Getting a Great New Apartment

Finding a new apartment can be tricky. Between location, size and price it is often a struggle to end up with an apartment you actually want. Fortunately there are a number of tips to help find the perfect apartment that also fits with your budget.

Look Online

There are many great places to hunt for apartments online. Some of the best include Rent.com, Zillow and Hotpads. Rent.com lets you look for homes and apartments and has a massive amount of listing including useful filters that lets you find what you need in terms of pet allowance, facilities and so on, as well as virtual tours.

Zillow is another excellent option that’s more well-known for those searching to buy but also has extended and detailed features for those looking to rent an apartment. In addition to its many filters and categories, Zillow lets you look for things like how good the local transit is and how close the apartment is to local schools and necessities.

Hotpads is another site that every apartment hunter should check out. It’s focused on helping those looking for a good and affordable apartment in the city and lets you sign up for notifications to let you know when an apartment fitting what you’re looking for becomes available. That way you can avoid missing out on highly sought-after apartments that pop up and disappear within hours in busy cities.

Even better is that Hotpads has all sorts of filters that tell you more about your new potential apartment including how close it is to local parks where you can walk your dog and the amount of time it takes to commute from there to your work.¹

Apartment Apps

In addition to helpful websites there are a number of top-notch apartment search apps. The best are Abodo that lets you look for everything you want and apply helpful filters and categories, Apartment Guide that’s great for looking for apartments and lets you also sort out which have pools, fitness facilities, nice views and are pet-friendly, Coldwell Banker which gives those looking for higher-end apartments an excellent range of options including searching keywords that apartments including such as smart technology or different architectural design styles you may be looking for.²

Savvy Tips For Apartment Hunting

Apartment hunting can be hard but there are ways to make it easier. In addition to the above websites and apps there are some tried-and-true ways to bring down the price of your apartment and find one that exceeds your expectations.

One way to save money is to have roommates in a multi-bedroom apartment. This can half what you’re paying or reduce it even further. Another important tip is to avoid moving at the same time as everyone else: if the weather is nice or the new university term is starting in your area there’s going to be a big influx of folks moving and prices are going to skyrocket. Instead of this, try to move when the weather is turning worse and there are no major changes happening so that demand is lower and landlords will be listing lower rental amounts.

More tips are to always ask your landlord any question you have and make sure you understand the approximate amount that utilities and extra fees like garbage collection are going to cost you on a monthly basis. These things may seem minor when you’re looking around but they can really add up once you’re moved in and paying rent.³

What Do You Want In Your New Apartment?

Even though budget is a core consideration, you should think carefully about what you want in your new apartment in terms of square footage, location, style and amenities. In addition, how does the apartment work for you and your family’s commute and is it near family and friends? These are all important questions to ask that will help you in choosing the ideal apartment that meets your budget and lifestyle.⁴