Top Five Apartment Finders
Realistically, there are no “top apartment finders” that are relevant everywhere. While there are a number of websites that try to bill themselves as being the most comprehensive resource for finding an apartment anywhere and everywhere; without exception these are for profit entities whose primary interest is generating revenue for themselves, not helping you find an apartment. Further, the rental market is generally very dynamic and changes a lot on a regular basis, though not always in the same way at all places. Instead, any apartment finder really has to be local and have immediate access to local information about the general market, prices and availability.
In fact, the major apartment finder websites online are primarily designed for “search engine optimization” (SEO), or to attract the attention of search engines as opposed to apartment hunters. One element of SEO design is to put a lot of information on the website, however once the information is posted and the search engines recognizes it there is no real incentive to keep the information up to date and usually it is not. For example, in Denver, Colorado, the Spanish Gates Apartments burned to the ground (this author lived literarily across the street) in 2003; and yet today if you search for “Spanish gate” apartments Denver you get at least ten major apartment finder websites reporting about the availability of these apartments that have not actually existed in more than seven years. Undoubtedly similar things are true with all of their listings. These websites are designed for search engines, not for people trying to find an apartment.
Most major cities and metropolitan areas have their own local apartment finder services which specialize in the local area and this may be the best for many people looking for an apartment. However, like the websites they are usually for profit entities that make their money by charging the apartments an inclusion fee and there are always at least some apartment managers unwilling to pay for these inclusion fees so the directories are rarely complete. If you can find a locally based apartment finder guide that is advertiser driven instead of based on inclusion fees, it is much more likely to be all inclusive. Most importantly, the information provided in these local apartment finder guides and services is much more likely to be current and relevant.
If you absolutely have to have an online source, one good idea that works in at least some areas is to visit the website of the local apartment association. Apartment owners and managers represent a formal trade group with their own interests and therefore they are usually organized into local associations. A Google search for “___city name___ apartment association” will usually pull up the local apartment association website. While the emphasis is primarily on the concerns of the apartment managers and the industry, most apartment association websites provide at least a few resources for tenants and most also include a directory of member apartment buildings and complexes. Further, many of the apartment association websites will provide a link to the apartment finder service that they consider most relevant to their local market.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Tags: apartment rentals
