Photo credit: Ukanda (Flickr)
The rental marketplace in San Francisco is fierce and isn’t forgiving to the unprepared. If you don’t have everything ready to go from the second you step into the apartment during a showing, you’re already too late. If you don’t have a filled application, credit report, and a pre-written check in-hand, you’re going to find yourself out of luck every time. Taking as much time to blink could cause you to lose an apartment.
With the cut-throat competition for every apartment, I had to make decisions about applying for apartments within seconds of the showing.
Location, location, location!
Parking in San Francisco is a nightmare. I once spent 40 minutes searching for parking, only to move my car five hours later for street cleaning. Since I was going to leave my beloved car at my parents’ house, it was important that my future property was walkable.
Since my commute from the South Bay was whopping 90 minutes one way (and I was tired of it!), I wasn’t going to settle for a commute over 30 minutes. I wasn’t willing to compromise this one bit.
The walk to the showing was crucial. I made sure I got to the showing a few minutes early to gander around the area. I asked myself, “Do I feel safe?” “How far is the grocery store?” “How far is work from here?” If I didn’t feel safe in the area or felt that it was in an inconvenient location, I didn’t even bother attending the showing and left. Why waste my time?
Preparedness pays off.
A renter in New York City, where apartments are notoriously difficult to come by, once told me someone advised him to “bring a 6-pack of beer when you view apartments” to win over landlords.
In San Francisco, we’re experiencing the same competitiveness for apartments. Compelled to bring a six-pack to showings, I left it at home. Instead, I used preparedness as my competitive edge.
At apartment showings I was less interested in, renters filled out applications during the showings, and in some cases, handed over an application before the showing even started. Knowing what I was up against, I needed to also have everything ready when I found “the one.” I bundled up a credit report, pre-filled application, and pre-filled checks for the security deposit and first month’s rent.
Then it happened. I found the apartment. It was walking distance to work, the grocery store, a gym, and bars. It had a kitchen you could actually walk into (I previously had a tiny kitchenette). One 30-second glance around the apartment was enough for me, especially since there were 8 other interested parties. The “kit” I created was handed over within seconds of the showing. The property manager’s listing said, “first come, first serve.” As the first applicant with the proper paperwork ready to go, the apartment was mine.
As many apartment hunters say when finding an apartment in a tough market, “I was lucky.”
