Apartment Blog

Saying our consumers are creative is an understatement! They are brilliant. The videos that were submitted to our “If Only Your Apartment Furniture Could Talk” video contest are comical, entertaining and witty. Sure to crack a smile on your skeptical face.

Just check them out! You’ll hear all the bad jokes from the change stealing, remote swallowing couch. Or join in the discussion as rental couches grumble about their lazy owners. And you’re heart strings will get strung in this true story of star crossed lovers in ‘Sectional Healing’ (gotta love the play on words there, also). And lastly, listen to the garage sale couches as they threaten to leave their owner in ‘Funny Talking Furniture’.

We could watch these amusing videos over and over again. But we wanted to share the wealth with you! So do the same and brighten someone’s day! Send them the link to www.WinApartmentFurniture.com

Have Thursday! The weekend’s almost here!

I’ve lived in numerous rentals. But I just LOVE living in an apartment; for me the reasons far out weigh any other living situation. Here are mine….what are yours?

Reason #1: Only Tied to a 1 Year Lease

Let’s say I change job and now my commute is a lot longer. I have the flexibility in an apartment to move a lot sooner than say, owning a home. And while some would prefer not to move around numerous places (for the shear hassle of moving things), others may prefer a change of scenery, which again is easier if you rent an apartment.

Reason #2: Who you gunna to call when something breaks/leaks?

GHOAST BUSTERS! Just kidding…..the maintenance personnel! They may seem like heroes when they come, but they don’t have those cool guns to zap rodents!?! But that’s a big reason I LOVE renting an apartment! I don’t have to worry about calling a repair man and how much it’s going to cost me! I just call the maintenance number, or the leasing office, and get someone out there. Sure I may have to wait a day, depending on the severity of the situation, but I’m not paying $400 to get my toilet snaked either! J

Reason #3: Less Responsibility

Yes you’re paying rent, utilities and other items. But the responsibility of owning a home is much greater than renting an apartment. When owning a home you have to continually do maintenance to the outside (yard work, siding, and roofing) as well as periodically make updates to the inside (update appliances, re-surface the floors, etc.). If you’re not ready for that responsibility, you may want to consider renting an apartment!

So there are my top reasons why I LOVE apartment living! Sure, I’ve heard all the benefits of owning my own home, taxes, return on my investments, etc. But for me, it really boils down to these three reasons why I continue to rent! Eventually I’ll be ready to purchase my own home, but for now…..I’ll stick to living in my two bedroom apartment!

According to USA Today, the number of renters are increasing. With the housing market and interest rates not the greatest, apartment rental prices are projected to rise about 4% this year and next!! Four percent! Don’t have an extra 4% in your budget……….get a roommate!

I fortunately have a permanent roommate….he’s called a boyfriend. But if you are apartment hunting and noticing the rental prices are higher than you’d like, find a roommate in your area. This person will benefit you in more ways than just sharing the financial responsibilities of an apartment. Not only will they help you with the rent, utilities and perhaps food costs, they will also give you companionship and an added sense of security. You may meet someone who will become a lifelong friend, plus you won’t have to dread being in an empty apartment. But the best part about living with a roommate is that you have the ability to save some extra money!!

So if you think this option is a practical solution for you, check out ForRent.com’s Find a Roommate section. You’ll be connected with potential roommates available in over a thousand cities nationwide!

Happy Apartment Hunting!

P.S. If you have any positive roommate stories to share, please do so!

UUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

I know moving can be challenging and is sometimes overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be so stressful. I know how hard it is to pack all your stuff and move (I’ve moved three times in 2 years!). So to help with all your future moves (and mine), here’s some advice that I’ve found that’ll make the process smoother.

Ask for help. With my last move, I definitely broke this rule of thumb. I felt like I had to do everything on my own. By the end I was ready to pull my hair out. But asking for help is absolutely necessary. As hard as it may be, relinquishing control is important to keeping your sanity. So give everyone in your family (or friends) a little task and you’ll have less on your shoulders.

Organize. Keeping your ‘To-Do’ lists is important in moving. You need to make sure that you have everything in line and ready to go when you move into your new place. Make sure you fill out the necessary paperwork, get deadlines set and keep track of all the little things. You should schedule cut off dates for your utilities to be shut off and take back your cable box; you’d be surprised how things like that will pile up right before you move! Also be sure and label all your boxes so that when you move into your new apartment, you know what goes where.

Be flexible. Just like anything else in life, nothing is set in stone. You can plan and organize all you want, but sometimes things just don’t go as planned. Being flexible and being prepared for any ’snags’ you have will make the day go by a lot easier.

For more moving tips or to search moving resources, check out ForRent.com. Their Relocation Center has everything that you need to move including mover’s checklist, moving supplies, truck rentals. Hopefully next time you or I move, it’ll be much more peaceful!

