Moving into your first apartment is an exciting life milestone, but I think most people can agree that the process of finding your first apartment is a headache-inducing experience. Rentals can get pretty expensive, especially in major cities, so putting your hard-earned money toward an apartment you\u2019ll be happy with should be a top priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I went through a similar struggle during my first apartment hunt<\/a>, but luckily, I was able to take my time while I search. And after a long, six-month journey, patience paid off. I not only found my first apartment, but I also found the \u201cperfect\u201d apartment that fit my needs at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone\u2019s apartment hunting experience is going to be a little different. You may find an apartment you\u2019re satisfied with right away, or it may take a month or two, which is totally fine. For me, it took a bit longer. Here\u2019s how I found my ideal first apartment, plus a few tips for first-time renters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I excitedly began the hunt for my first apartment after I graduated college and started working full-time. To be honest, I was in a fortunate situation: I was living at my parent\u2019s house rent-free, I didn\u2019t have a strict time limit on when I had to move out, and I wasn\u2019t hunting for an apartment in a major city. I\u2019m not much of a big-city person, so I was searching for a place that was more along the outskirts of a city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The best part was that I was able to take my time finding an apartment that checked all my boxes. So, after a few months of saving up some money, I finally began my search, and let me tell you, it was a long one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over a 5-6 month time period, I ended up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n During my apartment hunt, I ran into a bit of a roadblock. I was definitely not<\/em> prepared for how expensive a lot of rentals can be, especially if you plan on living alone. After living with various roommates throughout college, I was pretty dead set on living alone after I graduated and started working, but I also couldn\u2019t deny how much cheaper moving out would be if I had a roommate. After taking some time to weigh my options, I decided to look into renting with a roommate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And that\u2019s when something incredibly lucky happened. Right as I decided to fully commit to the roommate plan, one of the apartments I was on a waitlist for, finally contacted me with an upcoming available unit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Around week two of my apartment search, I actually found an apartment that I fell in love with. Everything about this place was nearly perfect, It was within my budget<\/a> range, in a safe area, was incredibly spacious (750 sqft), had a covered patio space, and had a space for me to connect my own washer and dryer. Plus, this apartment complex\u2019s 1-bedroom units were all ground level with no upstairs neighbors. In a way, it would be like renting a mini house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what\u2019s the catch? Well, there was incredibly limited availability. They didn\u2019t have any available units, so you had to secure a spot on their waitlist. And their waitlist was backed out to about the six-month mark. Most people likely aren\u2019t willing to wait six months just to get a specific apartment, and honestly, I wasn\u2019t too thrilled about the wait either. But the sign-up process was easy enough, so I put in an application to secure my spot on the waitlist, and then completely forgot about it a few weeks later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next thing I know, 5-6 months went by, and I still hadn\u2019t found an apartment I loved enough to call home. Rent prices in the area were high, and I wasn\u2019t willing to spend a hefty chunk of money every month on a place that I wasn\u2019t at least 85% satisfied with. It was also around this time that the cost-saving benefits of living with a roommate were starting to sound very appealing. The original goal was to find my own place. But at this point, I decided going the roommate route would be a better financial decision. Besides, living with a roommate I trust wouldn\u2019t be so bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that\u2019s when a little good luck kicked in. Right as I committed myself to finding a roommate<\/a>, I received a call from a leasing agent. It turned out that the apartment complex I was on a six-month waitlist for finally<\/em> had upcoming availability. At first, I was shocked. I had totally forgotten all about that waitlist. This could only be good news, right? Well, sort of. The specific unit they were contacting me about wouldn\u2019t be available for move-in until about three<\/em> months later, which was kind of a bummer, but not necessarily a dealbreaker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And this is the part where things went from shocking to a little stressful. The leasing agent told me that my application had been accepted and I had 48 hours to put down a security deposit<\/a> to reserve the unit. Otherwise, the unit goes to the next person on the waitlist. This was incredibly short notice (and a bit stressful at first), but the decision was a no-brainer for me – I decided to put in my security deposit and reserve the unit. I had already fallen in love with this place months ago. I even knew two family friends that lived in these apartments for years and never had a bad experience. So needless to say, I was basically sold on the place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure you have some extra money set aside for a security deposit, application fee, and admin fees for any apartments you\u2019re interested in. In some instances, the turnaround time for certain apartments can be less than 24 hours, which is common in major cities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After putting down my security deposit (and paying all those pesky admin fees), I had to wait about three months before I could actually move in. I wasn\u2019t exactly happy with that fact, but I felt this place would be well worth the extra wait. And before I knew it, three long months weny by, and the wait was over. My family and I viewed the actual unit on move-in day and gave it a thorough inspection before signing the lease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There was nothing too out of the ordinary – just a few scratches and scuffs here and there. It was nothing I couldn\u2019t live with. The place was built in the \u201880s and didn\u2019t have any fancy renovations or appliances, but everything was well-maintained nonetheless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I deemed everything to be acceptable, I was ready to review and sign the lease. I had already read through the lease agreement prior to move-in day, so all I had to do was review the lease one final time and sign it. I looked the lease over on my own, for the most part. It was about 7-8 pages long – not exactly light reading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But It\u2019s important to make sure you\u2019re 100% clear about everything<\/em> on the agreement before signing. I made sure to ask anything I was unsure about to the leasing agent and my parents before putting down any signatures. Once satisfied, I signed the lease, and it was official; I had my first apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apartment hunting is a stressful experience, and most people are looking to get it over with as soon as possible. You may even find yourself tempted to sign a lease for a place that you don\u2019t really like, just to bring your apartment