Select An Online Apartment Search Service

By Author: Patrick O Connor
Total Articles: 48
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Your best option for her reviewing information on available apartments is a comprehensive online apartment search service. You can also consider newspapers, apartment "give-away" books, and apartment locators. Newspapers are a vary inefficient way to research information regarding apartments available for rent. The apartment giveaway books are more efficient. However, they are still quite inefficient compared to using an online apartment search service. Apartment locators are efficient if you want to see primarily the apartments which pay them the highest locator fees.

Apartment locators get paid by sending you to an apartment complex which pays them a portion of the monthly rent you pay. (Do they want to find the least expensive apartment for you?) Their fee ranges from 50% to 125% of the monthly rent. Apartment locators will not tell you about apartment complexes which do not pay a locator fee. They will only discuss apartments which will pay them a fee. This is fairly understandable. However, they will primarily focus upon the apartments which will pay them the highest locator fee. So, in reality you are seeing a subset ...
... of a subset. (Consider this analogy. If you were buying a car, they would show you the green model with all available accessories, with the extended warranty.) You are seeing the apartments which pay the highest fees to locators. You're not seeing any of the apartments which do not pay locators a fee. And you're probably not seeing many of the apartments which pay a relatively modest fee.

You can choose an apartment online search service which offers information on all available apartments. You may not get the $100 move-in rebate if you choose an apartment which does not pay a locator fee. However, at least you had the choice of deciding which property works best for you. Most of the online apartment search services only provide information on about 5 to 20% of the apartments available for lease. They only provide information regarding apartments which pay them to advertise or which pay them a locator fee.

These search services can be helpful. However, why use an apartment search service which only shows you one in six to one in 10 apartments when you can use one which gives you information on all the apartments available for lease? If you're going to buy a car, would you buy it from a dealership with a limited inventory or a dealership with the largest possible inventory?

Finally, try to use an online apartment search service which pays at least a $100 move-in rebate. They will only be able to pay the rebate if they are being paid a locator fee. You will not be able to get the $100 rebate for every apartment in the city. However, you'll have a much better chance at getting finding the apartment which is best for you at the best possible price. And in most cases, you will be able to get the $100 move-in rebate.

Need tips for finding a great apartment? Apartments-PDQ gives you information on all apartments, and you get a $107 rebate.
Want to find an apartment in 1 day? Apartments-PDQ gives you information on all apartments, and you get a $107 rebate.