Apartment hunting in competitive cities such as New York and San Francisco is not easy. However, with the right tips and the right apartment app, you can find the best apartment for your needs. Of course, moving to a less competitive city is an option but it is not always a possibility.
Perhaps you have a job in the city and living elsewhere is not possible. Whatever the case is with you, finding an apartment in a competitive city can be overwhelming. Here are some tips that will help you to land your dream apartment:
Make Moving Quickly a Priority
The more competitive a city is, the faster you will need to jump on a listing that you like. If you decide to wait until you are free, you will miss a great opportunity. You should clear your weekend and evening schedules to ensure that you have time to jump on last minute listings.
You should be on high alert to ensure that you respond to agents and landlords on time. It is likely that property managers have many people who are interested in apartments. If you fail to respond quickly, they will just move to the next individual.
You need to set up email notifications to know when you receive a new email from an agent. Unlike with normal housing markets, you might not be able to negotiate on the price of rent. To gain the advantage over other renters, you should be willing to sign the lease as quickly as possible.
Assess Open Houses Like a Pro
To remain ahead of other renters, you will need to take advantage of every opportunity. You can do the following:
Ask Questions
Even if you want to be in the landlord’s good graces, you should not shy away from asking the right questions. Ask about previous tenants and the neighborhood. You do not want to pay rent then get stuck in a bad apartment. Have a checklist that you can use to compare features that you see.
Automate What You Can
How will you discover listings? Create accounts on different listing sites then come up with a tracking system. With a tracking system, you will be able to record the contacts for every apartment that you like. Your information on online apartments such as will be centralized.
Know Your Rights
You need to read on renter’s rights in your county and state to know what a landlord can and cannot demand from you. With this information, you can weed out rogue landlords who decide to make unrealistic demands.
Have a Pitch Ready
You should practice saying a quick personal description that will endear you to the landlord. During your initial meeting, the landlord might ask why you want to move out of your current home. Make sure that you prepare answers to such questions if you want to answer confidently.
Watch out for Scams
Deals that seem too good to be true usually are. You should look out for words like ‘cozy’ and ‘charming’ when apartment hunting – they might be used to describe tiny, old apartments with outdated features. Be on the lookout for the term ‘converted’, which might refer to an additional room that has been created by adding a fake wall.
Prepare Yourself
You might have to jump through hoops to be accepted in a competitive housing market. The numerous hoops that you have to jump through include doing excessive paperwork and having the ability to convince a landlord to rent to you despite having perfect credit. Here are some things that you should consider doing before looking at listings:
Research
Talk to friends to figure out their experiences in competitive markets. Knowing what to expect from a renter’s perspective is important.
Have the Right Paperwork
You should be ready to apply at an open house. Make sure that you bring the necessary paperwork, which includes:
- ID copy
- Proof of income
- Renter’s resume
- Checkbook
- Filled out application for renting
Conclusion
People spend a lot of time looking for the perfect home for their families. You can get a leg up on others by having the right documents, being ready to move quickly, and going through open houses like a professional.
