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When you are comparing apartments to rent, it is important to set your initial minimum criteria for (a) the apartment building itself as far as location, safety, convenience, utilities, repairs, management, superintendent, noise, pets, lease clauses, etc.   and (b) the particular apartment unit regarding its rental amount,   size, layout, appliances, condition, access to elevator and laundry, windows and lighting, etc.  After you eliminate candidates that do not meet your minimum criteria, expand your research to other sources.   If you were relying on the local newspaper, you should now also check out craigslist .com internet website or other sites which provide a wealth of available apartments. Contact a few real estate agents, especially those who specialize in apartments, to see if they know of better deals.   Their expertise may very well be worth paying them a fee that is usually one-month's rent. Consider modifying your criteria based on the results to date.   Is a one-bedroom large enough?   Have you discovered a new town? Another effective tool for uncovering good deals is to spread the word to people during your day with whom you speak that you are looking for an apartment, such as friends, relatives and co-workers.   You will be amazed by the power of word-of-mouth and how useful it is to tap your existing network for information.   As you expand and then narrow your list of candidates, pay special attention to the unique characteristics of the building and the unit.  

Most importantly, focus on your feelings about the people. As a first step, engage the managing agent and the superintendent in detailed conversations so you can get a feeling about not just how much they know but also how much they care.   If you don't get a high comfort level, you should walk away.   It is critical that you get a positive feeling about your soon-to-be new neighbors in the building.   You will be living just walls away from them.    Make several visits to the apartment building at all times of the day and night.   Ride the elevators.   Walk up and down the stairs.   When you see residents, be friendly and tell them you are thinking of moving in the building and ask them for their thoughts and feelings.   Listen carefully to their responses.   My wife, Lorrie, and I recently helped my 23-year-old daughter Kelly to get a one-bedroom apartment in New Rochelle, about 2 miles from our house.   Its proximity was an advantage over a Fleetwood apartment we were considering.   But the final deciding factor was the excellent vibes we got from the people we met at the 36-unit New Rochelle building.   All of them were friendly, helpful and had very positive things to say about living in the building.

While helping Kelly to move in and staying there until 3am to unpack boxes and to position some of the furniture, I felt a calm feeling.   I was flooded with memories of the apartment in Pelham that my wife and I had for a year when we married and before we bought our first home.   In that apartment, we met many new friends, of all ages and occupations, including several newly married people of our age.    Some of the those relationships have continued to this day, over 30 years later, I mused about how Kelly may be soon forming close friendships with her new neighbors, people whom she will share her life with.

About the author:

Frank Sisco is a CPA and Personal Financial Specialist and writes on topics related to life and money.   You can contact Frank by email at ideasmoney@aol.com or by phone at 914.740.4422 in order to express your opinion about this article or to obtain copies of prior articles.   He resides in New Rochelle, NY with his wife and daughter.