ForRent.com has many resources to help apartment seekers search for apartments for rent in their area, such as locating movers, truck rentals, etc. But another tool ForRent.com offers on it’s website is how to find a roommate! Powered with Roommates.com, we allow the apartment seekers on ForRent.com to view hundreds of possible roommates nationwide.

Just click on Find a Roommate under the ‘Getting Settled‘ tab on our homepage. The next page will prompt you to fill out criteria for your search. Whether you would like your roommate to be male, female, a certain age, and of course location. After you submit, you’ll receive results based off the criteria you entered in. Search the huge selection of possible roommates and view more information about them. To be able to view more information about a certain individual, or many, visit ForRent.com today and create an account with Roommates.com, it’s fast and easy!!

Some of the biggest cities in the US have shockingly low apartment rents, including Indianapolis and Memphis!

“The past year has been very healthy for apartments, from a landlord’s perspective,” says Global Real Analytics’ Paul Wildes. “Prices of homes are out of reach for most people and that’s good news for apartments.” In general, price trends in the apartment sector are inversely related to those in the housing market. When home prices increase, as they did between 2001 and 2005, apartment rental rates decrease. After the price run-up, which made homeownership unaffordable to many, apartment renting became a better option and rates skyrocketed.

How does your city compare? See the top five cities in the US with low apartment rental rates.

SOURCE USED: BUSINESSWEEK.COM

Mobile marketing has come to the apartment rental industry. For Rent Media Solutions, a leading apartment resource for searching apartments for rent, and a division of Dominion Enterprises, has introduced text messaging for its clients in Las Vegas, San Francisco and Richmond, Virginia. The product will be expanded nationally later this year.

Here’s how it work: Property managers include a unique keyword in their print advertisements listed in For Rent Magazine. The curious apartment seeker, you, sends a text message with the property’s unique keyword to the short code 47368 (4RENT). Within seconds the apartment seeker, you, receives a text message with information about the property.

Property managers also can use the service to send customizable messages promoting specials to potential renters, as well as important messages and alerts to their current residents.

“Text messaging makes For Rent Media Solutions’ clients more accessible to their audience,” says Terry Slattery, Vice President and General Manager of For Rent Media Solutions. “It also has the potential to strengthen the relationship between property managers and potential or current residents by giving them access to these properties 24 hours a day.”

Text messaging has become the dominant force in mobile communication. According to M:Metrics, an authority of mobile marketing, 68 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers age 18-24 regularly send and receive text messages. M:Metrics also reports that seven percent of mobile subscribers respond to short codes placed in advertisements or other media.

What do you think? Would you use text messaging to get information about a potential property you were interested in?

So you’ve found you’re new apartment. Exciting!! You are unloading the rental truck with all your things and you start to notice all the boxes pile up. After you’re all done, you realize that you have more stuff than you have room to put it in!

When things seem to look cramped in your new place, you need to start thinking creatively. Here are some tips to help you maximize your small space.

Build up. Living in a 900 square foot apartment that feels 600 square feet? Look for unique ways to store your items. At many local retailers, such as Target or Walmart, you can purchase artistic and eye catching storage units. This will help you eliminate the clutter of the everyday items you use while also saving some square footage. Another method for building up would be to loft your bed or add bed risers. You’ll create space under your bed for additional storage while disguising it from your guests.

And don’t forget to use the wall space! The four walls you have in your room can serve as decorative elements. By utilizing the space on your walls, you are avoiding the clutter on your furniture (i.e. desks, bookshelves, etc.), hence giving the appearance of more room. So purchase a few inexpensive wall shelves to put your little knick-knacks on and purchase photo frames that hang up.

Also, try to find multifunctional pieces. A perfect example would be a futon. They serve two purposes, as a couch and a bed. In a studio apartment this would double as your bed and entertaining area. Or in a one bedroom apartment, you’d be making space for overnight guests. Another multipurpose piece is storage trucks or ottomans. While providing storage inside, it will still serve as additional seating in your home.

Another neat trick to invent more space in your small apartment is to fool your guests’ eyes. Mirrors is a perfect example of how to do this. Place one or several mirrors on the wall to make the room appear larger. Another tool that creates this illusion is a false window.

I know for my home I’ve used some of these tips, how about you? Have you put bed risers in your bedroom to use the space underneath? What about decorating on the walls to save space on your furniture? Do you have any more ideas that I have listed? I’d love to hear how you maximized your small space!

ForRent.com makes apartment searching easy. Browse through thousands of apartments for rent all over the United States. ForRent.com will help you to search for your next apartment, townhouse, condo, duplex, efficiency, studio or loft. We also offers apartments for rent in Spanish and have wide variety of corporate housing and senior housing. ForRent provides a free customized rental search from over 50,000 listings of property management companies and private property owners. View photos, streaming videos, virtual tours, floorplans, price, detailed descriptions and have instant contact with the apartment community.

If you have any questions or comments please post your comment on our Web Blog or e-mail us at ForRent.com.