Online Listing Systems
For most students, online listing services will make up the largest single component of their housing search, both in terms of time and number of listings. Learning how to use each system, searching it, and translating those searches into potential apartments takes a little longer than calling a property management firm or a realtor and asking them what housing options they have available.
There are two reasons to make use of online listing tools, even though they take more work to use than other resources: first, they are the best tool to reach small apartment owners – the landlords most likely to be flexible with students in terms of move-in costs and start dates, pets, and utilities and least likely to charge a real estate fee or commission. Second, online listing resources will typically yield the highest number of housing listings. Even the largest property management firm cannot hope to compete, numerically, with the sheer volume of listings on a website like Craig’s List.
How to Read Housing Listings
Here is a fairly typical housing listing you might find on Craig’s List, another online system, or in physical form in Boston.
$2200 / 1br – back bay 1 bdrm 1 bth newly renovated apart avail asap (200 Maple street, back bay, boston)
newly renovated beautiful furnished 1 bdrm 1 bth in back bay, boston
avail for rent asap, 400 sf
200 maple street in back bay, boston
W/D in unit
HW throughout, plenty of closets,
fireplace
great location -steps to mbta green line subway, prudential center, hancock tower, copley square
walk to south end, beacon hill, fenway, charles river
2200/mo inc. H/HW
first, last, sec req.
landlord@owner.com
555-555-RENT
no pets
no smokers
no fee
What type of apartment is this?
Apartments are described in terms of how many bedrooms they have. This is the first and most important piece of information. In this case, this sample listing is for a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment, with no current tenants. The “what” portion of most listings will be in the title, or the very first line.
How much does it cost?
In almost all cases in Boston the rent will be listed per month. This apartment would rent for $2200 per month, but looking through the listing for other important indicators of cost like move-in requirements and utilities will give you a better overall understanding of how much it will cost to live in the apartment. This sample listing includes heat and hot water, and requires a first month’s rent, last month’s rent, and security deposit to move in.
What is this apartment like?
This is going to make up the bulk of most listings. How big is the unit? What rooms does it have? What utilities are included with the rent each month? In many rental listings, landlords make regular use of common listing abbreviations. Getting to know these abbreviations can help decode listings.
When is it open? What do I need to move in?
This information is often located either in the title, or near the top of the listing, and then sometimes again towards the bottom. Most listings will also indicate what move-in costs the landlord will require such as a first month’s rent or security deposit.
How do I contact the poster of this listing?
All listings have some contact information for whoever posted the listing. In online databases like Craig’s List, this may be an anonymous email address provided by the system. Because you may not know the name of the poster, it is common to express interest in the unit by referring to the title of the post.
