Housing

NedRN · Feb 7, 2014

It saves agencies a good bit of work and a lot of risk if they can get you to find and pay for your own housing. I'm not sure if most travel nurses take the stipend (obviously recruiters have a vested interest in saying that), but it is true taking the stipend and finding your own housing is usually a good way to significantly increase the amount of money you can put in the bank. The tradeoff is the stress and hassle of getting housing yourself versus the luxurious turnkey experience of just showing up and being handed a key to a fully furnished apartment with all the utilities on.

Personal preference, do what you want, and get a recruiter that honors your wishes.

circnurs · Feb 7, 2014

I have found rooms on some of the roommate sites online. There are several out there. I would not recommend any room that you don't have pictures for. Ask the person about the commute to the hospital, guest policy, shared household chores and general house rules. I had a bad experience in Seattle when I didn't ask these questions and thank God I was able to get out of there after a week. It is probably better to do a month to month situation. If you can't find a room to rent extended stay type facilities are great. Talk to the manager, not the front desk staff. Sometimes you can work out a good deal with them.

Tuffnikki · Feb 8, 2014

You guys have been so helpful! Thank you so much!

SCRN01 · Feb 9, 2014

Ned is right on here. The difference between just showing up and everything being ready and doing it all yourself is HUGE. We have done both and have had mixed results with both. We travel with two dogs and a baby so finding an apartment that works for us can be a job itself. Most apartments and even private owners want a down payment and first month's rent before you even move in. That can be up to $3,000 just to move in.

If you have that kind of money to put down and don't mind setting it all up and renting your furniture from a place like Cort, you can usually find good apartments online. Remote areas you may have to look on VRBO or try the closest CL city and then type in the name of the small town in your search. We've also recently had luck in a small town with the hospital helping us find a cabin to rent.

NurseBoogie · Feb 9, 2014

If you take the stipend you can ask your recruiter where he/she would have housed you for your assignment and then contact that complex and get a corporate (3 mth furnished and utilities) with that complex.

cn4333 · Feb 9, 2014

This is great advice! I will def being using some of these websites when I start traveling in March! Thanks guys!

AppleRN4 · Feb 9, 2014

I've traveled all over California and have taken the stipend from my company each time. I usually get to the location of my new assignment a week & half in advance and have a couple of CL options scheduled to check out the rentals prior to my assignment. I've always had good luck with CL (except in LA). I prefer to live in neighborhoods with families or people with children; I figured if they can trust a stranger to be around their family/children, then it's probably safe. I usually have a list of questions for them to make sure we're a good fit for each other--- i.e., utilities covered, smoking, furnished, visitors, parking, temperament, etc. Most people on CL prefer 6 to 12 months lease agreements which doesn't work for 13 week assignments. If you chose this option, make sure to have savings before you start this journey since you'll frequently be required a month/2 months rent or you may not find anything suitable in a timely manner.

It's safer to have company provided housing for the turnkey readiness, however, it's definitely possible to find your own and pocket a huge chunk of change in the process. Best of luck to you. :)

ASHRN828 · Feb 11, 2014

I must say that I had a very difficult time finding housing with my assignment in Murfreesboro, TN, which was surprising since it is a college town. I called no less than 15 apartment complexes and only *one* would do a 3 month lease. The place I got is a one room efficiency that is normally $515/month. It went up to $615/month since it is only a 3 month lease, and they collected a nonrefundable "convenience" fee of $300. All this extra money cuts deeply into my take home pay, since I am also paying my mortgage (for now) for my home.

I did check out 3 rooms in people's houses off of Craig's List and they were all places I would NEVER want to stay. I have found that there is usually some type of "situation" in these people's homes that is causing them to need to rent a room, usually a dysfunctional one. The one house/room that seemed half way decent was ok, until I met the owner and I met his 2 dogs, whom he neglected to tell me about.

I am learning a lot on my first assignment, and will prob continue to take the stipend, but I know now to ask for more $$. I guess this is the caveat with travel nursing. Yes, it is great money, but there are considerable inconveniences associated with moving every 3 months, finding your own housing, taking ekg and other competency tests for each job and submitting tons of paperwork for each job.

NedRN · Feb 12, 2014

It is pretty normal for apartment complexes to charge 20% more for leases of less than a year. Agencies have the same issue, unless they are large enough with enough local business to lease year round. You will have more luck with local property management companies that handle a diverse range of housing and go directly to the owner to ask if three months is OK.

I'm not surprised at all with looking at three spots from Craigslist and striking out. I usually look at twice that number, and still often go with someone who did not advertise at all, but responded to my housing wanted ad.

jimbr1 · Feb 12, 2014

You might want to try travelers haven- I do believe that is one on-line source that agencies use to find housing for their travelers...good luck!

NedRN · Feb 12, 2014

Yes, Travelers Haven and their direct competitor Med Temp Housing are big and a lot of agencies use them (basically everything is outsourced these days)! Travelers Haven claims 27,000 short term properties in 1,800 cities. I'm not sure that they will save you money as the cost will be no less than an agency will pay. You cannot browse their housing online, or at least not until you get an account.