The thrill of the hunt is on! Your objective, should you choose to accept it, is to find the best place to live. Of course you'll accept it. You want a great apartment in the hippest area in town! Home is where the heart and your stuff is. Finding the best apartment for you means you get an affordable, safe place close to where you work and play. Hopefully with other cool amenities.

You already know you don't want to live in a transitional neighborhood, even though rents are lower in that part of town. Because what you save in rent, you might pay in increases to your car insurance. You would want to live where you can walk to the park and the grocery store. You want to find an apartment that has a gym and maybe even some other social aspects to it.

Get your pen and paper ready so you can make a list of things you want in an apartment. Check listings and get an idea for how much rent is in certain neighborhoods.

Then it's time to pound the proverbial pavement. Go visit your potential new homes to see how they measure up. After you've previewed them, review all your options, prices and locations and make your decision. All that's left is to go back, possibly try to negotiate a sweet deal from your landlord and sign the lease. Maybe you'll luck out and move in next door to that cutie you spotted next the mailboxes earlier.