the (right) apartment

April 4, 2012 10:00 AM

Apartment Scouting Trip: how the heck to I do it?

So I've got a job in Asheville NC stating in June. I'm goin' down there next week to look for an apartment- probably for May 1 move-in. How do I maximize my chances of finding a good one? I've made some appointments with rental companies and craigslist people...but I'm worried that everything I like will be gone by the time I get down there. Plus, are there any like...documents I should bring to be sure I can pass everyone's background/credit checks and everything? It's going to be really hard for me change apartments once this job starts, so I've gotta get the first one right!

posted by genmonster to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

1) Make a list of all the apartment complexes or privately owned condos/duplexes for rent in the area. Find these by searching online, trolling Craigslist sublet ads (not for a sublet, but to see what complex they're in), asking your future coworkers for recommendations, etc. When I did this for Baton Rouge, I had a list of over thirty.

2) Call all of the apartments before you go down, and ask your questions. Mine were: Rent? Availability? Elevator? Parking? Pet policy? Laundry? Perks? General profile of current inhabitants?

3) Any that are definitely canceled out from your phone call get scratched off the list. The rest get put in order of likely desirability. Do not allow availability to scratch off a complex, though. There is always a chance a spot could open up, so there's no harm in putting your name down on a waiting list.

4) When you go down, you rent a car. (This is probably obvious.) Then you try to visit at least eight complexes a day. You write down your observations about each place as you go on your list, and rearrange desirability as follows from those observations.

Bring your driver's license, proof of employment and last few paychecks or have a cosigner ready to fax, a copy of your passport just in case, your checkbook or a few checks and a credit/debit card. Bring the contact information of your last residence's management just in case they request it.

Don't worry, you'll definitely find something. I went about a month in advance of when I wanted to move to Baton Rouge from NYC, and I had many options to choose from. I love where I live. I also visited about twenty places. Meanwhile, all of the other people who came to my graduate program in the same year didn't come early, just took whatever when they came here, and ALL of them have moved since. Sometimes twice.
posted by vegartanipla at 10:23 AM on April 4, 2012 [4 favorites]

Bring a laptop or equivalent so you can sit in a coffee shop and look for new listings while you're there.
posted by jon1270 at 10:26 AM on April 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

genmonster: "I've made some appointments with rental companies and craigslist people...but I'm worried that everything I like will be gone by the time I get down there."

So, keep making new appointments, and follow up with existing ones a day or two before to make sure they're still available.

As soon as you think you've found a place that you like, tell that to the landlord, and if possible make an offer right away. You might even be able to do this without signing any sort of binding document.

Don't be discouraged by failure. Most of the places you go to see will suck, or suspiciously become unavailable as soon as the landlord/roommates meet you.

Also: Padmapper is your friend, and don't read apartment reviews for managed buildings. Satisfied tenants do not review their buildings, and management changes can happen frequently and dramatically improve/worsen the livability of the building.

I did this when I moved to DC, and I didn't get any advance notice; I got a job offer, and needed to be able to start the following Monday. I managed to pull it off, and I've been living in the same place ever since; it's totally doable.
posted by schmod at 10:52 AM on April 4, 2012

Don't worry that hte good stuff will be gone by the time you get there. Take a step back from the idea of finding the one true perfect apartment that will be right for you. Whenever you rent a place, even if you've lived in town forever, you choose the most-suitable apartment out of the collection of what's currently available. Individual addresses may drop out of and enter into the collection of available apartments, but in a town the size of Ashville, the aggregate selection will be pretty much the same on average, so you're just sorting through to find your best match. Accept that this month's best match is different from next month's, and accept that it's roughly equivalent, not much better or much worse. Yes, there's a chance of a super-awesome perfect place being posted right after you sign someplace else, but just take a deep breath and believe in statistics. And assume you'll be spending every evening after business hours looking for new postings and checking out the feel of life in different neighborhoods.

What I found when doing an apartment search across the country was that most single-unit landlords weren't interested in setting an appointment with me more than 24 hours in advance. Not a problem, as such, but the week before my flight out to visit became very frustrating because it was too far in advance for me to do anything other than obsessively check Craigslist and make lists of phone numbers. Nerve-wracking! But found a place we were happy with.
posted by aimedwander at 1:33 PM on April 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

You have good advice here. When I did a cross-country move, stuff that people asked me for in order to fill out an application and "put in an offer" on an apartment as schmod suggests were as follows:
- current valid driver's license (could probably have used other state-issued photo ID)
- job offer letter with my salary and start date printed on it, contact name at my new job
- last 3 places I had lived, and name and contact info for each landlord/manager
- last 3 jobs I had had and contact info for my supervisor at each place

I took multiple copies of each of the items above as some rental companies or small landlords don't have copy machines (and you want to maximize the time you have to see places and not spend time making extra copies). The salary information and previous landlord information was really important to the folks I dealt with. This was in Los Angeles, so YMMV.
posted by holyrood at 2:00 PM on April 4, 2012

Asheville is a great place to relocate. I moved here about a year and a half ago myself with little knowledge of the area, and my first major move to a new city. Things that I found extremely helpful was having a laptop available. Asking locals about the area was very helpful in finding the right neighborhood.

I would definitely contact anyone on your list of apartments you like, they may have it available for the time you're here. They may also have other properties to check out.

As far as documents, you'll need you checkbook, 2 or 3 of paycheck stubs, I brought my w-2's for the last 2 years. Definitely have a list of refrences. Most landlords will contact at least 2 (one being your current landlord). Sometimes they require at least up to 2 months guaranteed payment up front if you're moving from out of state.

You could also contact the Asheville visitor center and request a relocation guide. Let me know if you need any particular information about the area.
posted by sharkhunt at 6:05 PM on April 4, 2012

Recent apartment hunter here. Just some tips to avoid stress once you're on the ground.

- You won't be able to visit all the places you think you will in a day. It's okay.
- Pack food or plan lunch in advance. Otherwise you will be cranky AND hungry!
- If you feel pressured, walk away and think.
- You can negotiate a shorter lease.
- You can negotiate lower rent.
- Make friends with the landlord. You are looking for a nice place. They are looking for a nice tenant.
- An apartment you like may be swept out from under you. There are plenty.
posted by jander03 at 10:42 PM on April 4, 2012 [1 favorite]