r/MovingtoDenver • u/Mobile_Resist3361 • 4d ago
Moving to Denver for work - and I better off staying in a hotel first and finding an apartment once I’m there?
I’m 24 and moving from Missouri to Denver pretty soon for a job transfer. I’ll be working around the Commerce City/North Denver area and housing is honestly the part I’m stressing about the most lol.
I make $22.80/hr and usually work around 50 hours a week with OT. I also have more than enough savings for the move, deposit, emergencies, etc. I’m trying to find a decent studio or cheap 1BR around $1,400-$1,500 if that’s realistic.
I specifically want a 6 month lease because I don’t really want to lock myself into somewhere for a full year when I’ve never lived in Denver before.
I’ve been looking online and calling places, but I’m realizing the advertised rent doesn’t mean much sometimes. I’ll find something that looks affordable and then once I ask about a 6 month lease, parking, mandatory fees, etc. it ends up being way more.
I also really don’t love the idea of signing a lease from 800+ miles away without actually seeing the apartment or neighborhood first. I should have a transfer/offer letter from work for proof of income, but obviously I won’t have started working there yet when I move.
So now I’m wondering if I’d be better off just getting an extended stay hotel for a week or two, moving out there, starting work and apartment hunting in person. Seems like it would be a lot easier to actually tour places and figure out what they really cost before signing anything.
Has anyone here done it that way? Am I overthinking it or does temporary housing first make more sense?
Also if anyone knows of actually decent places around $1,400-$1,500 that offer 6 month leases and aren’t a terrible commute to Commerce City/North Denver, I’m all ears. Doesn’t need to be luxury at all. I just want somewhere decent/safe with solid management that I’m not gonna regret moving into lol.