The Vancouver rental market is tough. Landlords are swamped with applications, people will stand in the cold, freezing rain to be first in line at an open house without even seeing a picture of a potential apartment. The truly dedicated get up at the crack of dawn and review listings every morning to get a jump on the competition. I did not expect house hunting to be the most stressful part of my journey. Even more stressful than finding a job.
And that is when I realized that looking for an apartment is a lot like looking for a job…Think about it
And that is when I realized that looking for an apartment is a lot like looking for a job…Think about it
- If you snooze you lose. Don't spend too much time thinking about your application.
- A lot of apartments (jobs) do not live up to the advertisement - you need to read between the lines and ask good questions. Cosy usually means really tiny - Amazing opportunity - we will work you like a dog dangling the carrot of promotion
- First impressions count - make sure your application, resume etc reflect your differentiators
- Understand how you are the ideal candidate and play it up - for instance in looking for an apartment a single 40 something professional woman is often more desirable than a 20 something marginally employed new graduate. Conversely the older you are the harder it can be to find work because you are over qualified.
- Be honest but don't overshare. There are many things that potential employers and landlords don't need to know.
- Decisions are made based on brief meetings with standard questions that you can get quite good at answering.
- Pretty people are more likely to get the place (job). So take a shower, change out of the yoga pants and comb your hair. Make an effort.
- References are meaningless - they are always your best friend or aunt and you pick them because you know they will say something nice about you…but they are really necessary. And make sure you warn your reference that the call may come.
- Searching is hard to do when you already have a job because of the time involved in the search.
- It pays to be organized and remember the details the different applications you make - because sometimes they all blur together and when you go back to look the advertisement is gone.
- You spend hours reading ads and putting your application only to realize it comes down to who you know
- Manners make a difference. If you can't make a viewing appointment or change your mind, have the courtesy to let people know. This is a a Karma thing.
Armed with this knowledge I decided to apply some career counseling advice to my apartment search.
- Write down your ideal - the more you understand what this is the more likely you are to find it
- Be realistic - what are the must haves and what are the nice to haves?
- Network like crazy - tell everyone you know you are looking for an apartment
- Don't compromise. This is a big commitment and it is a lot of money invested. Make sure you are comfortable with your decision
- Read your contract and know what is legal and what is not
- Listen to your gut - if that apartment looks icky or the landlord seems crazy chances are your instincts are right.
I know it all sounds common sense but sometimes we forget these basics. I am also happy to report that after much worry and some common mistakes I managed to get it together - I have my apartment in my dream neighbourhood…and soon I will have that dream job as well. Life in YVR is certainly getting better every day.