If you find yourself needing to quickly move to a new city for your job, you run into the struggle of finding a place to live. Selecting apartments for rent for your first year in a new city is great, because you'll have time to learn the area with a short term commitment to how long you need to stay in one place. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to select an apartment sight unseen. Here are some tips that will help ensure that you make a good decision when doing so.
Use An Apartment Rental Service
Seek out a company that specializes in renting out apartments to people in situations just like your own. Unlike an ad on Craigslist, these services will offer you plenty of photos so that you can get a great idea about what the apartment looks like. Some can even provide virtual tours or detailed floor layouts, which can help you plan what kind of furniture you will be taking with you to your new apartment.
Having more information will be able to help you feel like you made a good decision having not stepped foot in the place yourself.
Research The Surrounding Area
The place you found may look great on the inside, but now it is time to look into the surrounding area. Start by finding the local crime ratings in the area, because you want your home to be a place that you can feel safe staying at. Local robberies, assaults, shootings, and even registered sex offenders can all play into if it is an area you want to stay at for the next year.
In addition, use WalkScore.com to look into the stores that surround the apartment. It will let you know what restaurants, stores, and public transportation are nearby, and assign the address a score that will help you easily compare it to other apartments you are interested in.
Ask A Local Resident
Do not be afraid to make a phone call to someone in the area to ask what they think about it. A local small business owner may be likely to talk to you about the area and how they have seen it change over the years. Worst-case scenario is that they say they can't help you and you try another business.
With these tips in mind, you should not have any problems finding an apartment in an area that you are not able to visit first.
