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How to Find Cheap Apartments in a Week or Less

by Staff | January 6, 2020

How-To Life Hacks

Searching for the right apartment can be…no, actually…it IS quite the daunting task, not to mention if you have to do so in less than a week…yes…ONE WEEK. Oh the humanity!

Okay, either you have just relocated to a brand new city, you simply want to get away from your not-so-good-terms roomies, your slumlord is unexpectedly not renewing your contract to start “gentrified development” for another hipster coffee shop or Chase Bank, mom and pop have finally forced you out of the basement to face the school-of-hard-knock reality of adulthood, or for whatever other reasons…

You’d want to be able to find your new place fast and, if at all possible, affordable!

Getting a great place to live is one thing, but without breaking the bank further limits your options. Yes, most folks aren’t going to argue with you about the undeniable rising costs of rents, especially if you live in the major downtown metropolis areas.

In other words, you’ll going have to strike the impeccable balance of being resourceful with the marginal time and money you have at your deposit.

Fret not. There is always a way to make the best of such predicamental situation, which is not at all atypical.

Before You Can Search

There are available options out in the market that can meet your criteria. However, before you begin apartment hunting, you first need to be ready to authenticate your worthiness as a desirable tenant by having these necessary items in order:

  • The first is your work history, resume, pay stubs, and bank statements.
  • The next is liquid cash. This can mean access to a bank account with first and last months rent, as well as a security deposit. Aim for at least $2,000 to $3,000 dollars to start. That is going to ensure you some upfront leverage when negotiating.

Quick Places to Look

Once you have the documents and cash at hand, you can take various approaches during the search process:

  • Major Websites Work

You should look at prominent apartment websites including rent.com, apartments.com, and others. Do not take too much of what these websites say at face value. Rather, be sure to look for contact information to get a hold of the renter and initiate the first conversation. Ask if there are any options available, then make appointments, and visit each option. Don’t forget, you’re on a time crunch, so make sure that you call, make appointments, and actually go to them.

  • Craigslist Helps Too

Good old Craiglist.org has become the favorable go-to choice among apartment seekers looking for something affordable. Even though the process is, shall we say, less formal, so that means you’re going have to be more thorough in due diligence when background checking the apartment and renter.

Once again, call people. Do not email, do not submit forms online, call them! People will know that you’re serious, and that will help you get your foot through the door all the way at the front of the line before anybody else. Finding the right apartment becomes systematically straightforward if you consistently call places and you visit them outright.

  • Real Estate Agents

This is by far probably the most hands-off approach, but keep in mind that you will be tilting the scale slightly away from the affordability factor. If you don’t mind paying more from the commissions, a real estate agent can make your life easier or as a last resort.

You can find plenty of realtors all over online or locally. They are practically dime a dozen since everybody wants to get into real restate to get wealthy, but it is cutthroat competitive with a large pool of agents coming and going, while the same can’t be said with property opportunities on the market that are these agents’ bread and butter.

When you take the realtor route, it would be in your best interest to work with as many agents as possible, even the lesser well-known ones. It’s less so about the perfect agent than the suited apartment for you.

Do Background Scrutiny and Implement Process

As you look for and visit apartments, make sure that you scrutinize the details. Ask for prices, inquire about terms, and assess if the place peaks your personal interest. If all these sound good to you, tell the leasing office you want to apply and go ahead put a deposit down. Don’t wait too long if you are getting a fair value and are desperately in need of a place fast.

Remember, the apartment doesn’t have to be perfect but decent enough to put a roof over your head without burning holes in your pocket, offering you the best of both worlds: availability and affordability.

by Staff

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