If you are pondering a move to a more profitable place to live, check out the top 5 cities where salaries are rising.

If you are pondering a move to a more profitable place to live, take some advice from the PayScale Index. This excellent online resource provides data about compensation and which cities are seeing growth in pay for employees.

Find your perfect apartment now!

According to their calculations, here are the top 5 cities where salaries are rising.

5th place: Dallas, TX +4.3%
Dallas offers more than big platters of Tex-Mex food and BBQ. They’ve got big money in the form of technology, defense and telecom. That’s why they’ve earned the nickname “Silicon Prairie.” As the 4^th largest metropolitan area in the U.S., this bustling city has a lot to offer in the way of sports, arts and culture. Now they can also add rising salaries as reason why “everything’s bigger in Texas.”

Tied for 3rd place: Riverside, CA +4.5%
Situated in between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, Riverside is more than just another Southern California suburb. It’s the place to go for a job search that will result in some serious So-Cal cash. This city started as a citrus town, but now their top-grossing businesses include education, manufacturing and retail.

Tied for 3rd place: Boston, MA +4.5%
Tied with Riverside, Boston’s salary increase of 4.5% means more profitable jobs in some of the most popular industries of 2013: healthcare, finance and higher education. Its rising salaries may be attributed to the abundance of universities and colleges in this town, like Harvard University, Boston College and MIT. Where there are smart people, there are usually great jobs, after all — not to mention excellent culture, restaurants and museums.

Tied for 1st place: Seattle, WA +4.8%
Seattle has always been a leader in the technology industry, and things continue to look up as salaries in Microsoft’s hometown increase by 4.8%. This hip Pacific Northwest city is also home to retail giants like Amazon, Starbucks and Nordstrom, which continue to grow as e-commerce explodes. If you don’t mind a little rain, this is a great place to move and watch your salary grow.

Tied for 1st place: Houston, TX +4.8%
Tied with Seattle, Houston is a top city where salaries are on the rise. If you work in the energy business, you might choose to make this oil town your own. The boom goes beyond oil and gas, though, and is expanding to wind and solar power. Though Houston is known as the “Energy Capital of the World,” it’s also making a name for itself in the environmental game with many green transportation options to help you get to and from your high-paying job in a sustainable way.

It’s great to hear about rising salaries, and hope on the horizon. If a profitable job is your goal, you might consider finding an apartment in one of these five promising cities.

Photo credit: Shutterstock / auremar

The post 5 Cities Where Salaries are Getting a Promotion appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.

Here are items you will want to weigh carefully before you add your signature to another person’s apartment lease.

If a friend or relative asks you to co-sign on an apartment lease, should you do it?

Find your perfect apartment now!

Of course, we all want to help friends and family in need, but you have to be careful when it comes to the commitment of legally guaranteeing another person’s apartment lease.

Here are some items you will want to weigh carefully as you consider whether to add your signature.

What it means to be a apartment lease co-signer
When you co-sign an apartment lease, you give your legal guarantee that the rent on that apartment will be paid. You are also responsible for paying any fees for damages on that apartment beyond normal wear and tear, for instance.

What happens if the rent is not paid
When you co-sign, you also co-assume the financial responsibilities of renting that apartment. If the apartment tenant cannot or does not pay the rent — and you are the apartment lease co-signer – then the responsibility falls to you to pay it. If you cannot pay the rent, you are then in default. Your failure to pay the rent will be reported to your credit agencies, which could adversely affect your credit score. There is even the possibility that the apartment management company could take you to court to get the money owed to them.

Obviously, you must make the decision to co-sign very carefully.

Know the renter
Before co-signing a loan for someone, make sure you know them very well. We are not saying you should know their favorite color or favorite Bond film; you should know their spending habits. Are they good with money? Do they have a good track record with paying bills on time? Can they afford rent each month? Ask them to show you bill statements to make sure they are not constantly getting hit with late fees. Knowing all of these details will give you a better picture of who the person will be as a renter and how likely they are to pay rent on time.

