Here’s the thing: cruising Zillow Rentals or Apartments.com is a lot less fun when you’re doing it for real. It’s not just pretty pictures and changing the filters to include all the amenities. When your lease is ending in two months and you’re already busy with packing and the physical task of moving, apartment hunting can be a huge burden.
The apartment search comes with a lot of considerations: rent cost, additional fees, square footage, location, amenities, community—just to name a few. Many of your concerns won’t show up through an apartment listing website’s filters, and many properties aren’t accurately reflected on them either (or just plain missing).
It doesn’t help that the real estate market is in flux right now. In Dallas, TX, the population of renters outnumber homeowners, and the number of renters increased by nearly 10% in only a decade. That means competition in this city. At the same time, the Joint Center for Housing Studies reports that rent has skyrocketed and the number of cost-burdened renter households have reached an all-time high. So not only are renters fighting over decreased inventory, they also have to shell out more to do so.
It’s a tense market to navigate right now and it’s hard to make informed choices when the industry isn’t necessarily intuitive to those outside the business. After all, that’s why people rely on trustworthy realtors to buy and sell their homes. But here’s the thing: real estate agents can help you find an apartment, too! Apartment locating is its own real estate specialization. Apartment locators can help you find your next lease by relying on their intimate, up-to-date knowledge of the rental properties in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. An apartment locator can make sure all your rental boxes are ticked while you handle the moving boxes.
So here’s how apartment locating works:
Cost
Apartment locators do not charge their clients. There is no cost to you if you use one. It sounds a bit too good to be true, but apartment locators are trusted real estate professionals. Apartment locators are able to work for free because they are paid a referral fee from rental properties. All you have to do is list your apartment locator as your referral source on the rental application.
But make no mistake: an apartment locator does not work for apartments. At The Realm Agency, our apartment locators work with thousands of properties in Dallas-Fort Worth and are incentivized by their clients’ satisfaction. After all, if there’s no cost to the client, the only thing an apartment locator can rely on for continued business is that satisfaction—so that clients, you, will continue to use them when the lease expires, to share the great service they received by word-of-mouth, and then to turn to The Realm Agency one day as homebuyers.
Expertise
The Realm Agency apartment locators are all licensed real estate agents. But not only have they all taken and passed the Texas Real Estate Exam, they are equipped with resources and access to thousands of rental properties in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. This includes databases that are available only to licensed real estate agents.
However, The Realm Agency apartment locators aren’t just sitting around, clicking through databases all day. Apartment locators are constantly in contact with apartment complexes, touring new and existing builds, maintaining relationships with leasing agents and property owners, and living in the buildings or areas that you’re interested in. Seriously, apartment locators are your in with the rental market in DFW; they know the landscape intimately, not just as professionals but as real people who also covet proximity to a Trader Joe’s or value community in their neighborhood. They’re also the first people apartment buildings reach out to when they have new specials or concessions for new tenants. So, not only can your apartment locator tell you if the area is best suited to your personality and lifestyle, they can direct you to deals you might’ve missed if you were looking on your own.
The Realm Agency’s Process
Another way to think of apartment locators is as an assistant in your apartment search. That’s how they operate! And The Realm Agency has streamlined the process so you’re receiving the best service while maintaining control over the whole search.
1. Connect
After you reach out to The Realm Agency to begin your search, you’ll be connected with one of their licensed real estate agents. This is your apartment locator, who will guide you through the process and help you find your new apartment.
2. Search
Your apartment locator will take the time to learn about you and what you are looking for in your new home. This is the opportunity to list all your must-haves, but also your really-really-wants. If you work from home and need a functional office space, let your locator know. If you’re a huge foodie and want to be within walking distance to great restaurants, your locator wants to hear that, too. Whether it’s a deep kitchen island, a certain square footage, windows that get enough light for all your plants, or absolutely no carpet, your apartment locator will take it all into consideration.
From there, your apartment locator will tap into their real estate knowledge to provide you with a customized list of options. Your apartment locator will make sure that all the options available are presented to you, and they’ll also make sure you aren’t seeing anything you won’t want based on your preferences. The apartment locator won’t force any options on you either, because, remember, they’re your assistant in this search and they are there to put in the legwork to find your next lease.
3. Tour
Once you’ve chosen your favorite options from the personalized list you’ll get from your apartment locator, they will arrange appointments for you to see the apartments in person. Can’t visit the apartment buildings in person? Ask your apartment locator about virtual and remote tours. The Realm Agency will do everything they can to get you videos and/or pictures of the property to help you make a decision, even from afar.
4. Apply
After you find the perfect new home, it’s time to take it off the market. Your apartment locator will assist you with any questions you have during the application process. Once your application is submitted and accepted, the apartment is officially reserved for you!
5. Move
Hopefully, while your apartment locator was checking all the boxes, you managed to get all those moving boxes packed up. Now that your lease is signed and approved, it’s time to move into your new apartment and make it feel like home.
Renting in Dallas-Fort Worth
It can be challenging and stressful to move in DFW, when there are thousands of apartment buildings spread across the metroplex. But apartment locating is the answer to the problem. An apartment locator is flexible, tailoring their service to you, and knowledgeable, with constant access to Dallas-Fort Worth’s best apartment buildings and apartment complexes. The service an apartment locator provides is of no cost to you, so there’s really nothing to lose—and everything to gain, really, if you value minimizing your stress. Reach out to The Realm Agency and they can personally guide you through your apartment search.
