New faculty at Kutztown University - finding a place to live (Allentown: sales, coupons)

[sooby77]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Wonderful news! I was wondering how you made out. Have you thought using Overstock.com? They have REALLY cheap shipping.

I have not, but I'll check them out. I was hoping to find a local place. There's a used furniture and antique store in Kutztown that I plan to check out once I moved there (GRQ Used Furniture). The other option I considered is to rent a van and drive down to Ikea in Philly and do some shopping.

[alexiskai]

Don't forget you can rent pickups at Home Depot for $20 for 75 minutes. I've brought home queen beds bought on Craigslist this way. Cheaper than U-Haul after you factor in U-Haul's fees and insurance.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

Don't forget you can rent pickups at Home Depot for $20 for 75 minutes. I've brought home queen beds bought on Craigslist this way. Cheaper than U-Haul after you factor in U-Haul's fees and insurance.

That's a great idea! I see pretty bed frames at yard sales and second hand stores all the time and all of the matress stores deliver. We got our last mattress on Emmaus Avenue. I think it was a Sleepys.

[sooby77]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

Don't forget you can rent pickups at Home Depot for $20 for 75 minutes. I've brought home queen beds bought on Craigslist this way. Cheaper than U-Haul after you factor in U-Haul's fees and insurance.

Excellent pointer! I haven't considered this. I'm truly a novice when it comes to furnishing a house. My last apartment (years ago!) was furnished. So I didn't have to deal with that at the time! Thanks for the tip!

[julian17033]

That's a fantastic idea!!!

Originally Posted by alexiskai

Don't forget you can rent pickups at Home Depot for $20 for 75 minutes. I've brought home queen beds bought on Craigslist this way. Cheaper than U-Haul after you factor in U-Haul's fees and insurance.

[alexiskai]

The one thing I will say is that they ask you to bring it back with a full tank, but sometimes the customer before you tries to get away with only filling it up so the gauge reads full, which is several gallons below actually full. So then when you go to fill it up, you end up paying for several gallons of gas you didn't use.

My recommendation is to document the odometer and "miles remaining" readout when you start your rental and then document the readout when you return it (in addition to your gas receipt, which you're supposed to have anyway). If the miles remaining is substantially higher after you fill it up, Home Depot owes you a discount on the rental equal to the amount you overpaid for gas. I got them to give me $12 off. Just be firm and have your documentation.

[sooby77]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

The one thing I will say is that they ask you to bring it back with a full tank, but sometimes the customer before you tries to get away with only filling it up so the gauge reads full, which is several gallons below actually full. So then when you go to fill it up, you end up paying for several gallons of gas you didn't use.

My recommendation is to document the odometer and "miles remaining" readout when you start your rental and then document the readout when you return it (in addition to your gas receipt, which you're supposed to have anyway). If the miles remaining is substantially higher after you fill it up, Home Depot owes you a discount on the rental equal to the amount you overpaid for gas. I got them to give me $12 off. Just be firm and have your documentation.

Awesome tip! So essentially, take note of the odometer and 'miles remaining' computer readout of the vehicle at the beginning of the rental. The vehicle should technically be topped up at this point. So when I top up at the end of the rental and the 'miles remaining' number is much higher than when I started, I should point this out to Home Depot and ask for a discount for the rental. Did I get that right?

[SPSGuy]

Originally Posted by sooby77

Just wanted to update this thread. We were at Kutztown this past week and saw two houses at Topton. Unfortunately, I wasn't too keen on either of them. At this point, I was in despair because there was literally nothing else available. So we drove around Kutztown and happen to came across a small cute little house that has a for rent sign up. Made a call and was able to see the house. It's is in fact a perfect house for me. The landlord lives behind the house and is a dentist in town. He bought the house because it was an eyesore in the community. A lot of work was done to the house and he preserved many of the wood features of the structure. It was well landscaped and weeded. The only thing I would have to do is mow (it's a very small yard!).

The best part of all of this is that it is literally on campus, blocks from my office! In fact, I can see my office from the distant. So I can walk to work and won't have to worry about driving in snow! I'm just so beyond thrilled that everything worked out. Now I'm just waiting to hear from the landlord after he call my references and do a credit check. I can't wait to sign a lease! He has been very polite and a delight to work with thus far.

I'm only able to move in 3 days before classes start. This was something I was willing to do because the rental property was so ideal. I'm going to move from Raleigh with minimal items, most likely with an air mattress. Can anyone in the area suggest a good reputable store where I can get some furniture (new or used), especially a complete set of queen size bed? They would need to deliver as well because I drive a Corolla! Thanks for all your help!

I live in Kutztown. Very pretty town with beautiful Victorians. I saw your post and thought, "Perfect somebody that can take my lease over" if I happen to have a door open for me to allow me to return back to the Burgh. To bad the timing would be off, because if that happened it would be early fall.

Anyways, one thing I hope you considered that I never did. I rent a two story duplex with a basement and large attic. It is a very old house as most in Ktown. Most houses are oil heating. I hope you factored in the price you will be paying in winter! My landlord was like, "Oh, you got to fill the tank up like a few times per winter". BS, I had to put $400 in every three weeks, and it was a mild winter. Not to scare you, but something I hope you considered.

[sooby77]

SPSGuy - Oil heat was a concern for me. That's why the house I will be renting is small (around 1000sqf). The owner has also added forced air heat (oil) in the house instead of radiator. But I'll have to see how much I spend on my first winter. One thing that is new for me is water softener, something I didn't have to deal with in Raleigh... .

[karen_s]

Originally Posted by sooby77

I have not, but I'll check them out. I was hoping to find a local place. There's a used furniture and antique store in Kutztown that I plan to check out once I moved there (GRQ Used Furniture). The other option I considered is to rent a van and drive down to Ikea in Philly and do some shopping.

Has GRQ reopened? They had a fire that resulted in a MASSIVE sprinkler system deployment. I know the bike shop downstairs was completely ruined, not so sure about GRQ though.

Kutztown fire damages 2 businesses

You can stop at the Sauder's house to see if they have any furniture (go soon and beat the student rush):
Maxatawny Township: A Mennonite home where everything's for sale - mcall.com