For ages, the only way to find out which apartments were for rent was to check out the big real estate section of the daily paper. At least once a week, every available place in town would advertise any vacancies. Trouble was, only a few of them ever had more than a few descriptive lines, much less pictures or floorplan samples.

Today, however, there are a wide variety of superior apartment guides available to potential renters. Some are published in print form, with multi-color pictures, floorplans, and extensive product descriptions. Typically, these are published by professional management companies, and feature the properties which they represent. These are usually available for free, and can be found in local supermarkets, convenience stores and news stands.

Online Apartment Guides: Browsing without Driving

There are also a number of very high quality online apartment guides. There are two main types: those that are subsidized by the properties with available vacancies, and those made available by professional apartment locators. Either way, the cost to browse and search availabilities is free to potential renters.

Regardless of their source, all online apartment guides have two main benefits. One, they typically have great photographs that really convey the look and feel of the apartment in question. Two, they usually have extensive written copy describing not only the apartment, but also the neighborhood or community.

The only thing to keep in mind is that online apartment guides typically feature the highest hoped-for amount of rent. They may not advertise any move-in specials, preferring to "see what bites they get" by only advertising their highest rents. This is where the apartment guides published by professional locators come in handy, as those folks will know if the apartment you desire has any specials or price breaks currently available.