Best way to look for new apartment

[SolarGarlic]

Looking for some advice here. I'm looking for a new apartment. What are your best strategies for finding the best deal? It feels like Apartment Finder, Zillow, and similar apps are probably skewed toward the property owners. Help a brotha out! Thanks

 

[cstrunk]

Figure out where you want to live... Google search all the apartment complexes in those areas (check reviews).... check out the websites for each complex that seems decent (can usually get prices online)... then visit a few that seem OK... ask if there are any specials/deals/discounts.

That's how I usually did it. Godspeed. I hated living in apartments.

 

[19clone91]

The renting market in Denver is crazy so this may not apply in other cities, but everytime I am looking for a new apartment it seems like craigslist has the best deals, but the website is super archaic and hard to use, not to mention hard to contact the owner (and less safe). I usually use Zillow and Trulia to find the property or space that I like and then contact the owner through other means to cut out the middle man and possible get a better deal (such as the buidling website or using a phone number i find). This method is hit and miss though.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

If you want any chance at not getting gauged, Craigslist is probably the best bet. You’re going to only find the most expensive places on Zillow and Apartments.com, and they generally heavily favor property management places. My last three places I’ve lived (two in Honolulu and one in Minneapolis) have been found through Craigslist and they’re all just single owned units by a family or something and I couldn’t be happier with them. Using Craigslist for my current search in DC metro right now as well.

 

[LivntheCyLife]

Another site is padmapper.com

 

[SpokaneCY]

If you want any chance at not getting gauged, Craigslist is probably the best bet. You’re going to only find the most expensive places on Zillow and Apartments.com, and they generally heavily favor property management places. My last three places I’ve lived (two in Honolulu and one in Minneapolis) have been found through Craigslist and they’re all just single owned units by a family or something and I couldn’t be happier with them. Using Craigslist for my current search in DC metro right now as well.

Checking Honolulu and Minneapolis now for unsolved murders...

 

[madguy30]

If you want any chance at not getting gauged, Craigslist is probably the best bet. You’re going to only find the most expensive places on Zillow and Apartments.com, and they generally heavily favor property management places. My last three places I’ve lived (two in Honolulu and one in Minneapolis) have been found through Craigslist and they’re all just single owned units by a family or something and I couldn’t be happier with them. Using Craigslist for my current search in DC metro right now as well.

Not sure if this is the case with most others but my experience with family owned places is that they're more receptive to issues and care for the building.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

Not sure if this is the case with most others but my experience with family owned places is that they're more receptive to issues and care for the building.

Obviously it’s all case by case, but that’s been my experience as well. Quick to fix things, quick to respond, honestly, been a couple of times I’ve been able to bargain rent cost with them (every property place I’ve rented from seems like they just automatically increase rent every year) and generally are easy going on deposits and what they determine things they need to detract from.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

Checking Honolulu and Minneapolis now for unsolved murders...

I only kill people that won’t be missed by others.

 

[WhatchaGonnaDo]

In my experience (just moved), Zillow was more owners looking to rent the property that they own privately. That's what we ended up with.

Other places like Apartment Finder and HotPads definitely felt skewed toward the new, fancy, "look at all these amenities" complexes. Also, online reviews for apartments are really hard to trust, there's definitely a vocal minority that screams through on those.

Start with location and then filter out via price or amenities. Then go visit then ones that make the cut.

I set up a spreadsheet with the amenities we cared about and compared prices vs how many amenity boxes were checked.