Its tough to find the right apartment, especially if you live in a city these days. High rents, older buildings, a transient population, its enough to make you give up and move to the suburbs! There is hope, by following a few simple steps, taking the time, and being realistic you can find the perfect place.

First things first, what can you afford? This is one of those times when you will have to sit down and come up with a budget, I know it sounds boring but its better to spend an hour on this now than to find out you cant make rent in two months! Take into account food, utilities, transportation, entertainment, and shopping. Make sure you leave yourself some room for emergencies (this money can be put into savings if none arise).

Now that you have a budget you know what price range you fall into and can get out there and start looking. Go online and check out listings all over the city, different parts of Boston have very different looks and feels. Of course if youre a student you probably want to be close to class. Find a number of places that suit your needs. Some helpful place to look that I have found are www.craigslist.com which offers renters free listings, and www.bostonstudiosearch.com, a terrific place to find single occupancy residences.

Find a realtor, and start looking. Keep in mind that the faster the realtor can rent you a place the more time they will save and conversely the more money they can make. Take your time, look at a number of apartments. Make sure to take notes on which apartments you liked and why.

There are a number of questions you should ask the realtor.
Are utilities included?
What kind of security deposit is there?
How long is the lease?
Is it possible to break the lease or sublet?
What are the monthly utility bills?
Is there cable/internet access in this building?
Do they allow dogs/cats? (If necessary)
Is this unit managed by the owner or a management company?

Once you have decided on a place make sure you will be able to afford the upfront costs. Most Boston apartments require a first and last months rent, as well as a security deposit. After moving in look around and report any problems to the landlord, typically any damage after you move out will be deducted from your security deposit.

Good luck hunting for the perfect new place!