Finding that perfect apartment, room, or even roommate is not an easy feat in Washington, D.C.
You’ve got to think about price, neighborhood, amenities, and unfortunately, what you’re willing to compromise in order to get what is most important to you.
And then of course, you have to keep up with the D.C. market. It can get just a tad overwhelming.
Here are three resources to check out to make your apartment hunt less stressful!
Facebook Groups
Whether you’re
new to Washington D.C. or you’ve lived here for a while, local D.C. Facebook groups are gold mines. Here you’ll find listings not advertised on any online platforms. This is a great resource for those looking for a room or a roommate in the city. You’ll get to authentically connect with actual people living in the place you’re interested in, get photos taken by them, and get the complete, real summary of what the place is like. Similarly, if you’re looking for a roommate, you can directly message and get to know the person interested in sharing your space with you.
You can also find amazingly priced deals (often with furniture included!) because a Facebook group is really about connecting like-minded or similarly motivated people. There's no need to go through professional, costly channels.
[caption id="attachment_10231" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Courtesy of Pinterest.com[/caption]
Craigslist
Yes, Craigslist can be sketchy, and you do have to use your common sense when using it, but as long as you know what you’re looking for, Craigslist can be a great place to find an apartment. Make sure you do a little bit of research beforehand regarding average prices for your target neighborhood, what kind of housing is typical in that area, and the streets bordering the community. That way you’ll immediately be able to spot if something does not look right onsite.
One of the really great things about Craigslist is if you’re looking for a rental and you’re struggling with many of the rental buildings in D.C. in terms of availability, paperwork, and the like, the website has tons of condos for rent that owners and their real estate agents are putting up themselves. You cut out the middleman, get to live in a condo unit rather than one that was built as a rental, and oftentimes pay less than you would in a typical rental building. And since your landlord is actually the owner of the condo, you’re only dealing with one or a few people, rather than jumping through hoops with a whole staff.
[caption id="attachment_10232" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Courtesy of thecollectivedc.com[/caption]
Consider a Real Estate Agent
It isn’t necessary to have a real estate agent to find a rental in Washington, D.C., but if you haven’t had much luck lately, they can be a game changer. If you’re finding that all of the apartments you want are getting swooped up before you have a chance to get to them -- or you have pretty specific requirements and nothing seems to match your search -- a real estate agent can use their resources to help you out. They’ve got access to tons of rental options in the city and can search with a much wider breadth of criteria than you could on your own.
Plus, the small commission fee is worth it if you land your dream place.
[caption id="attachment_10234" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
Courtesy of elevationdcapts.com[/caption]
What resources have you found to be successful during your apartment hunt in Washington, D.C.? Share your tips with us in the comments below!
