Rental Hunting: Finding Prospects

Finding a rental home or apartment that suits your needs is a daunting task, particularly when disability, children, pets, credit issues, or any combination of the above create additional complexity. I'm seeking a new rental right now. Learn from my mistakes and successes with this series of short articles on the process of finding a rental. This is the second in a series provided by Disaboom, a website connecting the millions touched or affected by disability.

Now that you've defined your needs, you're ready to start searching for the rental of your dreams. The internet has made house/apartment hunting easier than ever before, but it's also a good idea to take a day and cruise around neighborhoods where you'd like to live, looking for rental signs and/or apartment complexes. You might find that a landlord who's never warmed up to new technology is offering a property perfect for you with no more than a sign in the front yard to advertise it. However, to get the best value for your time, you should begin with the two easiest places to find rentals: The newspaper and the web.

Don't bother looking through the weekday classifieds in the local paper. Wait for the Sunday edition. Far more property owners run an ad on Sunday only than on a weekday only, and nearly every ad run on weekdays also appears in the Sunday edition. When you have the Sunday paper in front of you, find the rentals section and identify the listings for the area where you're searching. Get a yellow highlighter and a black Sharpie pen, and start highlighting the listings that sound appealing, and crossing out those that are not. When you've gone through the ads in your desired area, compile a list of phone numbers to call and a short description of the property each is associated with. I like to copy the information into a notebook so that I don't have to squint at tiny newsprint again, but it's equally easy just to hang onto the highlighted ads.

Before you start calling, repeat your search online. Craigslist and Kijiji offer classifieds from both private individuals and rental agencies. Rentals.com and Move.com are good sources for apartments, but offer limited options for renting houses. Save each listing you like as a favorite in your browser. Keep an eye out for listings posted by local rental agencies, then Google them and check their websites for more frequently updated listings. Here's an example from my area. Many rental agencies will also take down information on what you're looking for and call you when something new becomes available.

Your final prospect-finding step should be to place a "Housing Wanted" ad on Craigslist. Disclose pets, children, whether or not you smoke indoors, and anything else relevant to your housing needs. Spell out exactly what you want, and include a list of non-negotiable features. Spell check and proofread your ad, and read it out loud to make sure your language sounds friendly and polite. This is your chance to make such a good first impression on a landlord that they will come to you, rather than the other way around! Now, you're ready to start making calls and sending emails.