Life Happens: Separation Leads to Relocation

apartment life

Finding an apartment is stressful enough but when mixed with the other extreme stresses life can throw at you, the search can seem absolutely daunting.  However, the stress does not have to be as severe.  Take, for example, the story below. While John is just an example of one of the people who might find themselves needing ApartmentSearch.com’s services, his situation is very real.

Many life changes may result in a stressful relocation. In fact, a divorce occurs every 13 seconds in America. That figure does not include separations and the multitude of other reasons for housing changes. Sometimes, employers require their employees to move across the country or re-locate to a new city for a few months. Often, individuals’ economic situations change – either positively or negatively – and they must make a fairly quick decision on where to live.

Here’s the story of how ApartmentSearch.com could potentially help someone going through a difficult change in life paired with a relocation.

John was devastated when his wife told him four weeks ago that she wanted a divorce. He feels lost, angry, sad, and uncertain, simultaneously. Yet, there are a ton of decisions to be made and actions to be taken. John and Susan have agreed to sell their house and each get their own apartment.  John is angry that, not only was he blind-sided by the divorce, but he’ll have to leave his comfortable home of 20 years. In addition, attorney bills are piling up and it appears that the divorce settlement will not leave him with the nest egg he had hoped for.

John realizes that he needs to find a new home that he’ll be comfortable living in for at least a year – and quick. But like many individuals facing unexpected life changes, his busy job and the other items on his plate leave little time to shop for an apartment. To save the hassle of seeking out new housing, a wise move for John is surveying online apartment listing services such as ApartmentSearch.com.

John knows that he wants a place that has two bedrooms – one for him and one that can double as a guest bedroom and an office. He also knows that he wants to live in an apartment community not more than a half hour commute from his job in downtown Boston. A nature lover, it is also important for John to have a home with a view of the water – a lake, pond, or stream will do.  Price is John’s major concern, as he expects his financial situation to be unsettled until after the divorce, which could take up to a year.

John also knows it will be helpful to live near family and friends, to have their support, so he looks for a place in Framingham, Mass. After two different searches on ApartmentSearch.com, John finds an apartment community that meets all of his criteria, including his budget. After a tour of the community, John feels the apartment – and the surrounding area – are just as good as they appeared online and that this will be a great place to make a new start.

Finding housing isn’t the only concern for a person in John’s shoes. An apartment with no furniture or housewares isn’t much of a home. Luckily, ApartmentSearch.com’s parent company, CORT, is the nation’s leading furniture leasing company. Just for telling the apartment community that he found his place on ApartmentSearch, he is able to claim a $200 reward – which he uses towards renting furniture.

For the next two weeks, John feverishly organizes packs and moves into his new apartment. The move actually goes smoothly, and he has so much less clutter to deal with than at his house. His furniture is even delivered the same day as his move, so he has a bed to sleep in the first night, and a couch to sit on.

John’s coffee table from CORT comes in handy too. After the movers leave, John finds the box labeled, “glasses”, and pulls out his favorite wine glass. He pops open a reserve bottle of Merlot that he has been saving for a special occasion, and pours it into the glass. Lounging on the couch, with his feet propped up on the coffee table, John smiles and raises his glass into the air, as if to cheer himself. He is finally home and it feels so right.

Even though John is only a fictional example, there are real people dealing with the same situation every day. They don’t need to add the stress of finding a new apartment on top of the stress they are already experiencing, and that is how ApartmentSearch can help. By making at least one part of a difficult process, less difficult.

 

This post was written by Pete Regules. Follow him on G+ for more insight on the state of the apartment industry.