Furnished Finder, the recommended housing platform of The Gypsy Nurse, is an excellent resource for travel nurses because 1) you go direct to the property owner and 2) you don’t have to pay expensive booking fees, and 3) every landlord is verified for traveler safety.
One important thing to note is that the housing market is changing, so you may have to do things a little bit differently. Monthly furnished rentals are in such demand right now that they are not staying on the market for very long, making it harder for the travel nurse who needs to secure housing on short notice. In a post-covid environment, many companies have made moves towards a remote workforce which makes it easier for remote workers of all types to pick up and move to different cities. Knowing that traveling nurses are competing for monthly furnished housing more than ever before, here are 3 things travelers should do to shift the odds in their favor:
Start Early
The one thing that is guaranteed to add more stress to your housing search is time, specifically the lack of it. Of course, you may not always know where you are going a couple of months out, but as soon as you’ve settled on an assignment, start aggressively searching for housing immediately. Nobody likes that ‘I’m running out of time feeling, so when at all possible, start searching for travel nurse housing as early as possible. In fact, Furnished Finder has a Stipend Calculator that allows travelers to better understand housing costs in different cities before they go, which may ultimately help you decide which job you want to take. The worst-case scenario is for you to take an assignment and feel blindsided by the housing cost in that city. Know before you go! Take the time to do the research now so there aren’t any surprises later.
There are two ways to start your Furnished Finder housing search. You can Search The Map, where you can see all the listings and reach out to them directly, and/or you can submit a Housing Request. Housing requests are great because you fill out a short form, and landlords will reach out if their property may fit your criteria – perfect for the traveler who is short on time but still wants to get the ball rolling on their travel nurse housing search.
Text or Call
While you can send any property owner a message and chat with them directly, many Furnished Finder listings also provide their phone number, where you can text and/or call them directly as well. With the high email burden that we all carry these days, sometimes landlords respond better via text message! If landlords aren’t getting back to you as fast as you would like, go ahead and shoot them a text or call as well.
Dig Deeper
Here are some more recommendations to make Furnished Finder work for you. The first one is to keep scrolling past your availability date. (I don’t mean to say ignore the listings that match your timing, but in this scenario, the expectation is that you’ve already contacted all “those listings). The reason you shouldn’t stop once you reach your move-in date is because if you keep scrolling, you’ll find another section of housing options labeled “Contact for Availability.” With all the demand, sometimes landlords forget to update their availability, so they wind up in the “Contact for Availability” section (where travelers have been known to find some great properties!). Knowing that travel nurses typically stay about 3 months at a time, you can connect with landlords midterm. Although they may have a tenant right now, they may have an opening coming up soon where you can secure it even before it becomes available on the map!!
Fill out your Traveler Profile! Landlords want to see who they’d be renting to, and a blank profile can be a big turn-off. On the flip side of that, we also encourage landlords to fill theirs out as well!
Get the E-Book! This e-book is essential for any new travel nurse and is extremely useful to the most experienced vet! It covers topics like these and more: Interview Strategies, Negotiation Tactics, Credentialing, Housing Tips, How to Avoid Scams, Hospital Orientation, and Planning Your Next Assignment.
FAQs about Furnished Finder
How does Furnished Finder work?
Furnished Finder is an online rental platform that helps people find furnished accommodation in their desired city. To get started, simply search for your destination, and the website will provide you with a list of furnished properties, all complete with amenities such as furniture, linens, kitchenware, and more. Once you’ve selected a place, you can easily inquire with the landlord and book your stay.
How much does Furnished Finder cost?
Unlike other rental platforms, Furnished Finder never charges booking fees, so you can save more money to use on your rental. That typically can save you 10-15% on your rental amount!
Is Furnished Finder safe?
Furnished Finder is a platform that helps people find furnished accommodations. It is a safe and secure platform with an easy-to-use interface. All of the properties listed on the platform are verified to ensure they meet safety standards, and the site offers various tools to help make sure you find exactly what you’re looking for in your search for furnished accommodation. It also provides the option to contact landlords for more details about their listings so you can feel comfortable with your decision before signing a lease.
