Why It Still Pays to Search for Apartments on Foot

In this day and age, it often seems that the only way to search for apartments is by using the Internet. In some cases, you may find this to be the best approach. But in other cases, you’ll find it worth your while to hit the pavement and search for apartments on foot.

Local Apartment Search

The Internet is an ideal tool for searching through apartment listings far away from where you live. An electronic record of a building’s details, along with a virtual tour, allows you to view apartments which would otherwise be inconvenient to visit. Likewise, newspaper listings alert you to the fact that apartments, in your price range, are available for rent. Both of these methods require further investigation.

However, when it comes to searching for apartments in your vicinity, nothing beats walking through areas of interest to locate apartments off the beaten path. Words, pictures and statistics don’t come close to matching your own impressions of available apartments.

Benefits of Searching on Foot

Searching on foot allows you to get a feel for the neighborhood and buildings, including overall condition, maintenance and security. Walking provides an opportunity to see a building’s occupants and your potential neighbors. It pays to speak to occupants about the building, to gain insights that are not obvious through casual observation.

When walking, you can observe what it would be like to live in the area by looking at certain factors, such as whether there are restaurants, grocery stores or shopping vicinities nearby. A quick walk through the neighborhood will tell you how close public transportation is to the apartment you’re considering.

If you visit in the evening or on a weekend, you can determine what the on-street parking situation is like. No free parking spaces or many signs restricting parking to permit holders are clues as to how difficult it will be for you or your guests to park.

Finding Bargains

Landlords with small numbers of apartments for rent don’t always advertise vacancies. Instead, they post a sign on the property. You can often find cheap apartments by looking for these signs. Such apartments are typically located in smaller buildings, often with the landlord living on-site. Not only are landlord-occupied buildings usually better maintained, but someone is there when you have a problem. To on-site landlords you are a neighbor, as well as a tenant. So they may be willing to negotiate a lower rent or offer you more desirable lease terms, if they like you.

Checking out Neighborhoods

Even if you don’t find a suitable apartment on your walk, you can still check out the neighborhood to see if it is worth pursuing further. Some neighborhoods have “good” and “bad” streets due to renovation, proximity to transportation or shopping, or a reputation for safety. Identifying these features helps you to narrow your search to the areas where you’d most like to live.

While there are other methods available to search for apartments, none can replace the unique benefits that come with apartment hunting on foot.

_______________________________________

Lisa Bernstein: As a long-time apartment dweller and seasoned condominium trustee, I have dealt with numerous landlord-tenant, property management, and day-to-day apartment complex issues. My extensive, direct experience has led to invaluable insights into apartment life from both the tenant and management perspectives.