apartment hunting

8 Worst Moving Fails From Your All-Time Favorite TV Shows and Movies

August 29, 2017 By PadMapper

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Skylar Korby at MakeSpace.com.

Movies and TV shows aren’t always the most realistic representation of everyday life. In fact, they rarely are. We’re all about a willing suspension of disbelief, but we’ve got to draw the line when it comes to your favorite characters suggesting truly heinous moving and storage ideas.

We adore the characters but could do without these eight worst moving fails from your favorite TV shows and movies. From Friends to When Harry Met Sally and beyond, we cringe at their snafus but, luckily, fill you in on how to prevent similar mistakes.

Mermaids

After another failed relationship, Mrs. Flax (Cher) picks the next place she will be moving her two daughters to by closing her eyes and basing the decision on wherever her finger lands on the map.

While we admire her spontaneity (even if daughter Charlotte, played by Winona Ryder, doesn’t), this isn’t exactly a foolproof plan.

If there are no major contributing factors to your move — like a new job, or the next step in a relationship — at least do a little bit of research on the places you’re considering relocating to. Then, head to Padmapper to help you find the perfect new home.

Friends

You’ve undoubtedly seen this iconic episode: Ross purchases a new couch, but refuses to pay the expensive delivery fee. He, Rachel, and Chandler try to get the couch up the stairs of his elevator-less apartment building, but it gets stuck.

Delivery fees may seem excessive, but in the case of safely transporting a large piece of furniture from the store to your door, they’re definitely worth it.

Committed to being frugal? Respect. Just thoroughly measure all stairways, hallways, and doorways that the furniture will be pivoting through to make sure it’ll fit.

The Money Pit

In this 1986 comedy, Walter (Tom Hanks) and Anna (Shelley Long) move into a completely dilapidated mansion sold to them by a con artist. The home was a great price, but after countless repairs and remodeling shenanigans, they’re not sure if it was really worth it.

First things first: Don’t trust a crook to be your real estate agent.

Second, be realistic about how much money, time, and effort you’re willing to put into a fixer-upper. Biting off more than you can chew can take it from Dream Home to House of Horrors real quick.

Gilmore Girls

Luke lends Lorelai his truck to move Rory into her freshman dorm at Yale. Instead of just having it for a few hours, she insists on making multiple trips back and forth to transport an old mattress and buy Rory dorm essentials.

Don’t get us wrong. You should be a generous friend and help others out if they need it, but be aware that your kindness might be taken advantage of. Likewise, if you’re the friend that’s accepting the help, keep in mind that your buddy is doing you a favor, and return all trucks and other odds and ends in a timely manner.

Toy Story

Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) saves Woody (Tom Hanks) from the dangerous kid next door and must get them both back to the moving truck with the rest of their owner Andy’s toys. If they don’t make it, they’ll be left behind forever.

Spoiler alert: The toys easily open the door of the moving truck to let them in. Too easily. If toys could do it, what was stopping a random gust of wind or bump in the highway from doing the same?

Always double check the safety precautions your moving company takes with your belongings. Ask questions about their trucks, their standards, and their commitment to customer satisfaction. No need to risk Mr. Potato Head or anyone else losing your stuff.

New Girl

Cece (Hannah Simone) is moving out of her apartment to move into the loft with Schmidt (Max Greenfield). Of course, nothing is packed when Jess (Zooey Deschanel) shows up to help her move.

On top of that, Cece starts to experience moving anxiety and all kinds of mixed feelings about her relationship. She realizes this move signifies the official end of her single life. Her belongings conjure up a ton of memories as they pack them away.

While we can’t help with the relationship panic, we do have two pointers on how to pack more efficiently:

Pack in small doses so you’re not doing it all the day before moving day. Determine what you can do without for a few weeks/days and box those things up first. Leave the daily necessities to pack the day before. You’ll save time and sanity, which are always good things to have extra of when you’re moving.
Get rid of clutter as you pack so you’re not just moving junk from one home to another. If you don’t use the portable ice cream maker now, you don’t need to schlep it to the new place to not use it there, either.

When Harry Met Sally

Harry’s (Billy Crystal) couple friends disagree over whether or not to keep a wagon-wheel coffee table after they move in together. Recently-divorced Harry sourly advises, “Someday, believe it or not, you’ll go fifteen rounds over who’s gonna get this coffee table. This stupid, wagon wheel, Roy Rogers, garage sale coffee table!”

Don’t get discouraged by a grouchy friend. You and your significant other can agree on an all-new aesthetic for a space that belongs to both of you.

Shop together and pick out pieces that you both enjoy. Otherwise, prepare to compromise on your partner’s belongings when you move in with each other. If an unattractive coffee table is something they love, you’ll learn to love it, too.

