Don't Believe the Hype: Apartment Rental Books

The pictures are pretty!  The features and amenities are everything that you wished for!  Those apartment guide books are so impressive, but what's the catch?  If you haven't been asking yourself that, you should!  Don't let the pictures fool you! 

I have personally come across many properties that looked beautiful, but once I arrived to view them, they were hideous!  They forgot to mention the roaches, dead stink bugs, cracked paint, the water damage on the ceilings and walls from a leaky roof, the smelly, worn carpet in the entrance ways, and other things that would make you feel ashamed to bring your relatives over.

The prices aren't that affordable as one would like for you to believe in those rental books either!  There are usually a few left at your desired price, but once you arrive, you find out that there are a whole lot more available at a price you don't want to pay.

Be careful of those "too good to be true" deals as well.  Why would anyone practically give away an apartment before a resident moves in?  "Two months free!  No security deposit!  Fully furnished with no rent to pay the first month!  No security deposit or first months rent!"  Huh?  You better be asking questions and when you visit, go over that place with a fine tooth comb.  Also, check out the neighborhood.

Some alternative places you may consider looking, if you are having zero success with apartment rental books, would be:  newspapers--the free ones as well as the paid ones, fliers on college campuses, word of mouth, online social networking, and online classified ads.

Always remember to ask specific questions about the apartment and the community before visiting.  Why not also ask people in your social networks as well?  Consider using Google maps to check out the neighborhood.  Check police blotters (usually printed in newspapers) about the latest activities or conduct online research when checking out the nieighborhoods.

Nicholl McGuire  

Moving in October, November & December? Good luck.

If you are one of the lucky ones that already secured an apartment you really like before the fall season, congratulations!  However, for those looking to get a place around that time, the pickings are slim!  As the weather gets cooler (especially on the east coast,) people do less moving.  Therefore, apartment availability, particularly in ideal locations, is slim.  College students are also settling in apartment communities as well, so it makes it a challenge to find a place.   

Be sure to leave contact information when visiting places you like and if there is a waiting list, be on it.  This way once a resident gives notice to leave, you will be one of the first to know.  Most apartment communities require a security deposit and first month's rent.  However, if your credit is not so good, expect to pay at least twice the security deposit.

Nicholl McGuire

How Important is Public Transportation When You Look for Housing?

Some apartment shoppers don't bother asking about public transportation simply because they know they will be driving their car.  But what happens when the car breaks down and you just can't afford to fix it?  Most will say, "Well, I will just call my mom, my dad or a friend."  As we all know, people are only generous for a limited time only.  When seeking an apartment, do consider one that does have nearby public transportation.  When you do, you will be glad you did especially when you notice how much it may cost you to drive into work each day from your new place.

Most apartment leasing offices do have bus schedules available.  You can also visit local grocery stores and bus depots to pick up a weekly or monthly bus pass.  Take a moment to use the Internet to search for bus stops in the area that you are thinking about moving into.

If you are moving your family and you have teenagers, think about the places they will want to go.  Public transportation will save money and time for a busy parent who isn't always available to transport his or her teen around town.

Nicholl McGuire

What's that Smell?

So you are walking down the hall of your potential new living space and suddenly you notice a strange smell permeating your nostrils.  Smells like a drug of some sort.  What might you say to the leasing consultant who is all too ready to get you into an apartment?  "I noticed a strange odor in the hallway.  I believe that someone might be doing something illegal.  How do you handle issues such as this?"  This is a good way to see what kind of management you may or may not be dealing with in the future.  Is he or she going to address the issue, make excuses or pretend like the smell doesn't exist? 

You never want to consider moving into an apartment building that is so big that if someone is smoking weed in 210 A the smell is going to linger for hours on end and just might spread to your suite.  You also don't want to move in a building where management is not going to do or say anything about the odd smells that might just affect your health one day either.

There are other odors in those hallways of that great looking building that everyone wants to move in and while you may really be excited about it, consider what you are willing to put up with.  Could you handle 310 B cooking greens almost daily and what about 410 C who doesn't believe in bathing her dog or cat?

Take a sniff around the next time you tour a property.

Nicholl McGuire

Do You Get a Good Look at the Windows?

You will be suprised at how many people will shop for a rental and not bother to look at the windows or even bother to open them. They assume that they work. However, what I have found in my personal experience looking at both houses and apartments, some have either one or two windows(in one case all windows) painted shut, broken, or very difficult to open and close. In a couple of situations, management had no plans on fixing them.

At first this doesn't seem like a big deal, I mean if you have central AC and heating you wouldn't care, right? But what if the heating and cooling systems are working well for some rooms, but not for others or worse it completely shuts down? You will want to open your window especially in the bathroom, phew! Now you are stuck in a hot, stuffy place--think a hotel room with the air conditioner turned off all day, bad, very bad!


Then you have those gorgeous odd-shaped windows that really add some personality to a room. However, you might learn that you will be paying a little more for electricity when the sunlight beams through them and keeps some of your rooms hot. They are often challenging to find treatments for if you desire a little more privacy, a cooler room and on a budget. Odd-shaped window curtains have to be customized. These windows can also be annoying when you or your family want to sleep in on weekends.

So take the time to check out those windows in that potential new place between all those compliments you give your leasing agent, "Wow, great place...I could put my desk here...love the windows!" That is until you realize those odd-shaped windows don't serve any real purpose, some windows don't open, and you may be responsible for the extra expenses to care for them.

Nicholl McGuire