Hey

Can anyone guide me on renting an apartment for the first time?

@NeoRealist I’ve rented several since moving out of my folks home a few years back. What questions do you have about it?

@Grossly Incandescent How to go about it in general

First thing I’d do is figure out your budget. How much of your monthly income can you currently allocate to rent and utilities?

I'm looking fairly cheap

Do a quick look on Craigslist, are local rents properties in your area within a reasonable rental price?

I was living in California a few months ago and it was a nightmare in my area thwre

Some general advice I can give you to look for in potential rentals: I’ve always been good at conserving water and electricity, so sometimes a place that includes utilities in the price might not be cheaper in the long run

True

Since I'm 18, a first time renter, and I don't have much (if any) credit, am I even able to rent?

I’ve never had a problem with that tbh, my credit isn’t amazing but it’s not bad either, and I’ve never been shut down because of it

What about my age?

At the end of the day, if you can show you’re an individual of upstanding character, can hold a job and pay the rent on time, age probably won’t be a factor.

But be aware that every landlord has their own biases.

Plenty of rental listings I’ve seen over the years explicitly state what type of renter they’re looking for. Like “single student, no pets” etc

Start doing what you can now to build your credit. It’ll only help you down the road

@NeoRealist you have several options. You can rent a room from a family, under the table or rent an apartment where they would ask about your credit etc. If you can show pay stubs proving you're making enough money to pay rent without worry you should be good

@NeoRealist where are you looking? In major metro areas it can be a bit harder. Here in New York you often have to prove that you make 40x rent in a year

Someone told me that in Chicago you have to show proof that you have 5x rent in a bank account

I love manufacturing, have worked in it for 7 years. Many of the operator level jobs can suck, but there’s nice things about it too. You have a direct impact on daily production, which is mentally rewarding. Driving forklifts is awesome, IMO. The high pace of the work is enjoyable if that’s your personality. Being proud of building something that everyone consumes is nice. Learning how things work, optimizing processes, setting up rigorous safety standards is like planning a military exercise.

@NeoRealist if you can pay for a few months upfront, your credit doesn’t matter.

Also, looking people in the eye, explaining your situation, explaining your attitude, and shaking their hand goes a long way.

What about the income requirements?

Don't you have to prove you make at least 2x the rent

It doesn't have to be income necessarily, but that's the most common way. For example, say you got rich off Bitcoin and have six million dollars in your bank account, but are unemployed. Your bank statement should be enough in that scenario.

Or you could show a pay stub to prove you earn enough money. They may ask for references to verify as well.

If you have a good relationship with your parents you could have one of them cosign.

Would it be worth starting a music server to discuss how to play instruments

I could contribute, I’m pretty good at making music and production

I could help out to I make electronic music and was in a death metal band

We could make an IE theme song lol

I've been thinking of that, too

Just startes to post selling my jewelry on Poshmark,got 2 down Baroque pearls,but will uave more variety in styles and prices to go. Wish me luck!😁💎👑

Good luck @celticflame! I would love a music server! @björn death metal is life

@Grossly IncandescentThankyou! Gonna take some time loading it all,lol

So we've been working on the historic State Arsenal for about 2 years making the outside look absolutely gorgeous. On the inside they expanded the exhibit area because some fella died and donated his firearm collection to the National Guard. I didn't get any pictures of the work we did because I was blown away by how many firearms this guy had. This is just a small fraction.
If it's inappropriate I'll delete it, but I fell like some of you can appreciate it.