Finding the Best Apartments for Rent in Your Area: A Quick Apartment Hunting Guide

Finding the perfect apartment that you can call your home is a challenging task. It takes a lot of research, time and effort to find a home that meets your needs and budget. The more you are educated about the local market, and the better prepared you are to present yourself as a qualified tenant, the simpler it is to find a good rental apartment. If you have been living in the same area for some time, your apartment search will be less stressful. Here are some tips that can help you find a great rental apartment in your area.

Bulletin Boards
If you are looking for apartment rentals in Edmonton, Calgary or any other place in Alberta, keep a watch on the bulletin boards. Check out the grocery stores, community centers, college bulletin boards and other places around you. While it may not always yield results, it is worth looking up. You may even find some rental guides inside boxes at store entrances and street corners. These rental guides can prove quite useful.

Classifieds
Check out the classified section of all major daily newspapers. Even the local community newspapers will have a list of rental apartments available in the area.

Walk around the area
If you have a particular neighbourhood or apartment complexes in mind, you can walk around the area and look for “For rent” signs. If you are living in the same area, then it becomes even easier for you. You can ask around if there are any rentals available in the area. It may not be the most efficient way to do things, but if you can afford time for this, give it a try.

Referrals
If you have any personal contacts living in the area where you need a rental apartment, they may be able to help you with your search. Ask your family, friends and co-workers if they know of any apartments available for rent. They may even introduce to the potential landlords making things even simpler.

Rental websites
One of the fastest and most efficient ways to find a rental apartment in Canada is to search rental listing websites. Although online search is no magic, but correct use of search parameters such as “cheap rental apartments in Calgary” and “2 bedroom rental apartments in Calgary, Alberta” can get you the list of apartments that match your search criteria.

There are various rentals listing websites that you can use. Some of the most popular ones are Craiglist, Kijiji, PadMapper, Rentals.ca and RentSeeker.

Use a real estate professional
Real estate market moves very quickly. A good rental apartment may get occupied within no time of listing. It may take you weeks to find the right rental apartment, especially in places like Calgary that are seeing an increased influx of young professionals. So, finding an apartment that suits your budget and lifestyle can take a lot of time and effort.

Real estate agents know the ins and outs of rental market. They can filter out good rental properties for you, quickly arrange for viewings and help choose the right apartment for your needs. You may not even have to pay them anything, because they charge their fees from the landlord. So, hiring a real estate agent can make your search for a rental apartment quick and hassle free.

If you are looking for a rental apartment in Edmonton or Calgary, we likely have a home that is right for you. Get in touch with our team to find a home of your dreams.

Easy tips on finding the best apartments for rent in Canada

If you are a first-time renter in Canada, you may find the apartment search process quite overwhelming. There are several types of rental accommodation in Canada, ranging from bachelor units with a single rooms serving as both the living and bedroom to those with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms. Finding the right house, in the right place and at the right price can be a very time consuming and tedious process.

It is important to do the research beforehand so that you can find the best rental apartment for your needs. Here is some advice that can help you navigate the process easily.

Gather basic info about renting in Canada: If you are a first time renter, you must educate yourself on the renting process in Canada, and rights and responsibilities of a tenant and a landlord. You can find most of the info on Canadian Mortgage and Homeowners Corporation (CMHM) website. With all the basic info at hand, you can start the search process.

Location: Start with narrowing down on the location based on proximity to workplace or school, availability of basic amenities such as schools, access to public transportation and other factors important to you. Again, some online search can help shortlist locations based on your preferences.Set a budget: Once you have a location in mind, your next step is to start looking for apartments for rent. Make sure you decide on the budget, else you will spend a lot of time visiting apartments that may be too expensive for you. Also, don’t forget to check what is included in the rent. For example, in most apartments for rent in Edmonton, you will get most utilities but telephone, cable TV and parking is usually not included in the rent. However, some rentals may not even include basics utilities such as water and electricity. So, get all the details from the landlord to be able to calculate your monthly expenditure.

Know What You Want: As an extension to what we just said, when you decide on the budget and before you start looking for apartments, you must determine what exactly you are looking for in an apartment. For example, when you are looking for houses for rent in Edmonton, ask questions such as whether I need more than one bathroom in my apartment, it is important what floor the apartment is on, do I need a covered parking and should I be paying more for a swimming pool in the apartment complex?

Apartment search: When you begin your search, you can consider the various tools including referrals, classifieds, real estate professionals and online search. While online search is very convenient and efficient, it is no magic. You need to be smart with your search parameters (based on what you really need) and you should effectively use the mapping features. Some of the most popular online portals are Craiglist and Kijiji. These and other portals can help find the perfect rental houses in Alberta or anywhere in Canada.

You can also walk around the neighbourhoods and look for “For Rent” sign. While this may be time consuming, it will give you a better idea about the place and amenities. If you have friends or colleagues living in the city, you can seek their help to find a rental home.Lease: Once you have found the right rental apartment, the next step is to sign the lease. Before you sign the dotted line, read through the document thoroughly to understand your duties and rights as a renter. Remember, a lease is a legally binding contract, so have all your doubts cleared before you sign it.

No matter you are looking for apartments for rent in Calgary or any other city in Canada, it is never going to be easy. While there will too many options to consider, choosing the right one to suit your needs and budget will always be a challenge. The best thing to do is to seek help from real estate professionals. They will make the whole process a lot simpler and stress-free for you.