Rating and Reviews
Searching for information about apartments on the internet can be frustrating. Type in the name of the place and you are far more likely to find the same pictures and information about floor plans on a large number of sites. The search engine below eliminates all the realtor sites and yellow page type sites. The only thing it gives you is links to news and reviews about the specific apartment complex you asked for. If you can’t find information about a place with this…the information doesn’t exist.
There are a few things to remember when you are using Internet reviews, particularly for apartments.
Look for trends in the reviews. If only one person complains about something (noise, maintenance, safety, etc), then you may just have someone that had bad luck or just likes complaining.
However, you should keep an eye out for any pet peeves you might have. For example, if water pressure is very important to you, you should pay attention if someone mentions poor water pressure. You may also want to keep an eye for things that many people forget.
Pay more attention to recent reviews over older reviews. Don’t ignore older reviews, but understand that things can change (for better or worse). This is especially true for comments about staff and management. They can change a lot from year to year.
The only way to really know how good or bad a place is is to talk to current residents. Knock on some doors and ask. I know this may feel uncomfortable and may be impossible if you aren’t in town, but it can give you big peace of mind before you sign a lease.