1. DETERMINE THE CITY YOU WANT TO LIVE IN
When looking for an apartment, it is essential to know what city and which area of that city you want to live in. This will allow you to determine the prices and conditions of the apartments you are looking at ahead of time. Though most people think bigger cities contain more apartment complexes, you'd be surprised at how many small towns have apartment thriving communities that should not be over-looked when apartment hunting. While there are a lot of apartments in big cities, there are also a lot more people, which means there will be greater competition for the best apartments.
For more information on apartments for rent in your state, consult:
Apartments.com has a map of the U.S. where you can click on any state in which you'd like to find an apartment.
Apartment Finder.com includes bright, clear pictures of every apartment listed.
Apartment Guide.com offers a roommate search engine right on the site.
Rent.com has listings for every kind of rental property, not just apartments.
ForRent.com has links for everything from jobs to furniture rental and finding a date.