Hey guys! So for those of you who have experience in this area, what are some good do's/don'ts and things to keep in mind when searching for an apartment/rental?

check to see if the management has changed a lot because that's a sign that the place is bad news

like, the last place we lived it changed like 4 times while we lived there and that was just the start of the problems

For me check the reviews

ooh good advice, noted

Don't sign anything on an unseen, no matter how glossy the online pictures look

oh for SURE not agreeing to anything without seeing the place in person first

Catch a neighbor in the places you're interested in before or after your tour day, and ask them genuinely about how their living experience has been. Ask if they get left Amazon packages at their front door, if there's a lot of gunshots or fireworks at night, etc

if in a building, ask about pest control

find out which utilities are included, and look around for outlets when you start viewing bc some have surprisingly few. also, if you're looking to hang things, find out what type of walls they are (and also if you're allowed to hand things since some places don't allow that)

if you can, book it a month or two in advance so you can get movers easily if you need them. I booked mid-month and a lot of them were already unavailable. also get rates from multiple places

parking situation is a good ask too

I'm making notes on all of this!

i only did one apartment but a big flag i realized later was that they did not have any set landscaping days because they just hired whoever was cheapest that month

it felt like a sign of other things that happened later - hoa not responsive, out of country all the time, lack of maintenance, etc. bc to not even commit to a group bc next month one might be $5 cheaper was just.

like i know people who had damages to their doors and stuff and there';s no way to really like. hold someone accountable to NOT fuck up stuff when it's just a one off instead of like an organized scheduled thing.

i also hated not knowing when basic stuff like that was gonna be done because it sometimes messed with sleep and other scheduling

if you can, hang around and ask a neighbor if they like living in the building

^^^ that too

bc you're probably not going to be around there at night, and i've gotten a lot of "this neighborhood is awful at night" comments from potential neighbors

you'll also get the best idea of certain seasonal things this way like - it's too hot in the summer, it's drafty in the winter, etc

because i once went to a house showing where the kitchen was in the basement, which wasn't a dealbreaker but it had rained earlier and the kitchen smelled musty/moldy which WAS a dealbreaker

and i'd have had no idea if it hadn't rained

also, people typically do not like to rent between november and march so you'll likely get the best deals during this time, though i would've said late fall was the best time bc they know they don't want to be sitting on an empty apartment for a few months for the winter but they can probably hold out now until spring

unless it has already been empty for the winter and then they'll probably be glad to occupy it

but just know that they might use this as a bs reason to raise your rent the following year

also - take a tape measure with you!

i think they still have the free paper ones at ikea if you don't have one, or like borrow one from a friend

bc nothing's worse than incorrectly guessing that something will fit in the apartment

(ftr my height is the exact width of a queen bed with a bedframe and so if i forget my tape measure i often have to lay down on the ground to see where the bed will fit and it's come in clutch a couple times)

and tangentially related, measure the door too.... we had to take my couch up the stairs in my last apt bc weeeee didn't think to measure to see if it would fit in the elevator

oh yeah, 100% measure the spaces when you go looking. I drew rough diagrams to help when I was reviewing them. also do like a quick video walk-through for yourself, speaking about like outlets, closets, windows, flooring, whatever.