Triz

Hi,

I'm moving to the US soon and have begun the process of looking for a place to stay when we arrive. We're looking to find a short-term let first of all (furnished) so that we can find our feet, get our admin in order and go from there.

We've seen a place that we like on a six month lease that looks like it's owned by the current tenants who are now emigrating themselves.

As we're both self-employed, it's going to be fairly difficult to prove our income, although we both have our historical self-employed income from the UK, and the visa category I'm on hopefully goes some way to proving earning capacity/employability (EB-1).

How should I go about performing a transaction like this safely? Obviously we don't want to send any money before seeing the property, but we're stuck in a situation where they'll have moved out by the time we arrive.

Is it a case of signing the lease, then wiring over the deposit/first month payment once we arrive and see the house is still standing?

Noorah101

Can you not make a VWP trip to view the property?

Rene

Triz

My understanding is that once you go through the Point of Entry on an immigrant visa, you can't leave again until you have the green card?

Noorah101

I meant making a VWP trip prior to entering on your immigrant visa.

But even if you enter using an Immigrant Visa, you become a US PR immediately, and your visa is endorsed with an I-551 stamp that acts as a green card for 1 year. The plastic one comes in the mail a few months later. So yes, you can return for a short while to the UK.

Rene

Triz

I didn't even realise that was a possibility. Good to know.

However, even with that possibility, I don't think we'll be able to make it before we're due for both time and cost reasons.

Is that really the only way to do this?

tom169

Another option is stay in a hotel for a couple weeks.

Triz

Yeah –� that was certainly the original plan. But we're finding the selection of furnished apartments is pretty slim and worry we'll have trouble finding something comparable to this within a reasonable timeframe.

So reading between the lines, is the advice that – whatever the circumstances – I shouldn't sign a lease remotely? I was hoping there might be a way of hiring a verified professional who could broker a deal on our behalf.

MidAtlantic

Something like InTown suites can be good in these circumstances. You can book on a weekly basis, so you are not tied, and it gives you the opportunity to search around for your longer term needs.

petitefrancaise

If you can find a landlord using a licensed realtor as property manager that would be a pretty safe bet. Or a landlord going through turbotenant, they check out the landlords very thoroughly.
So, if you like the current place and the owners are prepared to go through either of the above, I'd say you were pretty safe.

No proof of income is usually made up for by a large deposit. Depends on local demand/supply

BenK91

Also just to add, a lot of AirBnB hosts offer longer term bookings which may suit/be more financially viable.

Petitefrancaise makes a good point too in that they may just ask you for a larger deposit. Certainly wouldn't be surprising.

GeoffM

If that is legal wherever the OP is going. California has limits (2 months; more if furnished) so potentially other states do, too.

Pulaski

That is incorrect. .... It will be weeks, and may be months before you receive your actual green card even if you have "permanent resident status" immediately upon entry, but so long as you have given an address for the green card to be delivered to, you are free to leave the US. Unless you are gone from the US for more than six months you won't do any harm to your PR status.

Pulaski

I stayed at one for a few weeks before we bought our home in NC - it was pretty rough, and not a place I would have wanted Mrs P to stay. It was the cheapest of the long-stay hotels in the area, very basic but clean, and that is about the best recommendation I could give it.

petitefrancaise

Personally, I'd sign in for an airbnb or VRBO for a week. Get together with a local realtor and find a proper lease to sign for a house/apartment. Also the apartment complexes can be ok with new arrivals - they just ask for more deposit.

Just for reference, when dealing with private landlords, I always check the property tax register and make sure the names all match up.

Pulaski

Do hotels no longer exist? I am puzzled why airbnb has become the "go to" recommendation?
In many cities and states realtors have little or no interest in the rental market - on either side of the table.
You would also need to check the state's Secretary of State - Corporations records if the landlord is using an LLC to hold the property.