Tag: Apartment Search

Great Apartment in Houston in One Week

Day One

Houston apartment shopping requires many decisions and some information on you. You’ll quickly need to decide what unit type, unit size, unit amenities, property amenities and which area of town are right for you. You’ll need information regarding your rental history and income when you complete the apartment application. Organize this information at the beginning. It will make completing the apartment application less stressful and will impress the staff at the apartment.

Day Two

Apartment shopping is a process of narrowing the options. In day one, you selected the type of apartment and the area of town. Use a high-quality online apartment search service to further narrow the apartment options. Be sure to use an apartment search service which has all apartments available in Houston. Some of the Houston online apartment search services only have information for 5 to 20% of the Houston apartments available for lease. It simply is not realistic to find the apartment which best fits your requirements when only considering 5 to 20% of the available apartments.

The Houston online apartment search service should also allow you to narrow your apartment search by geographic area, rental rates, unit type, unit size, unit amenities and property amenities. Attempt to narrow your search to five or 10 apartment projects by the end of day two.

Summarize these in a one-page table. Put the name of the apartment property across the top of the page and the features important to you along the left column. This will provide a simple but meaningful reference of the apartments are considering.

Day Three

Call the apartments which best fit requirements. Gather information from the on-site staff by phone. Focus on getting the information you need, rather then answering the questions they want to ask. Be polite but the firm. Have a list of questions for the features which are important to you. You’ll want to include items such as application fee, deposit, first month’s rent, monthly rent, any move in specials, unit amenities, property amenities and any other apartment features which are important to you.

In addition to listening to what is said by the apartment staff, listen to how they say it. Are they knowledgeable, polite and attentive? Does the apartment staff give the impression of a professionally run apartment complex?

Narrow your list to two or three Houston apartment complexes on day three.

Day Four

Meet the on-site apartment staff and tour the apartments on day four. Before going to the apartment office, drive around the perimeter of the property. If possible, drive through the property. Is the property clean and well maintained? Does it meet your minimum standards? If not, drive to the next apartment complex.

Visit the apartment office. Is the apartment office clean and well organized? Is the apartment leasing staff friendly and appropriately dressed? In addition to the model apartment, ask to see your apartment unit. (It might not be as nice as the model J) Also ask the leasing staff to give you an extensive walking tour of the apartment courtyards. Is the property well-maintained? Is it clean? Ask about their maintenance policy. Are there any work orders which have been outstanding more than one week? Does the property have a regular courtesy patrol? If there are limited access gates, are they typically working?

Finally, ask about the financial details for the apartment complex. These include the application fee, deposit, first months rent, and the monthly rent. Make sure you understand the offer or special they are proposing. Ask if there is a look and the lease special if you sign a lease tomorrow.

Day Five

Decide which apartment is best for you. Finish negotiating the lease terms. If two or three apartments are acceptable, call each and ask for their best offer if you lease today. Select an apartment property and negotiate the lease. The lease is a legal agreement. You should read it. Don’t be bashful about asking questions for portions you do not understand. The lease was written by an attorney for the benefit of the apartment complex. If items in the lease do not seem reasonable, ask if they can be changed. In many cases, portions of the lease are negotiable.

Congratulations, you have used an organized process to select an apartment which fits which best fits your criteria. You have also been a careful shopper and have probably gotten a great deal.

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10 Tips for Finding a Great Apartment

1.Basic Decisions

 

The next step is Apartments 101. Set a budget for your apartment. Select the unit type for your apartment. Gather information the apartment management will require when you complete an application. They will want information on where you have lived, contact information for the landlord, where you work, how much you make, how long you’ve been there and a phone number.

 

2.Online Search Service

 

Find a quality online apartment search service. Only use a service which has information on all apartments in the metropolitan area. Some online apartment services only have information on 10 to 15% of the apartments in a city.

 

3.Limit Options

 

The online apartment service can help you limit the number of options to between five and 20 depending on how much time you have to review options. The more options you review, the better your chance of finding your ideal apartment.

 

4.Is it looks too good to be true…

 

WOW! — an apartment has no application fee, no deposit, $0 first months rent and it’s in the area I like! Be very careful of apartments offering deals this aggressive. In many cases, their resident profile is rough compared to other properties in the area.

