Best Way to Find an Apartment (1 Viewer)

[Anthony_J]

I'm currently looking for an apartment in the Central NJ area (Princeton, Lawrenceville, Hopewell, etc.) and am not having any success finding availabilities within my price range ($800-$900/month for a 1 bedroom).

Have any of you out there had any success with Rent.net, etc.? I've tried contacting a couple of places but haven't gotten any promising responses. I think most places on that site stay listed regardless of their openings.

It's also a royal pain in the arse to use the classifieds, too. Due to the large population growth and colleges in the area, good apartments are almost always taken by the time they hit the paper.

Any suggestions on where to look? I'm at the end of my rope and need a new place ASAP.

Thanks.

 

[Kirsten]

Best Way to Find an Apartment

Obituaries
Worked for me!

 

[Carl Johnson]

I used two sites (rent.net and apartments.com)when I moved to Phoenix. All I had to do was give give a neighborhood, a price range, and a list of features and the sites gave me a list of compatable properties and a toll free number to call and verify avalibiliy. I have some family out there and they double checked to make sure that the picture matched the property but there were no problems. Using the net, the phone, a fax machine and Fedex I secured a place to live in a town that I had never been to.

 

[JamesMH]

Just remember going in, all apartments are junk, no matter where you look. As long as you remember that, just get the cheapest.

 

[Hugh M]

you may have to settle for an apartment complex, as they sometimes don't feel the need to advertise. Use the classifieds, and run around to all of the various rentals trying to find one that isn't a dump. If you find that, take it quick.
Rent in NJ sucks. What I was paying for a lousy 1 bedroom apartment 50 miles from NYC, and what I am paying now for a nice 2BR/2BA duplex are similar. The cost of living is cheaper, and the job opportunities are almost as numbered.
Obviously you probably don't have much choice or desire to leave metropolitan NJ, but if you do get that opportunity that is my best recommendation. Some people really can't because of the field they are in, or family ties, etc.

 

[Holadem]

I just got a 2BR in Hartford, CT for $790 + electricity. Not bad at all. The only problem is that I wanted a 1BR... I had to take the 2BR for availability reasons - still wondering what I am going to do with that extra room. My friend lives in the same complex and until I get a car she will be dropping me at work.

I used apartment.com to search for places, visited a couple, but settle for her complex. I was told the cost of advertising in apartment.com is passed on to the tenants. Whether that is true or not, the place I moving to is way better than any of the buildings I visited.

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Holadem

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Try a local apartment search company. I used one when moving to Plano. I ended up lucking out and finding a real good person to deal with who ran his own service. I flew down to Plano, and he picked me up the next day and took me to a variety of place in the area/price range I was interested in, just like a realtor would. He got paid by the complex I chose so it cost me nothing. Also, he asked the apartment companies about their specials, which I'd never heard of before. Of course, I'm sure this varies from region to region, so be sure and check up front about what services they offer and how they are paid.