hunt<\/a> to an early end. But when it comes to finding a place you love (and can afford), patience is key. And if you\u2019re staying with your parents, try and save up as much money as you can. You\u2019ll probably only get the chance to save like this once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During your apartment hunt, pay extra close attention to what availability is like for every apartment complex you\u2019re interested in. From my experience, I\u2019ve found that places that always seem to have tons of available units, raise somewhat of a red flag. Most of the time, those units are available because tenants aren\u2019t wanting to renew their lease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now on the other hand, if you find a place that has very limited or no availability, that\u2019s usually a pretty good indicator that tenants like living there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously, you should have a solid budget in mind before you start looking for apartments. So what\u2019s the point of touring places you know you can\u2019t afford? Touring apartments outside of your budget range helps you compare the value and features of other apartments that are within your budget range. This will also give you a good idea of what more expensive places consider a \u201cluxury\u201d or \u201cunique\u201d feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your first apartment is a big step towards independence and something that you\u2019ll remember for years to come. So, take your time, and don\u2019t rush into signing a lease for a place that you don\u2019t love. Trust me, that patience will pay off. And if you plan on renting with a roommate, make sure you\u2019re both on the same page about where you\u2019ll be living and who\u2019s getting which room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Change your address<\/strong><\/a> | Find a mover<\/strong><\/a> | Compare internet providers <\/strong><\/a> | Pre-move checklist<\/strong><\/a> | Join Movers Club<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Moving into your first apartment is an exciting life milestone, but I think most people can agree that the process of finding your first apartment is a headache-inducing experience. Rentals can get pretty expensive, especially in major cities, so putting your hard-earned money toward an apartment you\u2019ll be happy with should be a top priority. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":{"name":"sdrolet","image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/13351f0916cff658fd3581a9e21ac5454d7af8c8df61841159c00e5d9346d719?s=96&d=mm&r=g","description":""},"featured_media":69656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mdd_referenced_by":["a:0:{}"],"_mdd_referenced_by_count":["0"],"classic-editor-remember":["block-editor"],"_edit_lock":["1726866416:109"],"_edit_last":["88"],"_wp_page_template":["default"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":["[]"],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":["[\"\"]"],"has_brand_sponsor":["0"],"_has_brand_sponsor":["field_6296762625135"],"show_interactive_state_map":["0"],"_show_interactive_state_map":["field_5f5152909df2b"],"meta_title":["How I Found my Ideal First Apartment "],"_meta_title":["field_5be03537a7cf2"],"meta_description":[""],"_meta_description":["field_5be03543a7cf3"],"guest_author":["63475"],"_guest_author":["field_5c0819fd27bcb"],"is_sponsored":["0"],"_is_sponsored":["field_5bd0b6e23c564"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_subcategory":["1418"],"_thumbnail_id":["69656"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"]},"categories":[[{"term_id":25,"name":"Moving Guides","slug":"moving","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":25,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Book movers or recruit your friends? Which size truck should you rent? How much should you tip? Don\u2019t worry. We're moving experts, and we're here to answer your questions with all of the checklists, tools, and resources you'll need. It\u2019s all right here.","parent":0,"count":488,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":25,"category_count":488,"category_description":"Book movers or recruit your friends? Which size truck should you rent? How much should you tip? Don\u2019t worry. We're moving experts, and we're here to answer your questions with all of the checklists, tools, and resources you'll need. It\u2019s all right here.","cat_name":"Moving Guides","category_nicename":"moving","category_parent":0}]],"subcategory":[1418],"copilot-modal":[],"class_list":["post-69733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moving","subcategory-renters"],"acf":{"has_brand_sponsor":false,"meta_title":"How I Found my Ideal First Apartment ","meta_description":"","guest_author":{"ID":63475,"post_author":"67","post_date":"2022-07-07 18:51:20","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-07 18:51:20","post_content":"","post_title":"Sarah Drolet","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"sarah-drolet","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-09-19 18:36:21","post_modified_gmt":"2022-09-19 18:36:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/?post_type=guest_author&p=63475","menu_order":0,"post_type":"guest_author","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},"is_sponsored":false},"subcategories":[[{"term_id":1418,"name":"Renting","slug":"renters","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1418,"taxonomy":"subcategory","description":"Moving into or out of a rental property poses unique moving challenges and opportunities. Get the scoop on what to look for, what technical terms you should know, and how to move with confidence.","parent":25,"count":40,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1418,"category_count":40,"category_description":"Moving into or out of a rental property poses unique moving challenges and opportunities. Get the scoop on what to look for, what technical terms you should know, and how to move with confidence.","cat_name":"Renting","category_nicename":"renters","category_parent":25}]],"featured_image":{"url":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/mm-hero-sarahs-apartment-journey-part-2.jpg","thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/mm-hero-sarahs-apartment-journey-part-2-150x150.jpg","caption":"nito100 \/ Getty","alt":"Young man painting an old wooden table"},"last_updated":"February 28, 2023","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69733"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70419,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69733\/revisions\/70419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/69656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69733"},{"taxonomy":"subcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/subcategory?post=69733"},{"taxonomy":"copilot-modal","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/copilot-modal?post=69733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A little background information<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Finding the apartment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reaching the top of the waitlist <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
MYMOVE pro tip<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Signing the lease<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lessons I learned from my apartment search<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Be patient <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pay attention to availability <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tour apartments outside your budget range too <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The bottom line<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Getting ready to move?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n