 

5.Call

 

Call and speak to the leasing agents at various apartments. Are they friendly and professional? Are they knowledgeable? After speaking with them, do you feel this is a professionally run the apartment complex whose staff will be attentive and service oriented?

 

6.Visit Apartments

 

The next step is to personally visit the apartments. Drive around the perimeter of the property. Then drive through the property if you can. Your observations will be meaningful. A clean, well-maintained apartment complex probably offers a better apartment living experience.

 

7.Meet On-Site Staff

 

Next, go to the office and visit with the on-site staff. 8 Ask to see both a model and the unit you would occupy. Ask to walk through a large portion of the property. Are the buildings well maintained? Is there junk on the balconies? Is the property clean? Are there tough-looking people hanging out in courtyards during the middle of the day? What you see when touring the property is important.

 

9.Maintenance

 

Ask the leasing staff about their maintenance policy. How long does it take for them to complete repairs? Are there any maintenance requests which have been pending for more than one week?

 

10.Security

 

Apartment complexes describe security as a courtesy patrol. Ask if they have a periodic courtesy patrol. Ask if there have recently been any criminal incidents at the property. Ask about the property’s policy regarding limited access gates. In other words, are the limited access gates usually operational?

 

11.Speak to a Resident

 

Speak to a resident at the apartment complex. Try asking the leasing agent if they will let you speak to one resident. Perhaps you can speak to someone who enters the office while you are visiting. An existing resident will probably give you the best available information regarding the apartment living experience at that property.

12. Planning and organizing your apartment search will help you to find a great apartment at a great price. Try to start your search two to four weeks before you have to make a decision. Allowing adequate time improves your chance of getting a great apartment.

One However, this will be a personal decision. You may prefer a property with more amenties and more space in a less attractive area. What is important is whether you like the apartment. Decide what is most important to you. Seek and you shall find. Two Organizing this information will make the apartment search process less stressful. It will also make a great impression on the leasing staff. Although the apartment leasing staff spends most of their time selling you, they do have to approve your application. Three It is not likely you will find your ideal apartment while only looking at 10 to 15% of the available properties. If you had selected a new type of car to purchase, would you go to a dealership that had 12 cars in stock or a dealership that had 100 cars in stock? You are much more likely to find a great apartment if you start by reviewing all possible options.

Four Organize the information in a table format. Put apartment names along the top and features all along the left column. Think about which features are most important to you. Is the unit size more important than the amenities? Is having a washer dryer in the unit worth a little more rent? Is it essential to have a dishwasher?

Five Apartments offering “killer” deals tend to be unattractive. Yes, it is hard to pass up a low down move-in deal. If you really need an apartment with the lowest possible move in cost, it may be your best option. However, it is not likely to be the best available apartment complex.

Six You can call many apartments in a short period of time. The first conversation can be short. Focus on getting information, instead of giving them information. They will want to ask you a variety of questions. However, you focus on requesting the information you need. Be polite but be firm.

Seven Before you go to the office, think about the appearance of the property. Is the property well maintained? Would it be a great apartment for you? Does it meet your minimal standards? If not, drive on to the next apartment complex on your list.

Eight Is the office clean and organized? Is the management staff dressed in an appropriate manner? Did the leasing staff greet you in a friendly way? Is there are any residents in the office, observe the interaction of office staff and the residents.

Nine When you meet a new person, they usually offer their best impression during the first several meetings. The same is probably true for your first visit to an apartment complex. Your impression of the apartment property is unlikely to improve over time.

Ten Is the staff proud of their maintenance policy? Do they flinch or look defensive when you ask about the maintenance policy? In some cases, reactions and gestures are more important than what is said.

Eleven In most cities, you can obtain a criminal report by contacting the police department. It will give you factual, detailed information regarding criminal activity at the property. In most cases, a clean, well-maintained property will have less criminal activity than a poorly maintained apartment property.

Twelve Ask if you can speak to the resident in private. Or ask for the resident’s phone number so you can call them. Yet another option is to wait outside the leasing office and asked to speak to someone as they’re entering the office. Most people are friendly and willing to help.

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