Know yourself
Ask yourself a few questions, too. Would you be able to make the payments, should your friend or family member not be able to pay the rent? How would co-signing a lease affect your relationship with that person? Would the endorsement make you worry? It’s important to consider the ramifications before making this important legal commitment.

A third person?
If your friend or family member has a roommate, you are probably better off NOT co-signing the apartment lease. No matter how much you trust the person you know, you may not be able to predict how the roommate will act or if they will pay rent on time.

When it makes sense to co-sign a lease
There are certain times when it makes sense to co-sign a lease:

• If you are able and willing to make the rent payments in the event your friend or family member cannot.
• If your friend or family member has a proven, reliable track record with money.
• If your relationship with the tenant is strong enough to withstand no matter what happens with this renting situation.

If these conditions are met, you might go ahead and co-sign the apartment lease. If you do, you will be helping your friend or family member secure an apartment and build up credit at the same time!

Photo credit: Shutterstock / JJ Studio

The post Should You Co-sign an Apartment Lease? appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.

Read about what’s going on in apartment renting right now.

At Apartment Guide, we want to help movers stay informed about the state of renting in this country.

Find your perfect apartment now!

Take a quick look at a gathering of recent trends and reporting about what you might expect to find when renting an apartment right now.

Rent or buy?
A common question which people looking for a new place to live ask is whether to rent or buy. Though many factors play into that decision, consider that cities where the break-even point occurs more quickly for renting versus buying a home are generally considered attractive cities for renters. The latest findings reported on Bloomberg.com list twelve cities where that point ranges from about 2.5 to 5 years.

High-tech, high rent
Multifamily Executive shares a report indicating that high-tech cities will experience the highest rent growth in 2013. West Coast technology centers like Seattle, San Jose and San Francisco will likely see greater than five percent rent hikes this year. Hopefully, strong employment rates will assist renters in keeping up with the rising rent trend in these highly-desired cities.

Capitol savings
Though rental occupancy is typically high in cities across the country, there are places where lower occupancy means an opportunity to pay lower rent. According to GlobeSt.com, Washington, D.C., is the primary hotspot where there are plenty of apartment units for renters to choose from, at perhaps a 2% average savings over last year. Other cities may see changes like these in the near future, as building resumes.

Renting is the trend
While it is important to take big-city trends into account, the U.S. Census Bureau shared some nationwide findings in April which necessitate a look back at the big picture. In cities around the country from approximately 2009 to 2011, the overall living statistic of note was an average move away from home ownership to renting. The report says that “more renters are spending a high percentage of their household income on rent,” perhaps because the decrease in available apartments means that rents went up to balance the change. For renters who spend about 35 percent of income on rent and utilities, that level is considered high.

Renters in Richmond, VA, and Buffalo, NY, scored a win, however, as the only markets among the 50 most-populated urban areas where the actual cost to rent decreased. Also of note is the finding that, in the cities of Los Angeles and New York, about half of households were rented.

Though individual statistics may not be of much practical use, taken together, they indicate the trends to pay attention to. Trends in home living are important to help make decisions about relocation, for instance. The overall cost of living in a place — which includes how much it costs to establish a home — is critical knowledge for movers to consider.

Photo credit: Shutterstock / John Henkel

The post 2013 Renting Trends: Mid-Year Update appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.

If you aspire to the good life, you’ll find company in these three areas where wealth is concentrated.

Want to know where America’s richest people live?

Find your perfect apartment now!

Between 2006 and 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau tracked where the wealthiest five percent of Americans are living. Defining high-income households as those that earn about $200,000 a year and above, the Census Bureau determined that the greatest concentration of wealth is in three main areas. These three areas are located near, but not directly in, large metropolitan areas along both coasts.

New York suburbs
According to Forbes, while New York City, NY, boasts the largest amount of wealthy residents of any city in the country, the concentration of wealth is higher in the surrounding suburbs of Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Stamford, Connecticut.  These areas are located along Long Island Sound about 60 miles away from the city. Here, nearly 20% of residents are considered wealthy.

What draws so many rich people to this area? For one thing, there’s proximity to the city. The Fiscal Times also notes that it’s a lower-tax region.

