Finding Your First Apartment: Guide to a Successful Search

Finding your first apartment can be a daunting task. It’s important to know what you’re looking for and how to go about finding it. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from understanding your budget and priorities to searching for apartments and ensuring you have all the necessary documentation.

(Special thanks to Meg Gramins and the GU Baker Scholars alumni who shared an awesome presentation on renting NYC, which informed this post).

Budget and priorities for finding your first apartment

First, it’s important to understand your budget and priorities. What can you afford to spend on rent each month? What kind of apartment do you want? What amenities are important to you?

Once you have a better idea of what you’re looking for, you’ll be able to start your search.

Understanding your budget

Along with your location preferences, understanding the amount of money you have available for rent can help you narrow down your potential apartments. Some considerations here:

• A common rule of thumb states that you should spend no more than 30% of your income on housing (though opinions vary on whether that includes utility costs).
• In many places (especially big cities or building with corporate management), landlords and leasing companies also have annual income requirements for renting, so you will need to be transparent with each other on how much money you will each be making, and what you can afford monthly in rent.
• If you’re planning on living with roommates–which is common for recent college grads, given the cost of renting and living in many cities–you will need to figure out how many people will be going in together, and what your combined rental budget will be.

Location, Location, Location

Where do you want to live? If you’re starting to look for places to live, I’m assuming you’ve already picked a particular city or metropolitan area. But now it’s time to narrow it down. Do you want to be in a central city location? An inner suburb? Further out? Do you want to live in a place with access to nearby transit or safe biking routes?

Are there particular neighborhoods that appeal to you, and if so, do they have apartment options in your budget?

Amenities

What are your must-haves in an apartment? It’s important to set these apart from “nice to haves” because any rental agent for an apartment building will try to sell you on the latter. What are your non-negotiables? Depending on your priorities, these could include things like:

• In-apartment washer and dryer
• Dishwasher
• Secure parking (for cars, or for bikes)
• In-building fitness center

Roommate Considerations:

If you’re looking to rent with roommates, communication is key to success. Be very clear with your roommates on your non-negotiables and the things you are willing to compromise on with your apartment, whether those are related to budget, location, or amenites. Be 100% honest and demand the same of your roommates. 

Steps to take before apartment searching: Banking

Now you have a general sense of what you’re looking for, and it’s time to get your ducks in a row for the search. That way, when you find your dream apartment, you’ll be ready to move quickly. Here are some steps you should take before diving in.

Banking Logistics: Cashier’s Checks

If you do not already have one, open a checking account with a bank that has physical bank branches in the city you’re moving to. Aside from having an easy (and free) way to withdraw cash once you live there, you may also need to visit a bank branch in order to quickly get a Cashier’s Check for the deposit required to rent the apartment.

A Cashier’s Check is a physical check issued by the bank. The bank will debit your account for the money, but the cashier’s check provides greater assurance to the landlord than a personal check does that the funds are already present and able to be accessed to complete the transaction.

Preparing to Pay Deposits:

Know that depending on the housing market and landlord, your security deposit could be equal to the first month’s rent, or even the first and last month’s rent. Therefore, you and your roommates (if applicable) will need to deposit funds into this checking account as you start looking at apartments so that you have the funds available to move quickly once you find an apartment you like.

Search and Find your new apartment

You’re getting closer to your new home! You have a good sense of what you’re looking for, and what you can afford. All that’s left is actually finding it.

Searching for apartment options:

Since you’ve already decided on your price range, your desired location, and your non-negotiable amenities, you’re in good shape to narrow down a search. Websites like Apartments.com, Rent.com, Trulia, or Zillow all offer searchable databases that allow you to narrow results based on budget, location, and amenities. In many cities, local websites offer more specialized listings, too, like StreetEasy in NYC.

Other options could include Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, but because those platforms don’t do much (if any) vetting of listings, it’s good to be careful of scams or other sketchy situations.

Once you’ve come up with a list of apartment buildings or units that meet your conditions, it’s time to set up some visits.

Visiting apartments

What to Bring

If you find a great spot (especially in a hot housing market), you’ll likely want to move fast to apply for an apartment. Prepare to bring the following documents:

• Copy of a driver’s license or passport
• Letter from your employer confirming your employment status
• Recent bank statement [may need to provide more than one]
• Last two paychecks / pay stubs [or copy of your offer letter with your salary information if you have not yet started working]
• Name and address of your employer; name and contact information of your manager or HR department (in case the landlord needs to confirm your employment)
• Blank personal check in case they require you to pay a credit check fee upfront as part of the application

 Consider these questions while visiting apartments

As you visit various apartments, it’s good to keep notes on the following questions, so you’ll be able to make solid decisions after the tour:

• Think about three priorities for your apartment: Location / Space / Price. It’s almost impossible to find a perfect balance of all three, so what’s most important to you? If you are working long hours, maybe your bedroom size doesn’t matter much. If you’re sacrificing too much on location, maybe the price is too high. 

• Ask if any utilities are included in the rent, or must be paid for separately (e.g., gas, electric, cable, internet)
• If the building is a walk-up, how many flights are you willing to walk up & down each day? Keep in mind the higher the floor in a walk-up, the cheaper the apartment should be.
• How noisy is the area the apartment is located in? Be mindful if the following are located nearby: train, buses, hospitals, fire departments, police departments, schools, bars, restaurants.
• How much light does the apartment: South and East facing apartments offer much more light.
• Layout, especially with roommates: If you think you and your roommates will be working from home at least 2 days a week, prioritize places that have enough space to fit a desk in your bedroom or potentially living room (of course cost/location will play a large role).

Keep in mind that your physical space can play a huge role in your mental health, so consider that as you are also weighing the importance of proximity to your office (if you have one), your friends, and your favorite restaurants/bars/activities.

Visiting Tips

• Wear comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothes – you will be walking around a lot to see apartments
• Bring a small notebook and pen to take notes of each apartment’s features
• Bring physical copies of the documents outlined above so that you’ll be ready to sign a lease right away on an apartment that you like
• Use your phone to take pictures of the apartment and organize them by address right away to remember how each apartment looked
• Bring a (long) tape measure if there are specific measurements you’re concerned about (e.g., width of doors to get a sofa in; size of bedroom to accommodate a bed and a desk)
• Spend a few minutes before/after touring an apartment walking the street it is on. This will tell you the types of people in the neighborhood, noise levels, and if it is somewhere you would like to live. 
• Be prepared to act quickly. At certain times of the year (i.e., summer), there is a spike in demand as people prepare to move to NYC or other cities for work or school, so you mayneed to be ready to jump on an apartment that you like.
• Ask what the rules are for move-in so that you can begin to prepare your move (e.g., do they only allow moves Monday-Friday, or at certain times of the day?)

TIPS ONCE YOU’VE RENTED AN APARTMENT

• Take photos of the apartment before you move your stuff in and note any defects that may exist. This makes it much more clear cut when you move out and will help avoid a rental company blaming you for any of the damage when you move out and try to keep part of your security deposit
• Living with roommates? Don’t underestimate the value of chore lists/schedules. Yes, it may feel childish, but it is almost inevitable that the absence of a structure for your apartment maintenance will lead to feelings that one person always/never does the cleaning
• Dividing up the cost of rent among roommates: Pro-rating depending on your room sizing or bathroom access inside the bedroom is normal and should be discussed rather than splitting the rent completely equally. 

Ready to move in? Check out these Post-Grad Compass posts to set up your space!

• How to Furnish Your Apartment for Free, or Cheap
• How to Equip Your First Kitchen on a Budget