Accommodation

Finding Accommodation
It is always good to ask you US colleagues for any tips on looking for accommodation. Areas around university may be great, as you do not need to commute. On the other hand they may be more expensive or the school district may not be good (concern when travelling with kids).

In any cases try to get tips from locals on good and not-so-good neighborhoods.

Some rental companies maybe reluctant to return deposit when you move out and leave the USA. If possible, check how reliable rental company is and always read the contract before you sign it!

Servers with accommodation offerings:

- https://www.sabbaticalhomes.com/ - usually more expensive, furnished homes

- https://www.zillow.com - all types of accommodation, also information on safety level and quality of public schools

- https://www.realtor.com/ - similair to zillow, information on quality of public schools is not as detailed

- https://www.craigslist.org/about/sites - general advertising site. Adds are usually from people, not companies. Adds are organised by cities and then by categories

Tap water
Many USA cities have old water system and quality of water may be lower. In addition, older houses may have lead plumbing. Copper plumbing seems to be norm. It is good idea to check if your house / flat have any water filter built in plumbing and if not, buy some type of filtering pitcher or tap filter (pitcher usually under $30) that improve water quality a lot and removed lead and copper from water you drink. Other option is filter directly mounted on the tap (Britta filter).

Furniture and household equipment
There are many ways how to get furniture for for the couple of months you are staying in the USA.

- There may be IKEA somewhere near. Check https://www.ikea.com/us/en/

- Salvation Army, Goodwill, or similar organizations run shops with second-hand furniture

- Check yard or garage sales in our neighborhood

- People place their unwanted furniture outside their houses for free pickup

- Craigslist: https://www.craigslist.org/about/sites

- Facebook marketplace: on Facebook or in your Facebook application. Sharing an item for sale is so easy with FB Marketplace, so there are many many offerings. Worked well

- Small items such as cups and glasses: any type of dollar store: Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Family Dollar, ...

Utilities
Speak to your landlord which utilities you should register with. It will be usually electricity, gas and internet.

If you plan to apply for driver's licence, you will need those utility bills with your name on it to prove your resident address.