Silicon Valley
California boasts the nation’s largest population of billionaires, so it should come as no surprise that you’ll also find plenty of wealthy people living in the Sunnyvale-Santa Clara area outside of San Francisco, CA. This area is also known as Silicon Valley and is home to many of the world’s technology giants like Apple, Google and Hewlett-Packard — plus thousands of start-ups.

Unfortunately for the wealthy, it’s also home to some rather steep tax rates. The rich in Northern California can expect to pay about 12.3% in taxes versus the 6.7% rate that wealthy residents pay in Connecticut.

Washington, D.C. suburbs
Back on the East Coast, the third-largest concentration of wealthy Americans is settled around the Washington, D.C., metro area in the Virginia suburbs of Alexandria and Arlington. In these northern Virginia suburbs, 14% of households represent the country’s highest earners. The economy here has been shaped by proximity to the nation’s capital, and the majority of residents either work for the government, the military or for private companies that contract to the federal government. In Alexandria, for instance, the biggest employer is the U.S. Department of Defense.

Curious about the opposite end of the spectrum, as well? The southeastern states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana reported the lowest concentrations of wealthy residents.

For more details, check out the Census Bureau’s complete report.

Photo credit: Shutterstock / DeshaCAM

The post America’s Wealthiest Communities appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.

Apartment Guide is making news with findings about the housing habits of recent post-graduates.

Apartment Guide is making news with new findings about the housing habits of recent post-graduates. New grads are “following the money” to the top cities where opportunities are greatest in a number of fields.

Find your perfect apartment now!

New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia topped the list, according to survey results, because of appealing lifestyle factors offered in those cities.

This week, our findings were recognized by ABC News and the Huffington Post, among other news outlets. Website Refinery29.com raised the reasonable question whether a bustling hub like New York City is really the best choice for every graduate.

With all that new graduates have to consider, Apartment Guide wants to make the apartment search piece a no-brainer. Check our listings to find the perfect apartment to fit your needs, regardless of which city you call home.

The post Apartment Guide in the News appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.

Click the image to view the full infographic.

More than 70 percent of graduates are planning on moving to a new city once they say goodbye to their college campus and hello to corporate America.

Nearly half of all students are most concerned about finding an apartment in the “right” neighborhood after graduation.

Click on the infographic for more interesting insights into what post-grads want most in their next place.

The top 10 cities in America for post-grads are:

1. New York, New York
2. Washington, DC
3. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4. Seattle, Washington
5. Minneapolis, Minnesota
6. San Francisco, California
7. Chicago, Illinois
8. Las Vegas, Nevada
9. Portland, Oregon
10. Denver, Colorado

<a href="http://www.apartmentguide.com/blog/post-graduation-moving-trends"><img title="Post graduate moving trends" alt="Post graduate moving trends" src="http://www.apartmentguide.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/apartment-guide-post-grad-info.jpg" width="800" height="2905" /></a><br /> <a href="http://www.apartmentguide.com/college/">Apartment Guide – Find Off Campus Housing for Rent</a>

To add this infographic to your site, please copy the embed code from the above box and paste this code on your site.

The post Top 10 Cities for College Grads: Post-Graduation Moving Trends (Infographic) appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.

Young, professional women are proving to be a driving force in the apartment living boom.

The demand for apartments remains strong and is likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. A bruised housing market and sluggish economy have encouraged many people to choose renting over home ownership.

According to a recent report from CNBC, many in this group are young, professional women. These women are proving to be a driving force in the apartment living boom.

Find your perfect apartment now!

Family trending
A report shared by Raymond James housing analyst Buck Horne on CNBC suggests that educational trends and changing cultural attitudes toward marriage are fueling the boom of young female renters.

More women than men — roughly 3 million more — are attending and completing college. The result is that there are more educated, high-earning women in the workforce than men — and these women are taking longer to choose marriage than in the past.

Traditionally, it is the young family that drives the housing market. With the current generation taking longer to marry, however, there’s less demand for single-family homes and, consequently, more demand for apartments. Horne’s findings indicate that many of these young women prefer living in major cities in apartment rentals featuring convenient amenities that make the work-life balance easier.

