Apartment Hunting 101
Tips and tricks for finding the best place for you.
The move to my new apartment has been anything but glamorous. In fact, during my first week, I went in and talked to the leasing agents about ending my lease early. Yikes…
I’m now looking for another apartment after living in my new one for only a month. With all the time I’ve spent on Apartmentlist.com and Apartments.com, I wanted to share my tips and tricks for finding the right place to live and searching in a way that makes the most sense.
Set a budget
This is arguably the most crucial point because this is the constant for every place you’ll look at. You need to make sure that you set a budget and that you stick to it. Set one for yourself and, if you have a roommate, find out what their budget is, as well. The way to figure this out is different for everyone, but it’s most often recommended that you spend 30–40% of your income on rent.
I’d also advise a budget and then a hard cap on that budget. For example, say you want to spend 30% of your income on rent but you can afford to do 40%. Make that 40% your hard cap and don’t look at anything above that. It’s easy to tempt yourself with places that are much more expensive than what you’re looking for. The renting process is hard; don’t make it any more difficult on yourself than it needs to be.
Pick An Area
Location, location, location. This is a hard focus when it comes to online searching. Some sites like apartments.com have a feature where you can draw the area you want to look at. If you have a specific city, that’s the most helpful. However, make sure you consider suburban areas that lie outside the city, if applicable. Sometimes you can get better rates if you go slightly outside city limits. Other times, smack dab in the middle is the best.
Make sure you also keep note of areas you don’t want. If there’s a rough area of town you want to avoid, make sure you keep it in mind. Sometimes these places can get roped in regardless of your search, so make sure you’re on your toes.
Ask Around
Moving locally? Make sure you ask people you know that live in the area you’re moving to to see if they know any good deals or places to avoid. Sometimes getting info from a real person instead of the internet is the best-case scenario. In my search, I’ve been told to steer clear of certain neighborhoods, suburbs, and streets and it has helped me narrow down my results tremendously. You can also find out good deals this way or get a recommendation from someone living in the complex you’re looking at. Personal recommendations will be your hidden power in all this.
Figure Out What You Can and Can’t Live Without
When I moved the first time, I had no idea what I wanted. I had lived without a dishwasher the entire time I lived at home, so I had no reason to believe I needed it. Fast forward two years and it has become one of the handiest appliances I have. However, I can live without it. You know what I can’t live without? In-unit washer and dryer.
Put together your list of needs and wants when it comes to amenities. Really need a dishwasher? Put that on your list. Can you live without ceiling fans in each room? Write that down. The point of this is to make sure that when you find a place, you can narrow down whether it’s a make-it or break-it. Amenities and appliances can also be a tie-breaker between two locations.
There are a lot of homes and apartments on the market. Make sure you find one that fits your needs.
Set A Time Frame
The thing you’ll get asked the most from leasing agents is, “When are you wanting to move?” Be prepared for this and set a date in advance. Even if it’s arbitrary, it’ll help you get one step closer to your dream home if you know when you want to move. It also helps make the move a reality instead of just an idea.
Set Aside Time for Appointments
Many complexes have showings/tours by appointment only. Make sure you have time set aside for these. Leasing offices also aren’t often open on the weekends, so you may have to take time off work to make this happen. Try to schedule a few in one day so that you can get it all done in one go. Then rinse and repeat if you haven’t found what you wanted. Just make sure you don’t plan your appointments too close together.
In the same vein, if you have to travel a long distance to see one place, make sure you have a time set up with the leasing agents. You don’t want to drive a long way and waste gas just to be turned away.
If you’re unable to do in-person touring, many complexes have virtual tours as an option. The only catch with these is they can poorly reflect the size of the place you’re looking at. If checking size is no matter, you may want to opt for a virtual tour to save time and money.
Have An Open Mind
A place you had your heart set on online may turn out to be a dump or have too many fees. The apartment that didn’t look like much could turn out to have a lot of the amenities that you want. Because of this, make sure you have an open mind when touring. Don’t get too attached to what you see online. The pictures posted on those renting sites are meant to pull you in. Take them at face value and just know that there’s a chance they’re just putting on a show for the camera to get you to come in.
Know When to Walk Away
On the same strain as having an open mind, be willing to walk away from an apartment or home. There are a lot of places out there. There are also a lot of places that want to bury you in fees or have glaring faults sans the one thing you want. Getting your heart set on a place that turns out to be a dud in one way or another can be a disappointing experience. Alternatively, getting too attached to a place that’s too expensive or has a lot of hidden fees can keep you from making a good monetary decision.
Too often, you’ll find yourself falling in love with a place that’s outside of your budget. Your biggest superpower in these situations is being willing to walk away. As previously stated, there are plenty of apartments and homes to rent. Don’t feel like you need to pick the most expensive option. And don’t feel like you need to buy into what the leasing agents say, either. They’re there to sell a product. You’re the buyer. Make sure you’re making the best decision for you, not for their pocketbooks.
Look at Several Different Sites
This may seem foolish at first, but not every apartment-hunting site has all of the available options. It’s best to look at several different ones to get the full scope of what’s available. You also, alternatively, can reach out to complexes in the area and just check their availability. Sometimes you can find the best hidden deals this way.
My favorite way to go about this has been to type in “apartments for rent in _____” and just go from there.
Look at Reviews for the Complex on Google
Before you go and look at a place, make sure you give it a quick Google search. This won’t tell you everything you need to know, but it will let you know the grievances of the current and past residents there. On a few complexes I thought looked impressive online, I was immediately turned away by reviews that stated maintenance took eons to fix issues or that management was incredibly unhelpful or rude. From here, you can make the choice of whether or not these are issues you’d be willing to work with.
Ask About Hidden Fees
Ah, the topic that’s oh-so-fun to talk about: hidden fees. Not every complex has them, but the ones that do can be a doozy. Make sure before you sign anything that you get a comprehensive list of any fees the complex charges. For example, one place I looked at was a luxury community and they charged an almost $70/mo. amenities fee. The current place I’m at has an online charge of anywhere from $30–50 for using their online payment system. Try and find these out before your name is on the lease and it will save you plenty of hardship down the line.
If You Have Pets, Make Sure There Are No Limitations
As a cat mom, there are not usually many limitations as far as breed goes. However, dog owners are a different story. Make sure that your dog breed is allowed at the complex you’re looking at. Most places don’t allow aggressive breeds like pit bulls (sorry pitties…), so make sure you take that into account and check with management beforehand if there could be a problem. Make sure at the same time that you check the pet limit. For most apartment complexes in my area, the limit is two. This may be different in your area but always check ahead of time to see. If you need to make arrangements for three or more, it’s better to check with leasing agents sooner than later.
Finally…
Keep a Journal or Online Document of the Places You’re Interested In
If you’re like me, you’re bound to find a few apartments or homes that you like. Or your search may be fairly limited and you only have a few to choose from. Whatever the case, try to keep an online document with links to listings or a journal with the names of the complexes in it. Next to each listing, make sure you mention some things you like about the place or some things that could be turn-offs. This will help you organize your thoughts and keep various different locations in check.
Finding a new place can be exciting. It can also be exhausting. I hope these tips and tricks can help you in your search and make the moving process just a little bit easier for you. If you have any other tips that made online searching easier for you, leave them in the comments below or tweet at me @dalenamae.
Happy searching!
