Searching for Apartment Rental Availability
The fact that you’re reading this article could likely mean that you’ve found the best source for finding an apartment rental in Toronto – myhood.ca. But we’ll let you decide. Below are the key sources to consult when searching for rental availability:
The Internet: The Internet is quickly becoming the best means to find apartment rentals. Whether it be an apartment rental website, like myhood.ca or online classifieds – the ease of searching for apartment rental vacancies and all the necessary details from your couch simply can’t be beat. Just within Toronto, there are over 30 different rental search websites – so there’s an abundance of choice. Choose the ones that offer the most value whether it be number of listings or apartment reviews. Click here to search for rental listings and click here to search for apartment reviews.
Newspapers: Old school, but still useful – especially if you’re sitting on a subway or don't have access to the internet. Metro newspapers (i.e. Toronto Star), free weekly newspapers (i.e. NOW Magazine) and community newspapers all have classified sections filled with listings. Circle and call. Note that many of the listings in the classified section of the newspapers are also online on their website, so even if you pick up the paper in the morning, likely many of listings have already been viewed many times online.
Real Estate Agents: If you don’t want to put in the effort – they’ll be happy to – especially if they think that you’re next step will be to buy a place. The nice thing is that you don’t have to pay them – the landlord does. However, the landlord only pays them if they’re trying to rent out their place through a real estate agent as well. So, beware. Real estate agents are helpful, but they’ll only show you listings that they can get paid if you lease the unit – which usually means only condo listings - which is a relatively small portion of the market.
Walking Around: Funny enough, this is still a good option for finding a place. Many landlords will have a “For Rent” signs outside of their unit or building. So, why not go to the neighborhood you’d like to live in, walk around, and if there’s a building of interest, give it a call (the phone number is on the sign) and you’ll likely be able to see it immediately…
The net result of searching for a place is dependent on how motivated you are. If you’re willing to put in the effort, there’s no reason that you can’t use the internet to check out a few sites, get a real estate agent looking for a condo for you and walk around your choice locations one evening or weekend. The more options you employ, the better chance you have of finding a great apartment rental in Toronto or any city for that matter.
The Internet: The Internet is quickly becoming the best means to find apartment rentals. Whether it be an apartment rental website, like myhood.ca or online classifieds – the ease of searching for apartment rental vacancies and all the necessary details from your couch simply can’t be beat. Just within Toronto, there are over 30 different rental search websites – so there’s an abundance of choice. Choose the ones that offer the most value whether it be number of listings or apartment reviews. Click here to search for rental listings and click here to search for apartment reviews.
Newspapers: Old school, but still useful – especially if you’re sitting on a subway or don't have access to the internet. Metro newspapers (i.e. Toronto Star), free weekly newspapers (i.e. NOW Magazine) and community newspapers all have classified sections filled with listings. Circle and call. Note that many of the listings in the classified section of the newspapers are also online on their website, so even if you pick up the paper in the morning, likely many of listings have already been viewed many times online.
Real Estate Agents: If you don’t want to put in the effort – they’ll be happy to – especially if they think that you’re next step will be to buy a place. The nice thing is that you don’t have to pay them – the landlord does. However, the landlord only pays them if they’re trying to rent out their place through a real estate agent as well. So, beware. Real estate agents are helpful, but they’ll only show you listings that they can get paid if you lease the unit – which usually means only condo listings - which is a relatively small portion of the market.
Walking Around: Funny enough, this is still a good option for finding a place. Many landlords will have a “For Rent” signs outside of their unit or building. So, why not go to the neighborhood you’d like to live in, walk around, and if there’s a building of interest, give it a call (the phone number is on the sign) and you’ll likely be able to see it immediately…
The net result of searching for a place is dependent on how motivated you are. If you’re willing to put in the effort, there’s no reason that you can’t use the internet to check out a few sites, get a real estate agent looking for a condo for you and walk around your choice locations one evening or weekend. The more options you employ, the better chance you have of finding a great apartment rental in Toronto or any city for that matter.