additionally, you usually need to pay the first month's rent plus a security deposit (that is again usually the last month's rent) up front. Some areas have brokerage fees attached to this transaction, so you should have at least 3x the asking price for the apartment on hand in case you need it.
Checking for pests is really important. Look for holes chewed in the corners, check for droppings in the cabinets and under stoves/refrigerators/etc. If it's dusty, then landlords didn't care to clean it up first which may not be a good sign because they might be slower to respond when you have a problem. If you see little black spots, I'd pass on the place--that's a sure sign of pests. Water stains or other evidence of flooding is also a bad sign.
If you can talk to neighbors before buying the place, that is a great thing. They'll tell you whether or not the landlord is responsive when things break, whether there are problems with pests, noise, leaking, etc.
EDIT: Yeah, ask about parking if you have a car. You might need to get a permit from the city to park on the street if there's not a nearby deck you can park in.
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
The university's well-served by public transit, so that's something I'll be looking for. The lease and checking the apartment seems to be very important.
Quackers
The Frog
I know a British landlord and i advocate taking pictures (dated ideally) of everything in the apartment on day one. Landlords have a deserved bad reputation, here at least, so you have to cover every angle to ensure they can't take away your deposit at the end of your tenancy.
As others have said, read the tenancy agreement thoroughly but i would also get a family member or friend to read through it too. You might miss something.
Guarantee the utilities are ready to use once you move in.
Just have a mindset that landlords are unscrupulous and untrustworthy. That'll see you through.
As others have said, read the tenancy agreement thoroughly but i would also get a family member or friend to read through it too. You might miss something.
Guarantee the utilities are ready to use once you move in.
Just have a mindset that landlords are unscrupulous and untrustworthy. That'll see you through.
Check the corners in the rooms, especially in the bathroom, for mold. Also check behind wardrobes, in case some are there.
Check the windows if they have double glazing, and if they have plastic frames. Single glazing is terrible for heating, and in combination with wooden frames you might get mold on the frames too.
Ask if the appartment includes a basement or other storage room.
Check the windows if they have double glazing, and if they have plastic frames. Single glazing is terrible for heating, and in combination with wooden frames you might get mold on the frames too.
Ask if the appartment includes a basement or other storage room.
There's some good suggestions on what to look for in an apartment. If possible, check out the reputation of the owner. Look over the place and the neighborhood to see if it is well maintained and cleaned. Or if it has a bad reputation. Check on how hard it is to access the place. Does the place have good locks? Is there a laundry on site? Be sure you understand the terms, what is included, and what you pay. Heat, water, electric, phone, cable, make sure you know what the terms of these are. And if you're paying heat, ask some questions about how much it is likely to cost you. Does the place have a decent refrigerator and working stove? If you don't have a car, check on what the public transit near the apartment is like.
After you've picked a place, consider what you need to live there. Freecycle.org and Craigslist can be useful in getting a lot of basic household stuff. Including furniture. You need to have at least basic cooking and eating gear.
After you've picked a place, consider what you need to live there. Freecycle.org and Craigslist can be useful in getting a lot of basic household stuff. Including furniture. You need to have at least basic cooking and eating gear.
I don't watch advertising and do my best to convince my fellow Canadians to also not watch advertising, nor to subscribe to tv media which serves advertising.
Well I looked up places on craigslist close to where I work. I then showed up at a place and it seemed fine so now I'm living here.
Synobun
Deity
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2006
- Messages
- 24,884
It is truly a shame we can't all be as enlightened as you are. Tell us, why have you not been elected as our prime minister so you can truly lead your fellow Canadians?
I may be eligible for Spanish citizenship. Should I try it? I'm already a dual citizen of the US and Israel, so can I be of a third country? It is part of the EU, but I'm not willing to give up either one.
Quackers
The Frog
Spanish citizenship will also give you EU citizenship, ergo the right to live and work in 28 countries.
It is definitely worth doing IMO.
It is definitely worth doing IMO.
I identify with Israel, so that is non-negotiatable. And I value American citizenship more highly than EU citizenship, even if the EU wasn't doing so badly right now. I'm just interested if I can hold all three citizenships simultaneously.
Besides, it's not a 100% thing. I don't know if I'm actually a descendant of a persecuted Spanish Jew; it's just possible because a lot of Moroccan Jews are.
Quackers
The Frog
Oh, right, tri-citizenship. I don't know whether that is possible.
Synobun
Deity
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2006
- Messages
- 24,884
It's certainly possible. The United States has a hard on for making you denounce your other citizenships but it largely doesn't matter. The US cannot control your legality in other sovereign nations. As long as each citizenship is recognized by their respective nation you should be alright. In the US, however, you'll want to identify yourself as a US citizen if prompted by the government. Not sure how that works in Spain or Israel.
It's significantly easier within the Commonwealth but still doable within the EU and other nations.
It's significantly easier within the Commonwealth but still doable within the EU and other nations.
How do I go about determining whether I'm a descendant of a Spanish Jew? Do I need to hire a private investigator? I doubt my family can trace their lineage back more than a hundred years.
Synobun
Deity
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2006
- Messages
- 24,884
I don't particularly have much experience in the matter, but I saw a bunch of reports the other day from this website: https://www.23andme.com/ancestry/lineage/
I don't know if it's accurate enough to help you out. There is very likely a few clinics near you that specialize in lineage both on a genetic scale and based on family trees. If you head to a hospital and to their information desk, they will probably have a few pamphlets for it if you ask. It typically requires solid data on your parents, grandparents, etc. Where they were born, when they were born, their birth names, and so on. Having a well documented past is beneficial for instances like this since families that stay 'under the radar' so to speak don't really have much to pinpoint when you're trying to find out more.
You can hire a PI but the likelihood of that working out is pretty slim, and they'll probably direct you to, again, one of the clinics that specifically specialize in stuff like that. PIs are good at digging up the superficial or dirty from the past 10-40 years, but not really the substantial meat from earlier unless it is pretty visible and available and you just haven't noticed.
I don't know if it's accurate enough to help you out. There is very likely a few clinics near you that specialize in lineage both on a genetic scale and based on family trees. If you head to a hospital and to their information desk, they will probably have a few pamphlets for it if you ask. It typically requires solid data on your parents, grandparents, etc. Where they were born, when they were born, their birth names, and so on. Having a well documented past is beneficial for instances like this since families that stay 'under the radar' so to speak don't really have much to pinpoint when you're trying to find out more.
You can hire a PI but the likelihood of that working out is pretty slim, and they'll probably direct you to, again, one of the clinics that specifically specialize in stuff like that. PIs are good at digging up the superficial or dirty from the past 10-40 years, but not really the substantial meat from earlier unless it is pretty visible and available and you just haven't noticed.
- Status
Similar threads
