One thing to keep in mind about Chicago apartments is that because the cost of living is significantly above the national average in the city, apartment prices may be surprising at first. Still, those on a budget have options and may be able to find very affordable apartments in one of the many suburbs of Chicago.

Chicago Apartments: Where to Look

Being the third-largest city, Chicago may feel a bit overwhelming at first — it covers 230 square miles! So where do you start looking for apartments? Thanks to excellent public transportation, getting around Chicago can be pretty easy, especially the four main sections: the North Side, South Side, West Side and Downtown. Downtown Chicago apartments put you right in the heart of the city, close to cultural, financial and commercial institutions as well as Grant Park and towering skyscrapers. The most densely populated residential section of the city, the North Side has many high-rise apartments. The South Side is where you’ll find the Museum of Science and Industry as well as the University of Chicago and two of the city’s biggest parks, Washington Park and Jackson Park. The West Side is home to Harpo Studios, owned by Oprah Winfrey, and the Garfield Park Conservatory.

There are many more Chicago neighborhoods you want to be sure to explore when you’re searching for apartments. Lincoln Park, Old Town, China Town and Little Italy are all worth checking out.

Chicago Weather

Chicago is known for being pretty chilly in the winter — lows can  be around 20 degrees Fahrenheit — but summers are nice with highs around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of winds blowing off Lake Michigan, though, weather can change rapidly, and gusts of cold wind are common.

Moving to Chicago

Moving to Chicago is no doubt exciting. Remember, to find Chicago apartments,  you can use our free apartment search tools. Once you’ve found a place to live, you can use our Moving Checklist to help organize your relocation.

Houston Apartments

If you’re planning a move to Houston, start off your search for apartments by thinking about what part of the city you’d like to live in. You may already know where you’ll be working, and maybe you’d like to live within walking distance of your job or be able to take public transportation to get there. Or maybe you’d like to live close to family, or right downtown. Decide what your priorities are for location, and then make a list of what you’d like your new apartment to have, like two bedrooms, under $1,000 per month, apartment gym, etc. Having a list will make it easier for you to compare different Houston apartments and figure out which one will best fit your needs.

Don’t forget: You can use our free apartment search tools to look for apartments, and if you find an apartment by using our site, you can collect up to $200 in apartment rental rewards.

Things to do in Houston

Those who call Houston home enjoy the many things there are to do in the city. For instance, sports fans love going to Houston Astros, Texans and Rockets games. The city’s Theater District offers great restaurants, shops and venues to watch stand-up comedy, music, live theater and independent films. Those who enjoy the outdoors will have a blast visiting all the parks in Houston — there are over 300 in all. In terms of education, there are over 60 colleges, including the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Rice University and the University of Houston. There’s really something for everyone.

Moving to Houston

If you’ve signed the lease for your  new Houston apartment, congratulations! We’re excited for you. Feel free to use our Moving Checklist before your actual move, and then be sure to take some time after all that unpacking to get out and enjoy all that Houston has to offer. And don’t miss our tips for throwing an apartment warming party.

About Seattle

Seattle’s many features make it a very desirable place to live. A lot of people know it for being the birthplace of grunge music and Jimi Hendrix, and for all the coffee — Starbucks, Tully’s and Seattle’s Best all got their start in the city. Also ranked the most literate city in America (it tied with Minneapolis in 2008), Seattle has the highest percentage of college graduates of any major city in the United States.

Seattle Neighborhoods: Where Do You Fit In?

There’s a lot of ground to cover when you’re talking about Seattle neighborhoods, but we’ll keep it short ‘n’ sweet with a brief overview of some of them to get you on your way. Popular with University of Washington students and staffers is the University District, and there’s also University Heights — both are good options if you’re university-bound. And don’t forget about Belltown, Central Waterfront, Pioneer Square, SoDo, Pike Market and the Central Business District. These lively Downtown Seattle neighborhoods are close to shops, restaurants and pubs, and there are lots of apartments for rent. South City’s neighborhoods — Delridge, West Seattle and Greater Duwamish, for example — also have many apartments available.

Moving into Your Seattle Apartment

Signing the lease and moving into your Seattle apartment means you’re oh-so close to being a Seattle resident. It’s exciting, no doubt — but be sure and get everything in order before move-in day so there are no surprises. Our Moving Checklist is perfect for organizing your move. Once you’re done moving, be sure and explore your neighborhood and start enjoying Seattle!

Austin Neighborhoods

There are a ton of very different Austin neighborhoods, so you’ll want to choose carefully based on criteria most important to you, like proximity to your job or school, or just the overall feel of the neighborhood, for example. If you’ll be attending the University of Texas at Austin, nearby neighborhoods like West Campus have a lot of new housing to offer thanks to recent construction. You can also look for Austin apartments on a UT Shuttle route — with a student ID, you can ride these shuttles for free.

