Your first apartment -- can you afford it?

Are you financially ready to leave home and rent your very first apartment?

You'll need a good job, good credit and some cash on hand in order to be able to prove to a prospective landlord that you can afford to pay rent. To find out what else you need, and what questions you should ask yourself before taking this big step, read Can I Afford My First Apartment? Self Assessment.

For other good advice related to your first apartment, visit http://www.myfirstapartment.com/.




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Impress the landlord if you want to be approved for the apartment of your dreams

Lots of experienced apartment hunters have, at one time or another, applied for the apartment of their dreams only to find out they were too late -- the apartment was already rented to someone else.

There are a few strategies you can employ to avoid this happening to you, even in a competitive apartment market with low vacancy rates. One strategy is to impress the landlord or leasing agent. But how?

The trick is in appearing as the ideal tenant. But you need to do this in very real, concrete ways. Landlords are bound by ethical guidelines that don't allow them to rent an apartment to one tenant over another simply because one tenant is more likeable. So, really, you need to actually BE an ideal tenant, not just act like one.

For a leg up on the competition, read "Competitive Apartment Hunting: How to Impress the Landlord." It includes credit, application and apartment viewing tips designed to make you stand apart from other apartment hunters.

Happy hunting and good luck out there!




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Denied an apartment due to poor credit?

If you've recently applied to rent an apartment but were turned down due to blemishes on your credit report, here are some tips on what you should fix first: Denied an Apartment Due to Poor Credit? Best Credit Fixes for Renters.

Some fixes can get you back on track so you'll qualify for an apartment in as little as 30 to 60 days. Priority No. 1? Check your credit report for errors. Some creditors are lightning-quick to report late payments or unpaid bills to the credit reporting agencies but notoriously slow -- or even negligent -- about reporting that the debts finally did, in fact, get paid. Get those old, erroneous debts off your credit report and you'll have much better success getting approved for an apartment.

For more tips and info, read the article here.




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