TL;DR: Common flaws in the rental industry include outdated or misleading listings, unclear pricing, inaccurate photos, and difficulty reaching leasing staff. A local apartment locator can help renters verify availability, compare neighborhoods, coordinate tours, and navigate the apartment search with greater confidence.
Like most industries, the rental industry has its flaws. You probably experienced some of them yourself while spending time searching for rentals, which requires many more hours than it should. However, you might not be privy to all of the flaws of the rental industry that we listed below.
So, why does apartment hunting take so long? We’ll answer a few questions about that below (questions you’ve probably already asked yourself).
If you’re tired of searching and want to get a free personal assistant for your apartment search, find out more about our service.
Related: 6 Reasons To Avoid Chicago Rental Brokers
Why Are There SO MANY Listings?
Up to 50% of rental listings are expired…
That’s right; up to 50% of rental listings are expired and advertise unavailable units, whether because landlords and building managers take their time to remove them, or flat out forget. However, sometimes those apartments stay up on purpose because many listings online are fake, posted in order to collect data, capture your phone number, or steer you towards a less desirable property. This reality makes sorting through them all to find legitimate postings extra difficult.
Why Is Staff So Hard to Reach?
Leasing agents and front desk staff work busy schedules and can’t always answer the phone, especially when helping a current tenant or touring with a potential one. Often, their answering system will connect you to off-site staff who might not have accurate information and can’t answer your specific questions. Scheduling tours can become a real challenge when you can’t get a hold of the building.
Is This Even the Same Apartment?
Sure, it’s a photo of an apartment. But, is it this apartment? Pictures are incredibly hard to trust on listing websites since the unit you actually see frequently does not match the unit in the picture. That’s why in-person and virtual tours matter so much.
How Can You Cross-Check Apartment Listings Efficiently?
Cross-check apartment listings by comparing your locator’s recommendations with public listings and the property’s own website, then requesting written confirmation of key details. Keep everything in one comparison sheet so you can spot differences without bouncing between a dozen browser tabs.
Set aside about 30 minutes for an initial review of your favorite options. Property responses may take longer, so mark unanswered questions as pending.
- Match the exact apartment. Compare the building address, unit number, floor plan, square footage, move-in date, and lease length. If a listing doesn’t identify a specific unit, ask which apartment the advertised offer covers.
- Look beyond the headline rent. Record base rent, required monthly fees, parking, estimated utilities, and upfront charges separately. Ask whether the advertised price includes a concession and how that discount would apply to your payments.
- Check for additional options. Use the same budget, location, and amenity filters on a listing site. Send promising apartments to your locator, and ask how they compare with the original shortlist and whether the locator can assist with those properties.
- Resolve conflicting information. Contact the leasing office through the property’s official website. Try: “I’m seeing different prices for this apartment. Could you confirm the available unit, rent, required fees, and special-offer terms for my move-in date and lease length?”
- Record what you confirmed. Save listing links, dated quotes, and outstanding questions together. Request updated information before applying if an offer expires or your plans change.
Bring your comparison sheet and our Apartment Touring Checklist to your tours so you can check whether each apartment matches its online description.
How Am I Supposed to Know Which Neighborhood to Live In?
If you aren’t familiar with the city, choosing a neighborhood becomes a shot in the dark. You might as well throw a dart at the map.
Luckily, these days, many companies publish neighborhood guides to direct you to the best neighborhood options. If you enlist the assistance of a local apartment locator, they can help too because they’ll know the neighborhoods and the apartment buildings in them better than just about anyone. They spend their days searching and touring their home city with clients and will eagerly offer their advice based on this expertise.
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What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
You can’t always predict what unexpected problems will arise after move-in until it’s far too late (paper-thin walls, sirens, bad water pressure, and scattered management, to name a few). There are few things worse than hating your apartment, and being forced to wait another 10 months until your lease ends. However, you can increase your chances of landing in an apartment you love by simply relying on the help of experts in the rental industry.
How Do Real Estate Professionals Find an Apartment?
Industry professionals recognize the problems with search sites. They’re unreliable, filled with scams, and quite simply not a good way to find an apartment. So, how do industry insiders find an apartment? Well, they usually know which one they want based on word-of-mouth and recommendations. But, the problem is that when most people move, especially to a new city, they don’t know anyone who can offer informed recommendations.
AptAmigo aspires to overcome these issues. We act as a friend in the process, and we think everyone deserves to love where they live. Since 2015, we’ve placed thousands of people in their dream homes and perfected the apartment search process. We’ve seen it all, done it all, and come out on the other side eager to help people find their next home with absolutely zero stress.
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* The original version of this article was first published on March 8, 2019.
This article was AI-generated by AptAmigo.
