So I had a job interview yesterday with an employment agency for some legal secretary/receptionist positions -- all skills checked out including a not horribly shabby for someone who is just starting paralegal training 78% on a legal terms test.

I have other interviews out and as soon as I get a job I'm moving to Bloomington (the next city over).

This will make me get my very first apartment.

The hunting is a pain so far -- finding a place that will take me, the dog and the rabbit is really fun (sarcastic)

Does anyone have other tips? Tis can get difficult.

Nai

are you looking for tips on the hunting process or tips for moving to your first place in general?

here's a tip on apartment hunting that i've passed along before:
i like to make a list of questions that i want to ask my prospective landlord. if you can ask important things on the phone, before you even go see the place, you can save a lot of time on the hunt. obviously, for you, this would include asking about pets. but think about other things that are important to you: terms of the lease, utilities, laundry, etc.

apartment hunting is such a pain! good luck!

Both kinds of tips are good.

Ugh... finding an apartment who will take a puppy... what a pain. We basically had a choice between a very unsafe neighbor hood and the place we have, which we pay way too much for. :P I hope you have good luck. No tips, I'm afraid.

As someone with two dogs, I know the pain of looking for a pet-friendly apartment. My advice ... a pet resume. The SFSPCA has a nice format:>http://www.sfspca.org/opendoor/petresume.shtml#dog

Remember to include a nice picture. I've gotten two apartments just based on my pet resumes. A lot of landlords/brokers have never seen them and really like them. I would also have one for yourself with bank info, job info, previous housing, references, etc. That makes it easier for you when you are filling out leases and other forms. I also like to have a copy of a credit report since some landlords like that - you can run one online for about $8.

Is your rabbit caged inside? This is horrible, but you might want to not mention the rabbit if you are looking at bigger apartment complexes. I would be up front and honest - use your resume - for smaller landlords, but a bigger complex will probably never need to know.

I wouldn't mention the rabbit. Lots of places that have a 'no pets' policy turn a blind eye to smaller animals.

Ask around alot, even with people you don't think you know very well. You never know what you will find out about. And lots of good apartments don't wind up being in the classified ads because they're taken by word-of-mouth before they're available. Or, walk around neighborhoods you might live in, with a pencil and paper, to write down "apt available" sign numbers.

there might be apartment guides at supermarkets, grocery places, gas stations, etc in the area. thats how the s/o and i found our apartment (granted we dont have animals but they do accept them). i basically called everyone in the apartment guide thing and asked them my questions.

good luck!!

I 2nd the pet resume. I found a place for me, my boyfriend, the dog, and the cat on the first weekend I looked with the pet resume. Also, try looking at various listings. I found my place by looking at a local university housing website (there was nothing stopping non-students from viewing the listings). I was checking out all kinds of listings though. It helps to set your price range before you start looking too (and then you can change that price range if you find that it won't work). I also suggest bringing your own credit report (which you can get online for $8). I think the only reason I got my place is because I arrive to look at it with pet resumes, credit reports, and a checkbook ready to make a deposit on hand. My landlord was so impressed with how together we were that he agreed to rent to us even though there were a few other people who had expressed interest in the place because we had all our papers and everything ready and they did not. It helps, especially when you have animals, to present youself to look as responsible as possible. Good luck!

Don't be in a rush to go out and buy a bunch of decorations and crap to fill your new place with. It'll seem empty at first, but trust me, it'll get crowded quick, and then you'll wonder where all the crap came from. ;)

Noise level!!!!!!! It's a good to get some idea of what sorts of tenants you'll be living next to and about acceptable noise levels. If you're living in a place with mostly young college students and the walls aren't thick, be prepared for noise and music.

Also ask about the insulation between apartments and floors - how much noise do they block out. It seriously sucks a great big one to suddenly find yourself next to someone who puts their TV right up against the wall and blares it all day long.

Good luck!

I think the most important things are to find a place that will take your pets (they're part of your family), but safety is first on the list. I found several nice apartments in my area when we were first looking that accepted pets, so just do a lot of asking around and combing the ads.

This site was somewhat helpful to me when we were looking:>http://www.aptratings.com/
After we read some ugly reviews about neighborhoods we were considering it was easier to narrow the list down.

Good luck!

stinky you took the words right out of my mouth!

I second the walking around writing down numbers tactic. I'm moving into my first apartment right now. It's fantastic and it was NEVER listed in the paper. Also, call places, even if you think you can't afford them because of neighborhood/proximity to public transportation/whatever, you might be plesantly surprised.

This may seem ultra-obvious, but don't forget your checkbook. I never really use checks except to pay bills and so I was caught out by the application fee for the first place I looked. After that, I made sure to bring it along every time. I don't know what demand is like in your area, but here in DC you have to move really, really fast to go for the reasonably priced stuff in decent neighborhoods.