On the move
Many young women consider apartment living to be a prudent and convenient home option. For professionals just starting their careers, apartment living offers the flexibility to move easily if and when the next big opportunity comes knocking. And for professionals in many large metros, urban apartment living also affords the chance to live in neighborhoods close to jobs — places where they can enjoy access to amenities, entertainment and culture, as well.

As independent, young women continue to succeed in the job market, they’ll likely remain a driving force in the apartment market, these findings seem to suggest.

Photo credit: Shutterstock / Santiago Cornejo

The post Young Women Choose Apartment Living appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.

If you’re looking for rental deals, you’re likely to find them in one of America’s emptiest cities.

If you’re looking for rental deals, you’re likely to find them in one of America’s emptiest cities — places hit hard by the real estate downturn and a weak job market.

Find your perfect apartment now!

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of vacant properties, which includes both apartment units and unoccupied homes for sale, has risen by nearly 44 percent nationwide since 2000.

While rental rates are rising in most cities across the country as the popularity of renting increases, the market has yet to recover in certain cities. Read about five empty cities where it’s definitely still a renter’s market, as interpreted in this CNBC report.

5. Richmond, VA
With a 15 percent rental vacancy rate — one of the highest in the United States — Richmond definitely offers space to spread out. And it may also offer opportunity to job seekers in the law and finance industries, which are the main drivers of its economy. Home to several Fortune 500 companies and a high concentration of Fortune 1000 companies, Richmond has also been ranked as one of the best cities for business.

4. Detroit, MI
Detroit has been one of the hardest-hit cities since the economic downturn, seeing a record number of foreclosures and a high unemployment rate. Rental vacancies are soaring in this city, though, surprisingly, the average number of unoccupied homes remains quite low. Despite being hit hard, the Motor City is still a great place to live thanks to a rich culture of Motown sound, legendary sports teams and historic architecture.

3. Memphis, TN
Memphis is third overall in the nation for available (read: vacant) homes. A decline in population has led to an abandoning of certain civic hopes. The Pyramid in Memphis, designed as a major entertainment arena venue for the city Elvis Presley made famous, has sat empty for a number of years, though reports indicate the space may reopen as a retail business venture. Meanwhile — for the near future, at least — Memphis finds fewer folks living near musically-famous Beale Street.

2. Dayton, OH
Dayton’s homeowner vacancy rate is falling, which is great news for this empty city’s housing market — but not the rental market, where vacancies are still high. Aerospace, defense and healthcare are strong industries in Dayton. If you’re looking to start a career, Dayton may be the place.

1. Orlando, FL
With rental vacancy rates at nearly 20 percent, Orlando is one of the emptiest cities in the country. But it’s not all doom and gloom for a place that’s been nicknamed “The City Beautiful.” Unlike other empty cities experiencing financial woes, Orlando still has money in its budget, which may be due in part to its distinction as the theme park capital of the world. With Walt Disney World and many other parks attracting tourists year-round, Orlando is one of the most-visited cities in the country.

The five other cities that made the Census Bureau’s top ten list of emptiest locales:

10. Toledo, OH
9. Tampa, FL
8. Houston, TX
7. Atlanta, GA
6. Las Vegas, NV

These cities may be “empty” now, but trends show that the economy’s recovering. You might want to snag a rental deal fast, before they fill up again!

Photo credit: Shutterstock / Santiago Cornejo

The post America’s Emptiest Cities 2012 appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.

Rental history is judged by many landlords to be a reliable measure in choosing whether to extend a new lease.

Here’s some important news to be aware of if you are a renter or a potential renter.

The apartment leasing industry (also known as the multifamily industry) is increasingly using a new metric besides the credit score to help determine whether they should offer a lease to a prospective renter.

Rental history is becoming a key criterion for approving new leases, and it is judged by many landlords to be a very reliable measure.

Find your perfect apartment now!

