This post is a continuation of the series I started last Monday. Make sure to check out the first post before (or after) you’re done with this one.
While you’re in the process of saving money, you’re also going to start looking for an apartment (or house). After all, you can’t move out if you don’t find somewhere to live! And knowing where you’re going to move also gives you an idea of how much money you’re going to save. But how do you look for an apartment?
This is probably the easiest of all the steps. There are so many places that have “for rent” advertisements that it’s almost impossible not to find them. Before you start looking, though, you need to ask yourself some questions:
- Do I want to live by myself or do I want a roommate?
- Do I want a whole apartment or do I want to just rent a room in someone’s house?
- How small of an apartment would I be comfortable with?
- Would I be OK living with strangers?
- What amenities are important to me?
- What utilities would I like included in my rent?
- Is there enough parking/is it close to public transportation?
- Are there on premises or in apartment laundry facilities?
- Can I bring my pet or get a pet?
- What kind of location am I looking for? Do I want it near stores/shops or a bit farther away?
- What am I willing to compromise on and what is nonnegotiable?
- What can I afford?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll be able to start your apartment search. Because now you know what you’re looking for! Not knowing what you want in an apartment makes looking for one even more painstaking. If you just jump into apartment hunting without any sort of parameters, you’re either going to love every place you see or hate every place you see. This doesn’t help make planning any easier.
But where do you look for apartments? There are several options:
- Craigslist. This is probably one of the more robust sites for finding places to live. You’ll see advertisements for people looking for roommates, empty apartments or houses, rooms in houses…any type of housing can be found on Craigslist. Use a great deal of caution, however, You never know what kind of scam you might get caught in. Or what kind of crazy person you’ll be living with or renting from. Make sure you thoroughly vet the apartment/roommate/landlord before you sign anything.
- Apartments.com. Prior to buying my house, this was the site I used. Well, this site and it’s free companion guide that’s available at supermarkets, libraries, some stores and restaurants. The guide is usually a hard copy of what’s on the website, which is a listing of all apartment complexes in a given area. Just enter your ZIP code, your price range, amenities, etc and it’ll produce a list of places to live.
- The newspaper. Either the online or paper version. In the classified sections, you can usually find apartments or houses for rent, and these are typically through a private landlord.
- A realtor. Depending on where you’re moving, you may need to use a realtor because a) the online resources are scant or b) it’s so competitive that you need help. For instance, in the beach area my family is moving to, we need a realtor’s help finding places to live because it’s a huge vacation area and the online resources only show vacation rentals. We need someone with insider knowledge to help us out.
It may seem like a lot of work but if you’re going to spend the money on a place to live, you should find the best place possible for you, your needs and your budget.