Other areas like Hyde Park, Clarksville, Tarrytown and French Place include apartments in historical districts. Families may be interested in renting in suburban areas where, generally, more space can be had for less money. The East Side is a popular pick for those looking to live close to downtown. If you’re looking for luxury apartments, you might have great luck looking in Northwest Austin near the Arboretum area. And South Austin has plenty to offer in terms of funky apartments in lively communities.

Narrowing Down Your Choices

Once you decide on an area, next comes actually finding a place to call home. As we’ve suggested before, making a list of your priorities is a great idea and will help you compare different apartments. For example, if wood floors, a swimming pool and the ability to have a cat are all essential, make note of it so you don’t wind up with something that doesn’t meet your needs.

Enjoy Austin Living

All moved in? Whew — bet you’re glad to be able to put out the welcome mat and relax. Now that you’re settled into your new Austin apartment, you’ll be able to enjoy everything the city has to offer. Take your time and soak up everything, like running on Town Lake, watching the bats, swimming at Barton Springs and shopping on South Congress.

If you’re just getting started on your search for Austin apartments, we’re happy to offer our free apartment search tools — we’re here to help! If you wind up finding an apartment using our site, you can collect up to $200 in apartment rental rewards.

Luxury apartments

These types of living spaces can be found all over the country in cities big and small, and the specific amenities and extras depend on the apartment building. In New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, for example, it’s not uncommon for high-rise luxury apartments to offer a 24-hour doorman and concierge service. Some buildings even have in-house dry cleaning and trash service. Still, luxury apartments in smaller cities wow residents with DVD rentals, dog run areas, free cable and garages.

Higher Rent, But More for Your Money

While rent for luxury apartments may cost more, you have to keep in mind that you’re getting more. That private gym, the lush landscaping and the lap pool all come at a premium. Plus, there aren’t as many luxury apartments as “regular” apartments, so that also figures into the cost. When you’re searching for a luxury apartment, be sure and weigh the cost with the amenities you’ll be getting.

Renters who’d like their living space to be higher-end should definitely check out luxury apartments, since it’s not uncommon for them to offer unique floorplans, track lighting, crown molding and open kitchens with stainless steel appliances. While the standard wall color for apartments seems to be white or off-white, walls in luxury apartments may be beige or allow you to request accent walls be painted before your move-in day. Be sure to ask your apartment manager if this type of service is available.

Find Luxury Apartments

If you’d like to find luxury apartments, use our free apartment search tools. To help you find your next home, we suggest you make a list of amenities you’re looking for and use it to compare the apartments you view. Take into consideration location, lease terms, rent and what exactly is included with your rent, like access to the apartment gym or concierge service, for example.

Decide if you’ll continue living alone or if you need to find a new roommate. This decision may be best made by taking a hard look at your income and your monthly expenses. Will you be able to pay for all of rent and all of your bills by yourself? If you need a roommate to help pay for these expenses, start looking as soon as you can.

Speaking of bills… are they in your name, or were they in your roommate’s name? Same with renter’s insurance: Be sure you have it.

Inform your apartment manager. Stop by your apartment office or call to give them a heads up that the living situation has changed. Many apartment landlords require this so that they know who is living in which units. And if you wind up getting a new roommate, let them know that too. If your roommate was the person who signed the apartment lease, you should ask what needs to be done.

Take inventory. If your roommate moved out and took most of the furniture, you may want to look at replacing some of that stuff so you have your own. Similarly, you can take this opportunity to organize and clean your apartment — it’ll help you be prepared if potential roommates come by to check out your apartment.

Keep your roommate’s mail in one place and communicate with them a time — maybe once per week — where they can come by and pick it up. If they moved far away, you might need to send them a package every so often with all their mail. Talk to your roommate about this to figure out the best way to handle it.

These are all just suggestions for what to do when your roommate moves out to help make the situation go a little more smoothly. If you’re moving out soon, be sure and use our free apartment search tools to find your next home.

Sharing an apartment with a friend

Living in an apartment with a friend can put stress on your relationship, so it’s important to take steps to ensure that you don’t lose your buddy when you gain a roomie. Here are some tips for doing just that:

Don’t Be Afraid to Talk

So your roommate leaves a mountain of dishes in the sink after dinner every night.  Think she’ll get the hint if you wash them?  Think again.  You’ll start feeling resentful doing double duty and your roommate will likely not even notice.  In situations like this, it’s much better to talk about it.  Don’t hesitate to establish some rules about things like cleanliness and quiet time.  You don’t have to do anything draconian, like write them up and post them everywhere, but talking about what your expectations are with your friend, especially before you two move in together, will make any future disputes much simpler to defuse.

Do Apartment-Oriented Tasks Together

This can really help alleviate the pain of things like chores and decoration, since both you and your friend are invested in getting the task done.  Not only does doing work together ensure that you’ll both be splitting the load, it also makes it easier to get done.  After all, you’re hanging out with your friend!  What’s not to like about that?

