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. Plus, travelers get steep discounts with major hotel brands where you can literally save hundreds of dollars!!
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 4 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 blind-sided 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 they match you with properties that 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 as 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!
Download the App! The app helps by alerting you when you get new messages from property owners (be sure to turn on notifications from Furnished Finder for this) and is a great way to search for housing from your phone. If you’ve used the app in the past, please try it again as we’ve launched a brand new version to improve the user experience. Travelers can also update their profiles and submit or deactivate housing requests through the app!
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.
Hotel Discounts
The one thing that every traveler has in their back pocket is the ability to get into a hotel for a while. Hotels can be used as a bridge-stay in scenarios like your apartment won’t be ready until the 6th, but your orientation starts on the first. Or maybe you’re already have housing, but you want to change it for whatever reason (distance, neighborhood, commute, safety, price…). Hotels are perfect solutions for these scenarios. And some travelers stay in a hotel for their whole contract because they like the amenities and don’t have to worry about penalties if their contract suddenly cancels. Get Hotel Discounts here.
As always, stay safe while you are traveling for work. Be aware that Facebook Groups and free listing sites are prime targets for scammers. Travelers feel safe booking housing through Furnished Finder because every landlord must pass our sophisticated landlord authentication system. If they can not pass, we’ll refund them, and they won’t be able to list on our platform. Here’s an article on how to Avoid Scams that every traveler should read. Safe travels ahead!
FAQs about Furnished Finder
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 platform will provide you with a list of furnished apartments, all complete with amenities such as furniture, linens, kitchenware, and more. Once you’ve selected a place, you can easily book it with a few clicks – everything from check-in to check-out is taken care of so you don’t have to worry about any details.
Furnished Finder is a convenient, affordable way to find temporary furnished housing. With plans starting at just $99 per month, you can easily find the perfect place to stay while you travel. No matter what your budget is, Furnished Finder offers an easy-to-use platform to securely view listings and book your dream home away from home.
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 a furnished accommodation. It also provides the option to contact agents or owners for more details about their listings, so you can feel comfortable with your decision before signing a lease.
