Last Updated on 11/12/2024 by Rany Burstein
The summer moving season upon us and that means it’s that time for many of us go out there on a hectic, frustrating and long apartment search expedition. During this time you may get stood up for apartment viewing appointments, see the apartment of your choice getting snatched up at the speed of light, and meet all types of shady individuals and real estate professionals. To maximize your efforts and save you precious time that could be better spent on things like picnics at the park, beach days, yoga classes, or weekend getaways, we’ve compiled a list of simple but helpful tips for you. While these tips are more applicable for New York City , they could also be applied in any other city. So if you found a roommate (on Diggz Hopefully) to apartment hunt with or giving it a go on your own, we hope the tips below make your summer a bit more enjoyable.
When should you start looking for an apartment
Searching for a new apartment rental can be very time consuming. So to make sure your efforts are not wasted, you should start your search at the right time window. Typically in New York City, it is recommended to start looking about 30 to 45 days prior to move in. If you start to look too soon, the places you see today, won’t be available for your actual move date. Landlords prefer to rent to people that are ready to move in as soon as the apartment becomes vacant, rather than eat a month of rent while it’s sitting empty. Also, each month more rentals come online as people end their leases and move out. So for example, if your move date is August 1st, ideally you’ll start looking in mid July or even early August. If you need to move right away, you can still find a place. There are always apartments that haven’t been leased out and are sitting on the market for longer. Just make sure you are ready with all the paperwork and funds to execute on a lease quickly. Worth noting that in other cities the timeline could be different. You could easily find a new place two, three or even more months before your move date, as the available rentals are more predictable. This is especially true in university communities.
Take advantage of Video Tours
Since the pandemic video tours have become more common. Most brokers have links to a video walk-through of an apartment in their listings or would happily share it with you. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million. You might be able to save a lot of time by avoiding viewing apartments in person after you watched the video. But it could also be the opposite. The video might give you a better sense of the place, show you details you weren’t able to see in the photos, or might just be more up to date and organized. Video tours whether live or recorded are also very useful if you are trying to search for an apartment remotely, whether it’s from your parents’ house, or that paradise you’ve been working out of for the past year.
Confirm your appointment
To ensure that you do not show up to an apartment viewing only to find the broker isn’t there, we recommend that you confirm the appointment with your broker the day of. Brokers are also used being “stood up” by prospective tenants, so they often might not show up to appointments unless the ‘would be’ renter has emailed or texted them to confirm.
Book for the near term
If you see an apartment online that you like, it is best to book an appointment to see it as soon as possible. If you book your appointment too far into the future, a few things can happen that could cause your appointment to be cancelled. First, the apartment could be rented by someone else by the time you get around to see it. Second, the broker’s plans (personal or professional) may change, causing him to cancel on you.
Inquire about deal breakers upfront
If there is any requirement (or constraint) on your end that would be a deal breaker, it is best to clear it upfront before wasting your time to see a place. Do you have pets? Make sure the building is pet friendly. Do you have a “hard” move-in date? Make sure the apartment could be ready to accommodate it. Don’t want to live on the fifth floor of a walk-up building? Make sure you ask what floor the unit is on (Tip: often you can decipher the floor by the number that is listed. If it’s 5 something, it is probably the fifth floor) or if there is an elevator.
Leverage open Houses
While brokers will meet you for a one off apartment showing, the best way to ensure that your appointment doesn’t get cancelled or rescheduled is to show up at an open house. While there will be a lot of people coming and going at an open house, it will still afford you the opportunity to scope out the apartment, get a better gage of its size and layout (the pictures aren’t always accurate, for better or worse), and evaluate the building and neighborhood. If the apartment you are interested seems like a good deal, it most likely won’t last for long. Sometimes it’s better to push to see a place you really like before an open house and give yourself an edge over everyone else.
Avoid the ‘bait and Switch’
Often brokers have the best intentions when they list an apartment online, but sometimes by the time you come around to see it, it’s gone and they try offer you alternatives (and sometimes, it’s just what they do to get client leads). If you reach out to a broker about a specific apartment you’d like to see, and they start asking you about what you are looking for, it could be a sign that the apartment you inquired about doesn’t exist. Good brokers want to understand what you are looking for, present you with alternatives, and try to find you the right apartment, rather than just open a door for you. So sometimes they may seem pushy when asking for more information about you. Make sure to distinguish between a diligent and thoughtful broker, than a deceitful one. One way to do that is to confirm that the apartment you inquired about will be one of the places they will show you. If they claim that the place isn’t available, that should usually serve as a warning sign.
Be ready to make a decision
Apartments can get rented fast, especially in the summer time. This means that sometimes you won’t even have the day to think about it or check out other options. If you see a place you really like, at least ask to put down an application and show your intent. If you have to pay an application fee and after all don’t get the apartment (not because you changed your mind), that fee is usually refunded. Also, if you are in the ‘apartment hunting mode’, make sure you (and your roommate) can produce all the required documents fast. The typical documents that landlords ask for are usually: a photo of your driver’s license, ID or passport (if you are foreign, they might ask for a copy of your visa or Green card), recent pay stubs, recent bank statements, and a letter from your employer confirming your employment with your current salary. Some landlords will also require copies of your recent tax returns. If you are self-employed, you will most likely be asked to produce a letter from your accountant regarding your income.
Take a measuring tape
If you have existing furniture and you want to make sure it will fit nicely in your new space, make sure you do the proper due diligence and measure the space in the various rooms and ensure that your couch, dining table or bed will actually fit. Often times a room might be big enough, but an unaccounted nook, heating pipe, or maybe an AC unit might prevent your furniture to fit as desired. Carrying a simple measuring tape around when during your apartment search will ensure that you are getting the layout and space that you need and are not dealing with replacing furniture later.
We hope that you find these tips helpful; If you are just starting your apartment search, don’t forget to check out the apartments for rent that are available on Diggz, where you can find a roommate, rooms for rent, and an apartment in one place.
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