

Ask HN: What's the best way to look for an apartment? - zackhall

I am looking for a new apartment. I have been browsing different sites but I haven't found a good site. Most sites are clunky, very busy, overloaded with advertisements and non-relevant listings, etc. I have the impression that apartment discovery is a hot idea that's oft explored by startups, but I can't find a good solution. Any suggestions?
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georgeorwell
Craigslist, phone calls, a camera, and enough cash to secure a lease.
Depending on how picky you are, finding the listings isn't the bottleneck,
it's going and visiting 30 different places.

Sometimes walking around outside in the area you want to live in works.
Sometimes asking friends on or off of Facebook works.

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rachelmaesmith
I agree! If your friends don't know of any openings, Craigslist might be your
best bet. I recommend setting up multiple viewings (at least 4) in the same
day. That way, as you walk or travel from place to place you not only get a
vibe of the neighborhood, but you might run across other for rent signs. If
you have the time, I suggest you stay the night in the neighborhood you're
considering to make sure it's not too loud/busy,etc. At least check a crime
map!

Sometimes there are city-specific rental sites. If you're in San Francisco,
this might help: <http://rentsfnow.com>

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Wilduck
When I was searching for apartments last year, I spent a lot of time on the
internet looking for places. Then when I went out driving around to actually
go see them, I noticed apartment buildings all over the place that I had never
seen online.

I would definitely suggest just going out for a drive in the area you want to
live and looking for places that way. Unfortunately, I found that this
technique doesn't work nearly as well when you're trying to rent a house.

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brudgers
Depends on the market. Some places in the US, realtor.com will have fairly
comprehensive listings. In others, it's a dud. Real estate firms which
specialize in property management can also provide a lot of options on their
sites.

The issue is that the data are typically fragmented and often proprietary and
aggregation websites are focused on a revenue stream from the listing agent
rather than the renter.

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OafTobark
Padmapper was a good solution that integrated everything but then Craigslist
sued them, not sure on that part anymore.

Craigslist is still ultimately king but if you want to be comprehensive, you
might need to check a few different places. Local newspaper websites are good
too.

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tewatson
<http://www.onradpad.com/>

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kidgorgeous
apartmentguide.com and apartmentratings.com have been all I've ever neede. But
if you want to disrupt, knock yourself out.

