Preparing Your Apartment Search

Establish a Timeline for Finding an Apartment

Before you start looking at apartments and speaking with landlords, it is important to recognize and understand the time constraints that you face.

Your apartment search will be much easier if you have planned on looking to find a new apartment rather than being forced to try to find a rental after a relocation, a new job or other circumstances that can necessitate moving.

Ideally, you will want to give yourself between 1-2 months for your apartment search and move. There is a lot that goes into finding an apartment for rent and you want to give yourself the best opportunity to get your ideal apartment rental.

• Week 1: Make a list of your necessities (commuting ease, pet-friendly, etc.) and amenities (laundry, parking, pool, etc.) and compare the listings in your desired area to your budget.
• Week 2: Determine which locations are most favorable and compare rental rates with your list of wants and needs. Do some research on the neighborhoods and areas that you are interested in to ensure that it will be a good fit.
• Week 3-4: Time to hit the street. Expect to devote at least some time each day to looking at rental units, meeting landlords and checking out locations.
• Week 5-6: Get ready to move. Make arrangements for moving all your personal belongings and furniture. Walk through your apartment with your old landlord so that you can get your security deposit back and review your rental agreement with your new landlord.

Most landlords can be accommodating, but getting stuck with a week or even a few days in between moving out of your old apartment and moving into your new one can be extremely inconvenient.

You definitely do not want to delay your search to the point that you are forced to spend an additional month at either your old place, or a friend's couch or at a hotel.

Taking Care of the Tedious

It's easy to get caught up in the looking at new apartments, but it is important not to forget the details that tend to be prime procrastination subjects.

Security Deposit

Make sure you let your current landlord know the date that you plan to move out as far in advance as possible so that you can arrange for a time to walk through your old apartment and get your security deposit back. It will be nice to have your security deposit back so that you can simply transfer it over to your new landlord.

Apartment Renting References

Letting your landlord know when you plan on moving out of your apartment will put you on good terms with your old landlord so that you can ask for a reference. Having a short letter of recommendation from previous landlords that includes when and where you rented and your landlord's contact information will ease the mind of a potential new landlord.

You should also get a letter from your employer that simply states that you are employed so he knows that there will be no problem with paying the apartment's rent. This letter can be very simple and should include your employer's contact information.

Check your Credit Scores

Almost all landlords will check your credit report before they accept you as a new tenant. It's a good idea to make sure that there are no surprises and that you have a clean credit sheet.

You can use an online credit check, at either freecreditreport.com or annualcreditreport.com. More information on credit reports is available from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.

Resources for Renting

The internet has become a robust resource for renting research. Websites provide a wealth of information, including maps, floor plans, pictures, etc. You can streamline and inform you apartment search quite easily.

• Apartment search websites such as MyNewPlace feature detailed, interactive maps that can help you pinpoint the area in which you would like to rent.
• These websites provide search filters such as pet-friendly apartments, parking, laundry, fitness center, etc. that allow you to see search for your ideal apartment rental.
• Photos of the interior of apartments as well as floor plans are available, as well as contact information for landlords and apartment units.

Back in the olden days, this information was only available via apartment locaters and classified ads. Now, with information freely available in online searchable databases, finding an apartment on your own is much easier and less expensive.

Before you even leave your house you can have a pretty informed outlook on that crucial balance between rents, amenities and location. This will definitely save you the time of running all over town visiting different buildings.

It is nice to have all the information at your fingertips that a professional rental agent would have, as this will definitely reduce your apartment search by at least one week.

Getting Prepared

Now it is time to get ready to lay out the features of your new apartment. This apartment guide will take you step by step through the process of looking for your new place to live. In our next article, Your Ideal Apartment, we'll lay out some guidelines that will help you with the first part of your apartment search.