7 Ways This One Site Can Help You Find Your Dream Apartment Within Budget

There are few things more frustrating, time consuming, and expensive than moving to a new apartment. Trust me: as someone who has moved four times in the past four years — including a cross country move from New York City to the Bay Area in California — I know.

Yet despite the physical and emotional overhaul that comes along with upgrading your space, younger generations are moving more than ever before. One survey of 1000 people found that the average millennial moves once every two years, while for the average Gen Xer, it’s every four years. And some of us (okay, myself specifically) move every single year due to everything from job requirements to budget considerations.

No matter what group you fall into, one thing’s for sure: that’s a lot of time spent searching for your next home — especially since your vision of what an ideal apartment looks like will likely change over time. And don’t even get me started on the effort it takes to coordinate packing, moving, and unpacking and settling into a new space.

Fortunately for us all, Bustle partnered with Apartments.com to round up the most crucial ways to make finding your next place easier. Here are seven ways the site can help you find your dream apartment without going beyond your budget.

1. It Lets You Browse So. Many. Listings

The first step to landing your ideal abode is casting a wide net before narrowing down your choices based on your specific, individual needs. Fortunately, Apartments.com has hundreds of thousands of listings, including apartments, houses, condos, and townhomes. With more rental listings than any other website, you’ll have access to a large variety of options out there — allowing you to make the best and most informed choice when considering your next move.

2. It Puts Your Priorities First

When it comes to finding the spot of your dreams, everyone’s values look different. Whether you’re coveting in-unit laundry, a dishwasher, or a pet-friendly policy, Apartments.com makes it easy to filter out options based on your specific needs. This way, you can guarantee your initial search includes your “must-haves” before deciding what “nice-to-haves” you’re willing to compromise on.

You can also filter by budget so you only see apartments you can actually afford, or by lifestyle (student, senior, or short-term). This helps you zero-in on your unique needs and avoid the inevitable home-envy that comes with browsing listings that aren’t realistic for you.

3. You Can Rest Easy Knowing That Each Listing Is Verified

We all have that one friend who’s been scammed out of a deposit, an application fee, or just their valuable time on the search for a new home. While there’s no way to completely cut out internet fraud, Apartments.com takes multiple steps to help you avoid becoming the next victim. For additional safety, they even add a badge to listings submitted by known property management companies, and clearly warn users when details of listings have not yet been verified.

Additionally, the site independently investigates suspicious and fraudulent listings and pursues legal action when appropriate, providing another layer of protection against scammers scouring their site.

4. It Makes Budgeting Easy

The amount you spend on rent depends on multiple factors including your income, the location of your new apartment, and whether or not you’re sharing expenses with others. To make your apartment search as individualized as possible without having to devote your entire paycheck to rent, Apartments.com has a Rent Affordability Calculator that can help you determine your rent budget as well as other expenses. It’s rooted in what financial experts call the 50/30/20 rule, which advises that 50 percent of your take-home income should go toward living expenses, 30 percent should go toward daily expenses, and 20 percent should go toward saving for the future.

While your monthly allocation may not end up looking exactly like this, using this tool helps you become a more informed renter and make better decisions moving forward.

5. It Lets You Take Virtual Tours From Anywhere

It can seem like the end of your lease always coincides with the absolute craziest times in your life, whether it’s during that big project at work or in the midst of a million holiday obligations. In these moments, finding a few hours in your already-packed schedule to go and see potential apartments in person can feel impossible. To help you get familiar with places without having to overhaul your entire schedule, Apartments.com provides high-resolution, 3D views of their listings, making it easy to take a tour without even leaving your couch.

This feature also makes searching for apartments in other cities accessible, so you can get the ball rolling before you even have to pack up your car.

6. Its Renter Reviews Are A Total Gamechanger

As much as pictures, 3D tours, and apartment visits can help solidify your housing decision, there’s nothing more valuable than real reviews from real renters. Fortunately, Apartments.com has a feature that allows people who have formerly resided at a certain property to share and rate their experience. This way, you can get a transparent idea of the management response time, neighborhood vibe, and even how soundproof your future walls will be before you move in and have to discover it the hard way.

7. It Makes Application Anxiety A Thing Of The Past

So you’ve found the perfect spot with room to grow and (most) everything on your wishlist. Yay! The next step? The dreaded application process. Apartments.com helps streamline the application process by saving your information, allowing you to apply to multiple listings once you’ve filled out just one application. And as an added bonus, your reusable application includes comprehensive screening reports such as a credit report and background check from TransUnion.

Getting rid of all the extra paperwork allows you to spend less time filling out endless forms, and more time searching for a space you love.

Ready to find your dream home? Visit Apartments.com today to get started.