Compromise, Compromise, Compromise

Here lies the crux of any successful roommate pairing: You have to make sacrifices.  If you’re used to living in an ice box, while your friend’s more accustomed to sauna temperatures, you two will likely have to split the difference and keep the apartment at a middling temperature.  If you’re a neat freak and your friend’s a complete mess, you’ll need to become a little more lax with your standards, while your roommate will have to pick up after herself a bit more.  Obviously, you’d rather have everything exactly your way, but compromise is just part of being a good roommate, and you wouldn’t want to be anything less than that to your friend.

Have a roommate but need an apartment? Our apartment search tool makes it easy to find your next home.

Get Renters Insurance

There’s a reason so many people stress the importance of buying renters insurance: When you need it, you’ll be so glad you have it. We’ve talked about renters insurance here before, and we’ll say it again: it’s something you should really have if you’re renting an apartment. While your landlord most likely has insurance, your possessions will not be covered should a disaster happen.

Be Prepared

Take time to prepare for an earthquake so you’ll know what to do if one ever happens. Here are some of the things FEMA recommends doing to protect your family, yourself and your property (to see the full list, visit their website):

• Use lower shelves to store large or heavy things, and fasten shelves, mirrors and large picture frames to your walls
• Use low shelves to store bottled foods, china, glass and other breakables. You could also store these things in cabinets that fasten shut
• Know where the safe spots are in your apartment: under a sturdy table, against an inside wall
• Hold earthquake drills

During an Earthquake

Part of being prepared is knowing what to do during an actual earthquake. Stay calm and stay safe. If you’re indoors, FEMA recommends that you “drop, cover and hold on.” Drop to the ground, take cover (get under a sturdy table or sturdy piece of furniture) and hold on until the shaking subsides. If you are unable to find a sturdy piece of furniture, crouch in an inside corner of the building and use your arms to cover your face and head. You should stay away from windows, glass, outside doors, outside walls and anything that could fall. Remember not to use elevators and stay inside until the shaking stops.

If you’re in bed when an earthquake happens, FEMA advises to stay there and cover your head with a pillow — but if there’s something like a light fixture that could fall on you, move to the closest safe place.

Just a reminder: If you’re looking for a new home, ApartmentSearch.com has great tools to help you search for apartments.

Give Things a “Life Expectancy” of Usefulness

Still attached to that extra-small argyle sweater you loved in eighth grade, even though you’re now a foot too tall for it?  We understand the sentiment, but still, that sweater is taking up valuable storage space.  Consider reselling or donating it — or maybe even making it an heirloom and gifting it to someone else in the family.  A good rule of thumb is, if it takes up space and you haven’t used it in over a year, strongly consider getting rid of it somehow.  And don’t stop with clothes.  Do you have any bulky and highly specialized kitchen equipment that you never use?  What about an exercise bike that’s been a drying rack for six years running?  It’s tough to be ruthless, but you’ll thank yourself with the extra cubic feet.

Think in Three Dimensions

Notice how we wrote “cubic feet” instead of the more common “square feet?” That’s because you need to start thinking of the space in your apartment in three dimensions.  Creativity is endless in this department, but things like putting a wine rack on the wall to store rolled-up towels or hanging a basket from the ceiling to put fruit in are helpful space savers that free up floor space. Installing shelves is also a good idea.

Reduce, Reuse, and Save

These tips are just a few that will help you in your quest to make your apartment roomier.  Don’t have a place of your own yet, or are you looking for a different one?  Use our apartment search tools to get where you need to be.

Take a Walk

Walking out of your apartment and around the neighborhood is one of the best ways you can really get to know where you’re living. You can move slowly enough to be able to take everything in, so you won’t miss the small stuff. Getting “lost” on a neighborhood walk helps you find your way around and see where useful places may be, like a community pool, post office, convenience store or 24-hour pharmacy. If you think you might actually get lost, bring a map.

Say Hello to Your Neighbors

Striking up a casual conversation with your neighbors, whether it’s the person who lives in the apartment below you or the person who owns the Mom ‘n’ Pop shop on the corner, is another great way to get to know the neighborhood. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions or recommendations for restaurants and stores. Their experience living in the area means they may be able to pass on some useful information, so take advantage of that!

Pick Up the Paper

Does your neighborhood have its own newspaper or other type of publication? Maybe its own website? Some residents may even have blogs. Ask your neighbors or your apartment manager if you have trouble finding these things on your own. And if you’re new to the whole city, be sure and pick up the local publications. All of these could be excellent sources for local events and news, restaurant openings, club meetings, store openings and more. If you’re looking for a job in the area, newspapers will likely have some job listings.

These are just a few ways to get to know your neighborhood after you move into an apartment. And if you’d like help with finding an apartment in a specific neighborhood, you should definitely utilize our site’s free apartment search tools, which allow you to search listings from all over the country. What’s more is that when you rent with us, we pay you up to $200 in renter rewards. No fee, no obligation, no strings.