Chang Yin This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. HELP FOR STUDENTS AND OTHERS: Apartment hunting 101

   www.freep.com/realestate/renew - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/11/2005   Last Visited: 8/11/2005

   IN THE SUBURBS: Chang (Eric) Yin says finding the right place was a lot easier with a bigger paycheck and a rental history. Yin, who was offered a job at Plante & Moran in Southfield in May, says his two-bedroom Troy apartment almost feels like home.
   ...
   With independence, comes credit," says Chang (Eric) Yin, a recent grad.
   ...
   University of Southern California grad Chang (Eric) Yin now has both.
   
   Yin, who graduated in May with a master's degree in business and a degree in accounting, was offered an auditing position at Plante & Moran PLLC in Southfield, an accounting and management-consulting firm.
   
   With a starting salary of $48,000, four years of rental experience and good credit, Yin knew it wouldn't be hard to secure a nice place in the area.
   
   But he didn't always have what it takes.
   
   When he moved to California from China in 2001, he had no credit, and no friends or family to fall back on after graduation. Although he eventually found a roommate through a campus student association, Yin said apartment searching -- without credit and a local renting history -- was a learning experience.
   
   "The whole thing depends on the landlord," he said, adding that a clean-cut appearance can make all the difference. "For bigger, stricter places, it's almost impossible."
   
   Within a few years, Yin built his credit by paying off loans and credit card bills on time. After getting the job offer, he looked for apartments using city guides and Internet sites. However, because he couldn't visit the places himself, many rental companies wouldn't let him apply. And although the Internet sites were a good basis for research, Yin said they were flawed.
   
   "They have lots of information, but they don't update very frequently and aren't always precise," he said.
   ...
   But having moved from the humid climate of southern China to southern California, Yin said the Midwestern weather will take some getting used to.
   
   "The first thing I looked for was covered parking," he said.
   
   After years of living with one to three roommates at a time, Yin is also happy about living with Liu.