I arrived in Boise, Idaho a few weeks ago, and let me just tell you... I love it here. The people are incredible, the weather has been amazing to witness as someone who's from Texas, and the city has so much to offer. Little did I know, however, that a daunting task lied ahead... finding a place for my family and me to live.

Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash.
Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash.
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I thought I heard it all from the locals and was ready for the challenge. I was ready to hit the phones, schedule some walk-throughs, and get the ball rolling for our new life. I began my plan of attack by downloading every rental/housing app you can think of. You name it, it's on my phone: Zillow, Rent, Hot Pads, etc. With great excitement to get this new life started, I customized all of my filters like I was building a Subway sandwich. Pets? Check. Three plus bedrooms? Check. More than two bathrooms? Absolutely. Price limits? Set. What's that? Townhome or house? Let's just try houses! As I click "Apply Filters" I gleefully scroll through the "Map View".

Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash
Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash
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"Okay okay... there's... a few....", my mind tells itself. I'm holding out hope here! This city is booming and growing! I anxiously scroll through for a little while and request to be contacted with info in every way possible. Call me, text me, e-mail me, send me a letter on a pigeon. Imagine that person at the museum that takes every free brochure they see in the little metal rotating rack. They don't really KNOW what they're taking, but they know they need to get as much of it as they can because it's just there. That was me on all of those fun home hunting apps.

The next day arrives and I eagerly check my e-mail expecting to see a plethora of options, responses, and tour confirmations. Nothing.

If this were a show on Netflix this is where we would cue the montage music. I would go on to repeat this cycle for the next few days, tapping away at every single property that was available within our budget. Those fancy filters slowly fell off as if they were parts on a homemade boxcar you just can't get out of the driveway.

A few days went on and I began to notice some responses. A sense of optimism returned but with a pinch of reluctance. I began to get replies to my inquiries inviting me to schedule appointments... until the most amazing phenomenon began to happen.

As I was attempting to schedule these appointments, I was receiving responses that the properties we requested were no longer available. How could this happen? Surely it was a one-time thing! Wrong again. It morphed into a vicious pattern and cycle that was beginning to feel like limbo. Is this what the locals were talking about? Is this what they meant when they said they're "full"?

As if by some miracle, I happen to roam the map on one of these amazing rental apps and come across a property that... wait for it... not only allows me to apply but actually e-mails back that we'll "receive a response soon". Yes, you read the start of that correctly. It is a miracle because as my family and I are learning: the people of Boise are right. Boise is booming.

Photo by Click Sluice on Unsplash.
Photo by Click Sluice on Unsplash.
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If you don't act fast, you're out of luck. It's not all bad, however, because this says a lot about the city as well. People want to be here. People love their visit here so much that they are willing to uproot their lives and move across the country to be here. And why not? Every single person I've met since being here has offered advice or wanted to help in the search for a roof over my head. People here may joke about Boise being "full" but they are always willing to join in on the hunt to help you.

Now it's no wonder why it has been a challenge to find a place. All you have to do is look around.

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