Finding a new apartment can be a hassle, even if
you're only moving across town. You sacrifice valuable
weekend hours walking through neighborhoods you like,
looking for "For Rent" signs. Maybe you take
long lunchbreaks to meet apartment managers who are only
around to show apartments on weekdays. You pore over the
newspaper Sunday classified ads, trying to make sense of
listings that don't give street addresses. And good luck
responding to those ads! You'll seldom reach a live
person, and you probably won't get a call back; if the
place has already been rented, no one's going to phone
you and tell you.
Now, imagine moving across the country. How are you going
to find an apartment? If you're lucky, you know someone
who can describe neighbor-hoods and communities in the
area to which you are relocating and maybe offer some
general pointers on what to look for. You call subscribe
to weekend newspapers from throughout the area and follow
the classifieds, but you face the same problems you saw
with the local classified section. Now, add hundreds of
miles of separation and relative unfamiliarity into the
equation. What do you do?
It's a simple as this: use the Web. If you're relocating
and you want to try the classifieds, you can avoid
postage delays and newspaper subscription costs and
reduce the significance of the distance between you and
the area at which you're looking. Just find the sites for
local papers and go to their real estate classifieds. An
easy way to find these sites is to use Yahool's Get Local
Page. Type in target ZIP codes to pull up links to
pages on cities, towns, and villages across the U.S. Then
click on Media for links to local newspapers.
Even if you're only moving across town, your own local
paper's online classifieds is a great resource; most
papers offer you the option of searching by keyword
instead 6f reading every print ad. You can print out
results instead of clipping ads from the paper or keeping
track of circled phone numbers on all those crumpled
newspaper pages. And you don't have to spend money on a
paper.
The most useful online resource, however, is the Web's
collection of apartment rental sites. Find available
apartments with databases organized by city and state,
get advice on all aspects of moving, and take advantage
of a variety of services designed to make your move
tolerable and complete.
RENT NET
View photographs of apartment buildings and floorplans of
units, and take virtual tours of apartments nationwide
with Rent Net. This rental and location guide featuring
an attractive design and several handy features lets you
browse information on temporary housing available for
corporate use, as well as an archive of self-storage
facilities, senior housing listings, moving resources,
vacation rental property, and apartment owner/manager
resources. Can't find just the right place? Rent Net will
e-mail you when something opens up. Everything you need
to make your move is here: city guides and insurance
info, as well as a career center complete with job
listings, resume builders, and a salary calculator. There
are listings of homes for sale too. APARTMENTLINKS
Enter the ZIP code to which you're interested in
moving, and ApartmentLINKS will list available apartments
in that area, along with links to the apartment rental
sites where the entries are posted and contact
information for each address. You can reach more than
50,000 apartment communities in 7,500 cities and towns
here. Moving into a member community entitles you to a
benefits package consisting of a free flower arrangement,
prepaid calling card, sunglasses, and rental insurance
rebate. Articles in the News covers everything you need
to know about apartment living, from adjusting to
small-town life to selecting just the right furniture.
APARTMENTS.COM
Besides the flexibility to locate apartments based on
desired amenities, number of rooms, sizes, and price
ranges, this site offers neat features such as truck
rental information, furniture and self-storage coupons,
credit report services, change-of-address help, and a
cost-of-living conversion calculator. Listings include
tons of photos and occasional video walk-throughs of
available units. How's that for service? On the down
side, there is a relatively low number of apartment
listings, with no listings at all for a few states, such
as Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. Property
managers will like the resources that include tips on
advertising and legal assistance. Apartments.com offers
video walk-throughs of some listings, which is handy if
you're moving from far away.
APARTMENTS FOR RENT
ONLINE
Keen on life in the big city? This site is for you.
Even though Apartments for Rent Online offers apartment
listings for only two to three major cities per state, it
boasts a searchable database of more than 2.3 million
apartments. Some of the links were bad at the time of
this review, but you shouldn't have a problem accessing
sections on corporate housing, shops for rent, fair
housing, and frequently asked questions. UAP HomeSource,
a partner site, offers a search engine for
disabled-accessible apartments, as well as tips for
apartment hunters and home sale listings for renters
ready to buy.
SPRINGSTREET
SpringStreet (formerly Allapartments.com) has the breadth
and functionality to put a spring in your step during the
tedious apartment-hunting process. From finding where to
move to planning how to get there, it puts the resources
for making it happen at your fingertips. Apartment Living
offers tips on home decorating and information about
neighborhoods. There are sections on corporate housing,
auto and renters insurance, credit reports, and moving
truck rentals. Find deals on wheels at SpringStreet,
which offers proffers a 10 percent discount on Ryder
truck rentals. Scope out utility rates and car
registration fees, too. Click on Keeping in Touch to take
advantage of a free service that sends mail-forwarding
information to utilities, friends, and magazines.
APARTMENTWORLD.COM
Browse everything but the actual apartment at this site.
Photographs, floorplans, detailed maps, and driving
directions are all accessible here. A proximity search
locates businesses close to the community you have
chosen, while City Guide details restaurants, childcare
facilities, schools, weather conditions, and even lottery
results in your destination city. Military Relocation
lists properties and businesses surrounding bases
throughout the U.S.; College Relocation offers the same
resources for moving students.
RENTCHECK.COM
More than 300,000 apartment listings (for about half of
the states in the U.S.) are featured here, many
accompanied by color photos. Property details are
provided in a series of tables, often incomplete. There's
a salary calculator and a list of best places to live, as
well as message boards concerning moving, relocating, or
vacationing. RentCheck.com provides a link to the Moving
Mall, which lists more than 120,000 nationwide
moving-related companies. One more thing: this is a very
slow-loading site.
|
