Starting out trying to find an apartment can be tough, especially in the D.C. metro area, where potential buyers and renters can run into the problems of vague listings and a vast array of apartment possibilities.
Suzanna Woodhead, a certified realtor at RE/MAX, who specializes in D.C. and Maryland Real Estate offers some advice to students beginning to look for an apartment.
What should someone look for in their first apartment?
I think it’s different for everybody, but some people may want easy access to get to school ny metro or be within walking distance. Those are the things you should definitely decide before starting your search. If you wouldn’t mind commuting, then moving a bit further away may get you something bigger, for less money and you’ll get more amenities.
What are the dangers of looking for apartments on Craigslist?
There are definitely a lot of dangers on Craigslist. I’ve heard of people using Craigslist and the landlord tells them to pick up the key and go look at the apartment without him being there. The renter would be actually able to go look at the place themselves and then after that, the landlord will say, ‘Yeah, love to have you rent the place just give me the first month’s rent and security deposit.’ The renter will send the funds without ever seeing the owner and in short, they just sent funds to someone that does not even own the apartment.
They just lost all their money and sent it overseas. You want to make sure that the person you are in contact with actually owns the place. You want to make sure you’re signing a valid lease with somebody and that they are the owner of the property. If I was going on Craigslist I would look at their ID and see if they are who they say are.”
Should you be specific or open-minded when deciding on location?
I think it’s really good to narrow it down to where you want to look but be open to other places. But if that area has a lot of rentals, then great. If it’s available, it shouldn’t be a problem. But let’s say it doesn’t or they’re out your price range, it’s good to be open to other areas. If you know where you want to be to begin with it generally makes things easier for you. Be open to other places.
How can college students create an optimal buying profile?
Generally the hardest thing to deal with when looking to rent or buy is credit. Your credit doesn’t have to be as good as it does to buy a house, but it needs to be pretty good to be able to rent. There are a lot of people, with the economy the way it is, where it is tough. So it’s really important to work on your credit and make sure your rental and your credit history is updated and in good standing. If it’s not, you will want to take a little time to build that up.
And as a student, one thing that is fairly common is no credit at all. It’s important to start building credit if you don’t have any and you’re just starting out.