Moving

Honestly, what doesn’t go wrong in this movie?

Arlo (Richard Pryor) must move his family from New Jersey to Boise, Idaho for a new job. There are just a few problems:

The movers are cons, the guy hired to drive his car from the old house to the new one is eccentric at best, and numerous belongings get broken courtesy of King Kong Bundy.

Always research your movers and any additional labor you plan to hire to ensure you’ll get quality service. Pay special attention to the moving company’s protection plan that outlines reimbursement for any damages. Accidents happen, but you don’t want to be left in the dust with a broken armoire!

Moving Day is hardly full of glitz and glamour. We know finding the right apartment, packing up your stuff, and moving to a new place can be tough. But as long as you’ve got a plan and a good sense of humor, moving will suck a whole lot less.

This article is written by MakeSpace. They offer full-service storage in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC — so you never have to visit a self-storage unit and have more time to decorate your new pad like they do in TV shows and movies.

De-location, the new relocation?

March 23, 2017 By Ally Greer

Wade Foster, CEO of the automation software company Zapier, announced last week that they will be offering $10,000 to any employees who want to leave the Bay Area and continue working for the company elsewhere.

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In his post, Foster explained the rationale behind this initiative, which seems to be the first of its kind:

Some of us fall in love with the area and are financially able to make this home. But for the rest of us, it can be a real challenge to turn the Bay Area into a life-long home rather than a short stop somewhere in our twenties and thirties. The housing crunch and high cost of living simply price out many families and, despite loving the area, the realities are many of us need to look elsewhere to create the life we want for our families.

Zapier seems to be addressing a problem that is increasingly facing young professionals in the Bay Area: the burning desire to work in the tech industry, but the economic inability to live where the majority of those jobs exist. Tech companies have taken a lot of the blame for the recent hikes in San Francisco and Silicon Valley rent prices, but the fact is turning out to be that their employees can barely afford to live here themselves. Last year, engineers at Facebook went directly to Mark Zuckerberg himself to ask if the company would subsidize some of their housing expenses due to their surprising inability to make ends meet. This sentiment has been shared by employees of many of the Bay Area’s major tech employers, including Twitter, Apple and more.

In 2015, our friends at Radpad and Anthology conducted a study to find out how much of their salaries Bay Area employees were spending on rent, and this is what they found:

Experts recommend spending about 30% of your income on rent.

These numbers are not only well over the recommended 30%, but they’re also based on salary data for mid-to-senior-level engineers who make well into the $100,000’s per year, according to the same study. For context, the average American household income in 2016 was around $50,000 and the average entry-to-mid-level salary in the Bay Area was between $70-90,000.

Being that Zapier’s employees are 100% remote and they don’t have an official HQ, this experiment makes perfect sense for them, and I have a feeling it will take off. With an increasing number of inhabitants leaving the Bay Area — not to mention California in general — and a decreasing number of new residents moving in, the time couldn’t be more perfect. Plus, not only are they offering this $10,000 in relocation assistance to current employees, but they’re also offering it to new hires who are looking for both a new opportunity and a more affordable place to live. For those with flexibility who have either been in San Francisco for 5 months or 5 years, a Bay Area job and a St. Louis or Austin rent check could actually be a pretty attractive offer.

You tell us: Would you de-locate for a new job? What would it take?

The Top 3 Neighborhoods for Sports Fans

September 27, 2010 By TheGuestBlogger Leave a Comment

One of the keys to finding great apartments for rent is searching for a neighborhood that’s conducive to your particular interests and lifestyle. For example, if your idea of a good time is going out to a few happening nightclubs and maybe seeing a live concert, then living in a neighborhood that’s home to the city’s largest retirement community might be a bad idea. If sports are near and dear to your heart, then it would be a great move to put yourself in a thriving sports atmosphere near a major ballpark. Here are three neighborhoods that could be a veritable shangri la for sports afficianados.

Wrigleyville- Chicago, IL

Home to Wrigley Park and those lovable losers the Chicago Cubs, Wrigleyville is one of the best neighborhoods in America for baseball fans. Wrigleyville features a generally younger demographic, and is filled with some of the nation’s best sports bars like The Cubby Bear and Slugger’s. Getting in and out of Wrigleyville is a piece of cake, as it is serviced by Chicago’s highly efficient El-Train. Sports isn’t the only thing to do in Wrigleyville- the neighborhood’s Irish heritage causes it to be one of the best places in town to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Despite being so close to a landmark as historic as Wrigley Field, Wrigleyville apartments won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Wrigleyville tends to be one of the best places in Chicago to look for reasonably cheap apartments. If you’re a high roller, though, spring for the apartments that overlook the field- the Holy Grail of apartments if you’re a Cubs fan.

