Moving to Seattle? - Apartment search!

[awalker1 0]

I have recently gotten a job offer in Seattle (yay!) and I am aware that I am able to move in the united states while still going through the K-1 Visa process.

I am having difficulty making a decision. considering that I haven't moved yet, but will do soon! My apartment research has been crazy. Seattle is CRAZY expensive for what you get. But that is where the job is so I HAVE to move there. I've found some nice places, but they are expensive, but I've also found some nice smaller (1 person) spaces for much cheaper. I would be making up to $3000 every month.

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So my overall question is:

Should I get a more expensive apartment knowing that in a few months I could have my fiancee come here? That way we would already be settled in to a home and wouldn't technically have to move?

or

Should I get a less expensive apartment knowing that I would be able to save much more money. That way we could be able to save so much money when she does come here.

Option 1: More Expensive - $1000 / $1300

pros:

- more space

- closer to the city/friends

- updated living

- settled for marriage

cons:

- expensive

- very low saving (until she gets to and gets a job)

- utilities separate

Option 2: Less Expensive - $750 / $950

pros:

- much cheaper

- savings!

- use only as sleeping area

- utilities paid for in rent

cons:

- 195 sqft

- gross living habitat

- would move when fiancee arrives (may have to pay $ for leaving early)

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Conclusion

Honestly? I just want my fiancee to come into a home that she could feel comfortable in. I don't want her to have to worry we might not have a place to stay. However, I do want to save as well. I've been looking around for a month to see what I can find and honestly the results have come to these two options. Thank you for reading and I hope someone has something to say. Even just your choice and why would be excellent info.

Thank you all for helping so far with Paola and I's visa. We have followed a lot of different steps you guys have suggested and I can't think of a better community to help with our decision.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Personally, I find moving expensive and a drag, so I would take the better place first, if I could find a good one. But, ask your fiancee. Does she want the experience of moving into a new apartment from scratch, or does she want you to settle the place a little before she arrives?

[Russ&Caro 1,548]

I sympathize with you on a number of levels. I, too, moved to a new city and state as my wife and I were going through the immigration application process and had to decide btwn a small place and a larger more comfy apartment. I initially moved into the small apartment, saved some money, and then moved to the larger space prior to her arrival.

I also lived in Seattle for 25 years before moving away 5 years ago. So I know what the Seattle rental market is like and I also know that as bad as it was 5 years ago, it's only gotten worse. FYI, during my 25 years there, I lived in 15 different places. Haha, yeah, I'm a little crazy.

That 195 s.f. place sounds pretty bad. For mental health purposes alone, I'd try to manage in the larger space. Note, Seattle is not only a big city with lots of services, it's also a politically liberal place where people try to help others through government and private programs. If your gross income is $3,000/month, you might qualify for assistance. There are some food assistance programs outside of the federal SNAP program. You might also consider a 2nd job, maybe as an Uber driver or barista. Yes, there really are coffee joints on every corner. Also, note that if the 195 s.f. place is far away from where your job is, then you'll find that the commuting is pretty horrible. Although, if you do have a bad commute I really recommend the public transportation - bus and train.

I love Seattle. The over population is really killing the livability within the city but if you take advantage of all the services available and perhaps get a second part-time job, you should be able to enjoy your time there.

Best of luck on the new job, new living space, and the immigration process.

EDIT: By the way, you're 100% on the right track in focusing on having a good situation for when your fiance arrives. There's a lot of stress involved in starting a marriage and compounding the stress by living in a crappy environment is not the path toward a successful marriage. Fairy tales say that love conquers all, but real life says otherwise.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Russ&Caro

[Ischnura 285]

The bigger place sounds much more appealing. Sometimes the extra expense is worth the peace of mind. Although, I'd definitely speak with the lady and see what she'd prefer. She might be fine with moving straight in to a place already set up - people do it all the time - but there again, she might like the idea of looking for a place for you both to move in at the same time. Do all the housey shopping together too.

We move a lot with my husband's job so the novelty of looking for houses has kinda worn off. We've spent plenty of time in hotels whilst we search for houses though and there are some long stay places that don't cost the Earth and aren't run down. But if you go down that route make sure to lock in a low rate for the duration of your stay or it'll yo-yo through the seasons.

Good luck with the search and smooth sailing with the immigration process ^.^

[lacolinab13 86]

I guess it depends how far along you are in the process and when you expect your fiancee to arrive. Are you thinking weeks, month, a year?

That being said, regardless of the above, the 195 square foot place sounds really rough. Most people probably wouldn't be able to handle that for a very long time.

I was recently in the same situation - possibility of a short-term, cheap situation until fiance arrives (2.5 months from now), or possibility of a year-long lease on a nicer, more expensive place - and decided I'd rather pay more for a few months so that everything could be ready for my fiance's arrival. I thought it would be much more enjoyable for him to arrive to a nice, fully set-up apartment rather than us spending his first few weeks in the US searching for rentals, moving everything and running a whole lot of errands. We'll already have enough on our plate what with the wedding and sending out the AOS ASAP, running around getting his SS card, temp driver's license, etc etc that I decided we didn't need anything else.