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Living

Some Advice on Getting Your Own Place

So, you decided it's time to move out on your own? Cool. Confused about where to go or how to get there? You've come to the right place.

Each city offers its own excitement and challenges, lure and attraction, as well as varied degrees of affordability and quality of life. Are you someone who needs four distinct seasons or can you handle one climate year-round? Mountains or water a must? Small town feel or big city? Are you being pulled by a particular industry? These are the questions you should begin to ask yourself.

If you’re looking to move somewhere exciting but don’t have a clue where to go, now’s the time to start doing your homework. A great place to start is at findyourspot.com. Here, you'll take a five minute quiz and answer all sorts of questions about your ideal living preferences. When you're done, you'll get a detailed breakdown of cities that just may be the right fit for you. You can also plug in salaries and compare the cost of living in various cities at CNN Money's Salary Calculator.

Finding an Apartment in Big and Expensive Cities

Big and expensive cities like New York, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C. are difficult to navigate in terms of finding affordable housing. If these are your targets, plan on visiting first and spending some time combing the town.

If you can stay on a friend’s couch or get a temporary room at the YMCA, do it. Maximize your time by getting up early. You’ll get the most information by walking around, talking to doormen and dog-walking neighbors. What really makes the difference between getting a deal on a place or waiting in line like everyone else, is getting the scoop before it goes public. The best way to do this is to be in the know. And here are some ways to do that:

  • Contact Management Companies Directly

    Management companies operate large buildings, several in one city. By contacting them directly, you’ll avoid the middlemen—the apartment brokers or realtors who charge a fee. Typically, this fee ranges from one to two months’ rent in big cities. A simple ‘Google’ search in your city of choice is all you need to do to find these management companies. But the best way is to just walk around and look up every now and then. Management company names and phone numbers are sometimes listed on the buildings themselves.

  • Call Your College Alumni Association

    Alumni love helping alumni. It’s just one of those things. Send an email to your local alumni association asking if anyone knows of an available apartment in town. You may just get a response or two.

  • Pray

    You don’t really have to do this, but if you’re of the god-fearing mindset and attend a church, temple or synagogue on a semi-regular basis, you’ll get good info from fellow congregants. Post a sign on the bulletin board. Your mother will be happy.

  • Look on Craigslist

    Chances are, you already know about and use Craigslist on a daily basis. But if you don't, now's a good time to start. A no-frills site filled with job listings to furniture, if you can sift through the junk, you can also find some legit no-fee apartments. Sure, it’s an obvious choice but sometimes it’s so obvious, people forget!

  • Consider House-Sitting or working as a Nanny

    This is a great way to score a place to live, especially in a big and expensive city. Start by looking at bulletin boards at your local community center or try the suggestions listed above.

Bottom Line: When it comes to getting a good deal on an apartment, condo or house in an expensive city, networking tactics apply. It’s about being in the know. And the more people you know, the more information you'll get.