Anyone else having a tough time apartment hunting?

[writingmachine]

I have been having the worst time apartment hunting and I start classes a little over a month and a half now. Even with the benefit of moving about a half hour away I'm dealing with a very competitive renting market, apartments can be listed and rented within a few hours of the original posting, and I'm completely frustrated. I've tried all the usual sites apartments.com, padmapper, craiglist, etc. There is little medium between sketchy apartments and luxury way out of my budget apartments. I've tried e-mailing and calling complexes and realtors, but they either do not return my calls or have nothing available. I checked out graduate housing as well but I don't qualify.

I did find one apartment complex that might work, but the move in date isn't until the second week of September. I'm just worried about the added stress of moving on top of starting classes and work would be too much to handle. 

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?  

Edited July 1, 2018 by writingmachine

[noisemaker483]

Since you're so close to the place you're moving to, would it be possible for you to actually go there in person and just show up to a few complexes unannounced?  I found that I sometimes got different information (i.e., apartments were magically actually available) if I showed up in person than if I called or emailed.  An added benefit of this method is that if a complex is out of the type of floor plan you're looking for, they might be able to recommend a nearby complex that might have some available.  This happened to me, and the complex where I ended up getting an apartment was one that I hadn't ever contacted in advance of traveling to the area. 

Good luck!

[dr. t]

5 hours ago, writingmachine said:

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?  

Boston? The market in Boston fucking sucks. Our last apartment there, my wife and I had to be able to hand over a $6,000 check to secure a place. Insanity.

If it *is* Boston (or NY), it's just a process of rolling the dice enough times. Keep at it.

[Meraki]

Have you reached out to the current students, especially first and second years who recently went through the process themselves? They may have insights as to the best places to look. I would also see if the apartment complexes you're interested in will take your name and call you if an opening comes up; sometimes they have short-notice vacancies, or a "rented" apartment may become available if the tenant doesn't pass a background check. 

[NotAlice]

I'm moving about 90 minutes away, to a more expensive rental market. I've been procrastinating and tomorrow is the day I start making phone calls. I've already done a drive-by some places to get an idea of location, which ended up knocking some of the cheaper options off the list because of one reason or another. I did reach out to students and people I know there for recommendations, that helped immensely. Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be super competitive. 

Best of luck in your continued search. I agree with going in person. 

 

[bibliophile222]

On 7/1/2018 at 10:06 AM, writingmachine said:

I've tried all the usual sites apartments.com, padmapper, craiglist, etc.

Have you tried looking for listings in local papers? I got my new apartment through the listing in the local free alternative paper. Out-of-towners might not think to try there so there could be less competition.

Edited July 5, 2018 by bibliophile222

[writingmachine]

Found an apartment. It's not in prime location like I would prefer, but the location is nice and quiet and the drive to work and the university is less than 15 minutes.

[Sanskriti Prakriti]

Congratulations on finding a place to live! I am looking for a place in Charlottesville, VA, while living in the Midwest. My husband and I (I guess foolishly) were counting on getting grad housing through the University, but we've been on a perpetual waitlist. Even though we applied literally on the day the application became available. Bleh.

[Dark Chocolate Mocha]

On 7/1/2018 at 11:03 PM, telkanuru said:

Boston? The market in Boston fucking sucks. Our last apartment there, my wife and I had to be able to hand over a $6,000 check to secure a place. Insanity.

If it *is* Boston (or NY), it's just a process of rolling the dice enough times. Keep at it.

Ditto.

I will also study in Boston, and after checking out the prices, I decided to stay in the residence hall for the first year. It seems the only way of finding an affordable place is to rent an apartment with at least 3 other roommates - because the per capita rent decreases then. But apartments for 1 person or 2 people are simply way beyond my budget. And being an international student, it is hard for me to find roommates, and I can't easily trust anyone who happens to send me a roommate request online. So I thought I would stay in the dorms first and meet some people, and then maybe - hopefully - some of those connections I've made could help me find roommates to share an apartment in my second year. 

Good luck to all those who are still looking for an apartment, though :))

Edited July 12, 2018 by Dark Chocolate Mocha