Finding rental properties can be exciting and stressful all at the same time. There are so many questions and requirements to look into. How many bedrooms and bathrooms do we want, what schools are close and how good they are, and then the big question, is it in a safe neighborhood.
Zumper Facts
To help answer all those questions and more we’re going to head over to Zumper and get some answers. So since Norfolk is a military city, we’re going to focus on one-bedroom apartments. “According to Zumper, the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Norfolk is currently $994.” If you are in the military you’ll also probably want a short-term lease just in case you get stationed elsewhere, Zumper even shows those.
So “recent data by Zumper shows 24% of housing units are renter-occupied in Norfolk.” I thought that would be much higher being a military city. But then again, most are now coming here to retire and to be by the beach. Another big ask is if they allow pets, if you look on Zumper you will see there are a few that do! The lowest is $750, but that’s still a great deal.
Filters
Now let’s look at some of the great filters Zumper has. Here we have of course the bedrooms and bathrooms. If they allow certain pets. There’s the relevance; search for the lowest or the highest. Then to the right side is the map, you can even circle the location where you’d like to look.
Next, we have the type of place you’re looking for, Lease length, Buildings, and then Other, which has a lot to choose from; like Move-in Specials, No leasing fee, and it even has where you can enter the square feet you’re looking for.
What else would we want in our place? Oh yeah, I need to make sure that it has an ac unit and not a window unit. Let’s look at the amenities. Look at all those options! I’d also like in-unit laundry, nothing like being able to wash your clothes on your time and not having to search for quarters or worry that your clothes have been taken out of the washer still soaking wet. What would you choose?
Last but not least, we have the Neighborhood filter. Here you can choose which neighborhood you’d like to look into. If your friends told you about the best schools or where they say are the best places to live, you can look it up that way.
Another “Other” filter I saw was the “3D Tour or Video Tour”. Say you’re busy at work and won’t make it out of work in time, now you can schedule a virtual tour. Or for those military families coming from another state, that would be perfect for them, they wouldn’t even have to come down and see it before moving their whole family down.
Tell me some of the things you look for in a place when moving, either to rent or buy a home in the comments, I’d love to hear about them.
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