Mr. Thrifty’s Guide to Finding an Apartment without Seeing All of Your Money Move Out

The Village apartment complex in Dallas, TX touts itself as a “city within a city…. which offers its own country club, jogging trails, athletic facilities and much, much more.” Within the Village there are actually 14 different properties with over 130 different floor plans. Is it the best place for you? It depends. If you value amenities and a vibrant social scene, then it may be the right home for you. However, if you are looking for quiet, larger floor plans and a better rental deal, then The Village might not be your ideal. Instead you might want to rent from a private landlord. The guide below discusses how to get the best deal from either a private landlord or a large, corporate apartment complex.

How to Rent from a Private Landlord

Mr. Thrifty recommends private landlords as your best bet for saving money. Private landlords tend to care a lot more about who they rent to than getting the absolute highest dollar for their unit. They are less likely to raise rent unreasonably because they know how difficult it is to find a quality tenant like yourself. The downside of renting from a private landlord is they probably can’t provide some of the amenities you can get in an apartment community (on-site maintenance, pool, exercise equipment, etc.). Also, private landlords will typically be renting out a single-family house, a duplex, condo, garage apartment, or cottage, which are different in many ways from a traditional apartment community.