You may not fully realize just how many places there are than can help connect you to potential properties for rent. Most of us think that it's all about newspaper ads, craigslist, and maybe a friend's recommendation to accounts for the bulk of available rental properties. The truth is there are tons of places to search. The advantage of widening your search net is the possibility of finding the diamond in the rough, or scoring an amazing places, with an amazing landlord for an amazing deal.
Oftentimes, the best units don't even make it to the conventional newspaper or online ads. So if you're serious about finding the perfect place to call home, don't be afraid to expand your search and be open to any and every possible conduit to finding your new apartment, condo, or home rental. Remember to be creative, think outside the box, and tell anyone and everyone you know and talk to that you're looking for a new place to rent.
To make life a little easier, I've created a checklist that you can use to make sure you don't miss any aspect of the search.
This is a simple Yes/No/Not Applicable checklist that you can quickly run through to see where you have and have not been diligent in searching. You may be surprised by just how little you've actually "searched" for your new rental place.
Feel free to print out this page.
| Yes | No | N/A | Places To Go To Find The Best Rental Property Inventory |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | National Newspapers |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Regional Newspapers |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Community Newspapers |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Free Newspapers/Ethnic Newspapers |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Free Magazines/Classified Ad Magazines |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Craigslist.org |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Kijiji.ca (Canada) |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Daily Newspaper Websites |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Community Newspaper Websites |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Bulletin Boards (Libraries, Rec Centres, City Hall, Community Halls, etc.) |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Student Housing/Campus Offices |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Real Estate Offices/Agents/Websites/Boards |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Free Newspaper/Ethnic Newspaper Websites |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Online Tenant/Renter Forums |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Other Online Rental Property Listing Service Websites |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Word of Mouth |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Street Walking (Lamp posts, shop windows, apartment windows, vacancy signs) |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Property Management Companies/Superintendents |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Community Organizations/Ethnic Organizations That Assist With Housing |