Orchard Park- Buffalo, NY

Anyone who has had the pleasure of visiting Buffalo, NY knows one thing about its friendly inhabitants: the Buffalo Bills are about as close to the town’s official religion as a sports team could possibly get. While many NFL stadiums nowadays are located in the downtown areas of their respective cities, Ralph Wilson Stadium is actually located in the pleasant suburban neighborhood of Orchard Park. Indeed, a drive through the streets of Orchard Park initially seems like a drive through Anytown, USA, but when all of the sudden an NFL stadium crops up on a random street corner, you know you’re someplace special. The Buffalo Bills fans are known for having one of the best tailgate scenes in the NFL, but the best pre-game party could be thrown from the comfort of many of the cheap homes for rent in Orchard Park. The Bills aren’t the only outlet for fun in Buffalo; the town’s proximity to the beautiful Niagara Falls makes it all the more appealing.

Foxborough, MA

If a team is going to have the gusto to claim they represent a multi-state geographical region, then they had best be successful. In recent years, the New England Patriots have done exactly that. But despite their lofty achievements, their home stadium is located in the quaint Boston suburb of Foxborough. At first glance, it might seem absurd to have an NFL stadium in such a quiet down, but upon closer examination Foxborough really is the perfect place for Gillette stadium. On non-gamedays, Foxborough is indistinguishable from any other small quintessentially New England town. It only makes sense, then, that the Patriots aren’t named after a city but the entire region. Being only a 30 minute drive from Boston allows Foxborough to have all of the amenities of a big city without the hustle and bustle headache. Indeed, Foxborough might just be the quiet sports fan’s pigskin paradise

While many other professional sports stadiums are located in great neighborhoods, these three areas provide the best overall experience. Don’t take our word for it, though. With internet apartment finders like Padmapper, it’s easier than ever to view apartment listings in any great sports neighborhood.

7 Tips for Moving to a New City Sight Unseen

September 13, 2010 By TheGuestBlogger Leave a Comment

Finding an apartment for rent in a new city sounds like my worst nightmare. You don’t know the neighborhoods, you don’t know what commuting is like, you just know there is a better place that is cheaper and bigger and full of stainless steel!

This is an anxiety I cannot bear.

That is until I discovered an even worse mover’s fate: finding an apartment for rent in a new city… without actually being there. This, I have decided, is virtually impossible. The one time I had to try it I failed miserably and resorted to living in the vacant room of a friend of a friend’s brother’s friend’s house – “signing the dotted line” without being there in person was a hurdle the landlord and I could not overcome.

In this summer alone I have had two friends move from Seattle to NYC and Austin sight unseen. They too failed in finding a residence over the phone, and either stayed in the basement of an uncle until they found a place (in Brooklyn), or ended up being saved by the grace of a friend whose German boyfriend’s VISA was denied and therefore had a vacant room (in Austin).

For those of us who are not employed by high-powered companies that do all the leg work in a cross-country move and know no one on the other side: some tips so you can find the perfect pad.

Use PadMapper

That’s a shameless plug. But it is also true. Sure, Craigslist is one of the best sources to finding apartments for rent, but if you don’t know MCB from WYN, or that those are even areas around Detroit, you’re out of luck. By putting those places on a map, you can figure out which neighborhoods or suburbs work for you and your life.

Do some research

Get to know the city you’re moving to before you move there. Does that city have a blog that is updated? What about a specific neighborhood? Read up on Wikipedia or do a little Google-ing. If you’re moving for grad school or a new job, ask alumni or future coworkers their opinions on the best places to live.

Likewise, check out the reviews of apartment complexes and landlords if they are available. There are always going to be both pros and cons based on user experiences, but you can feel out the vibe of a place from what the people who have lived there have to say.

Skype it up!

When you inquire about rooms for rent, don’t limit yourself to just phone calls. Offer to meet over Skype or a video chat so you can a) show off your good looks and great personality and b) get a mini tour of the place to see if it’s to your liking.

Get a second opinion

Have a relative who lives nearby? Friend? Mere acquaintance? If at all possible, try to get someone over there to check out the property and meet any roommates and landlords. In pictures all may look dandy, but an impartial third party will be able to sniff out low water pressure and roach problems.

Don’t send money

They want first month’s rent to hold the place? Forget about it. Just don’t. Can you spell scam?

Try subletting first

Don’t lock yourself into a one-year lease if you don’t have to. Check out rooms for rent, or look under sublets for one or two month commitments that will let you get a feel for a new city and all it quirks. You can live out of your boxes and sleep on the floor for a little while before your set up your new life in a long term locale.

Bring a tent

If all else fails, and the weather is nice, you can camp.

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