Life after Museology: Moving to Washington D.C.

Lesson One: if you are planning to move to D.C. have a job lined up.  

I didn't understand how important this was until I started apartment searching. All the property managers, and craigslist people ask for information about why you are moving to D.C. and for letters from your employer (future or current) to prove you will have income to pay the rent. Luckily, my other half has a job in D.C. and I didn't have to worry about my unemployment status starting in September. 

Lesson Two: Prepare to compete aggressively with lots of people for any apartment.  

Before going to search for an apartment, do some homework on the neighborhoods. We have a friend in DC who was able to tell us about which areas would be great for our lifestyle. We wanted to be close to public transit, walking distance to restaurants and lots of peace and quiet. This narrowed things down a bit and helped when deciding which apartment listings to respond to. When you do meet whoever is showing you an apartment be prepared for something that feels like a job interview. Some property managers and owners not only want to know about your credit history but want to know you as a person. So having a good elevator speech doesn't hurt. In fact, we were put at the top of a list of potential renters because we happened to be environmentally friendly people and from UW. We didn't know that the owner of a 1bedroom apartment in a great area was an environmental lawyer and went to UW for law school! What are the odds? Finally, don't take your time deciding on a place. I hate to write this piece of advice because I think a person should be happy with their apartment if they are paying for it (especially DC prices which are $1,500+/month for 600 sq. ft.). Apartments go fast. If you take more than a day or two to decide before signing a check for the application fee, the apartment will be gone.

What can you do? Schedule lots of appointments on the same day, vigilantly check padmapper and craigslist everyday for new listings, and be prepared to make quick decisions.

If you need advice and help, there is a growing number of UW Museology grads in the DC metro area. 

More to come soon....