There are few things so satisfying in life as landing your first apartment.  And, there are few things so frustrating as trying to find one!  How to begin?

This is the first article in a series written to help undergraduate students find their first apartment.  It is targeted to second year students at UC Berkeley, but the information is useful for virtually any undergrad searching for his or her first rental in the greater SF Bay Area.

WHEN TO BEGIN YOUR SEARCH FOR HOUSING

The first thing you need to know is when to look for housing.  Everyone says it's tough to find housing in Berkeley and you had better look early or everything will be gone.  Right?  Well . . . this is only partly right.  There is such a thing as looking TOO early!  How can this be so?

Berkeley landlords, and pretty much all landlords in the nearby east bay communities of Oakland, Albany, Kensington, El Cerrito and Richmond (which is about as far as you probably want to commute), tend to advertise rentals at the point at which they are empty and ready to go!  This means that if you make an appointment to look at an apartment, and you like it, and the landlord likes you and offers it to you, you must be prepared to pay your first month's rent and deposit right then.  So, if you want housing to begin in August, and you look for housing in February and are offered an apartment, you would be paying rent for 6 months before you really need the apartment.

I don't know about you, but most people I know are not that rich!

So, the trick is to back up your house-hunting adventure, because it will take some time to land a place, but not back it up too much or you will probably pay too much advance rent.  Aim for no more than 6 to 8 weeks of house-hunting prior to when you really need the housing, and remember that most rentals will be advertised for occupancy "now", meaning the landlord wants to find somebody to begin paying the rent, well, now.

But, you might say, I want a rental that will begin in August, and I am leaving Berkeley at the end of spring semester.  Plus, I can't house-hunt during finals!  What should I do?

If this is the case for you--and it is for many students--all is not lost.  There are techniques for students in your situation, and they can be adapted to work for almost anyone.  Complete your Contact Questionnaire and jot a little note at the end that outlines your situation, and you will receive a customized response to help you.

1) How to Search for Housing     2) Scripting Your Message to Landlords