As the new semester approaches, college students have a lot on their minds: Classes, grades, jobs, parking permits and finding a place to live, for starters. While Nevada Housing Division isn’t exactly equipped to assist with most of these, we absolutely can help you find a place to call home. It’s sort of our thing.
We’d like to introduce you to NVHousingSearch.org. This website, built in 2014, helps Nevadans find rental homes and apartments that fit their needs and budgets. It’s free to use (and free to post for property owners and leasing agents!), and it’s updated daily so you can get the latest information—the best kind. Currently, there are more than 38,000 rental units throughout the Silver State listed on this oh-so-handy site.
As luck would have it, it’s also easy to use. Simply plug your wish list of features like city (or zip code if you want to narrow your search), number of bedrooms and bathrooms, rent range, and voila! A list of rental homes and apartments that match your wants and needs will come up. Once you click on a property that sounds like a winner, you can get all the juicy details like lease length, square feet, pet and smoking rules, and little tidbits like how to contact the property owner or leasing agent.
Special Features – ‘Cause We Think You’re Special
College students will appreciate the fact that NVHousingSearch.org is a lot like the Spark Notes or Cliff Notes of apartment shopping. You can get tons of information very quickly and succinctly. But better than those study tools, this website gives you the ability to learn about special features of each property, too. Think of it as an extra credit study guide.
Some of the details you can find out about in advance of touring a property include:
· Application fee & security deposit
· Date available
· Maximum number of occupants
· Rent subsidy allowances
· Amenities
· Utilities included
· Appliances
· Trash & lawn services
· Parking
· Security features
· Accessible elevators
· Distances from bus stop, grocery stores, hospital and bus stop
Much like getting your ducks in a row before school starts, you’ll want to be well prepared for apartment shopping, as the most desirable locations and properties go fast. With that said, keep in mind that renters are typically expected to provide proof of income (even if it’s coming from Mom & Dad) and a government issued ID, so have that info readily available. Most property managers require credit and criminal checks as well. And in our humble opinion, references can help, especially those from previous landlords.
Tools Of The Trade
As luck would have it, we have several great tools to help guide you through the process of finding a place to rent. Whether you want to know what you can afford, want to calculate your moving cost, need a rental checklist or are searching for a budget worksheet to make sure you’re shopping in the right neighborhood, we’ve got you covered.
A Virtual Study Group
Lastly, we want to tell college students (and their parents, who sometimes listen a little more closely) about the resources available to renters looking for rental properties. You have access to a wealth of information, broken out by region on NVHousingSearch.org. The site has a list of links and descriptions of the kind of information you can get from the organizations.
We wish you happy house/apartment hunting and an amazing year of school. (P.S. Please tell all your friends about NVHousingSearch.org. We don’t want to be the best kept secret in Nevada!)