Why is rental history so important?
In the apartment industry, one typical way that financial behavior is gauged is to check credit reports for renters. If these reports indicate responsible spending alongside other positive qualifications, then offering a lease ought to be a reasonable bet.

Good credit is still the gold standard, but now, checking whether residents have historically paid their full rent amounts — on time — seems to be a key to reliably suggesting that those renters will continue to do so and should be cleared for new leases.

The addition of rental history data has come about as new technology and credit company connections have emerged to make renting history easier for landlords to access. Credit bureaus, in fact, are often the agencies which collect and share this rental history data. With rental history added as a part of credit considerations, it can help support an individual’s overall picture as a reliable spender.

Check your own rental history
This change suggests that even if renters have experienced credit difficulties, they may still be eligible to rent IF they also have proven that they can pay rent on time every month for a period, likely for the length of a past lease. For renters in this situation, this should be heartening news.

So, how can you double-check your rental history and ensure that your records reflect a good standing? You might wish to check in with the same reporting agencies a potential landlord might, like Experian. Also, consider contacting former managers in apartment communities where you have a strong rental history, asking them to share with you the official history they have on file for your tenancy.  Keep in mind you will need to know the addresses where you have lived to best verify your rental history information.

Know that if you have missed rent payments, paid late, or abandoned a lease early, you will not be seen as a great renting candidate by apartment community managers. You can address the situation, however, and make a case for your tenancy.

What about first-time renters?
For first-time renters, you will have different hoops to maneuver to help convince a landlord to rent to you. Keep in mind that credit history is still considered a major part of the mix when considering lease authorization.

Money – and how you spend it — still talks!
If you are a renter, good renting behavior is not only your financial and legal responsibility, then; it may also keep your renting options alive in the future. When the time comes to renew your apartment lease or find a new apartment home, you won’t regret the positive history you have built as a reliable resident and renter.

Photo credit: Shutterstock / Andresr

The post Rental History is Becoming a Key Criterion for Approving Leases appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.

ATLANTA (March 27, 2013) — PRIMEDIA, the parent company of Apartment Guide, Rent.com, and Rentals.com today launches the industry’s first HD Image Pack™, providing a more visual and comprehensive search experience.  Powered by premium high-definition media, the HD Image Pack caters to consumers’ desire for visuals and represents a sizeable investment by PRIMEDIA to ensure that its customers’ listings are optimized to engage consumers and drive leads. The introduction of this HD content enhances Apartment Guide, Rent.com and Rentals.com listings and solidifies the brand as the most complete and trusted source of information for prospective renters looking to discover the ideal place to live.

The HD Image Pack’s high-quality visual offering provides apartment seekers with a deeper understanding and a more clear perspective of viewed listings, which ultimately helps drive more qualified leads to apartment operators.

“Apartment Guide constantly strives to enrich our consumer experience, and we know that with the proliferation of social media, visuals are a compelling driver of user engagement,” said Arlene Mayfield , senior vice president, PRIMEDIA and president, Apartment Guide, Rentals and Homes divisions. “With the launch of our HD Image Pack, Apartment Guide now offers a highly visual search experience that assists consumers in their search and ultimately drives qualified leads to property managers. Making investments in our brand and our listed properties is a great opportunity to provide our consumers a personalized search experience.”

PRIMEDIA’s HD Image Pack features HD photos, HD videos, HD panoramic tours and HD floor plans, which translates to an increase in leads for property managers and creates a successful search experience for the consumer.

• HD Photos:  Professional HD photos, which will be featured in search results, have produced a 10 percent increase in leads over listings without HD imagery based on a trial of over 1,000 Apartment Guide properties
• HD Videos:  This HD multimedia offering provides consumers with a comprehensive view of a property and generated 28 percent more leads than those without a multimedia offering based on Apartment Guide’s customer trial
• HD Panoramic View:  The professionally shot 360 degree HD panoramic tour showcases property amenities and interiors allowing consumers to fully experience the property on their desktop as well as on mobile devices
• HD Floor Plans:  Floor plans are the most requested information by prospective renters after unit pricing, and Apartment Guide listings that included floor plans in February 2013 have generated close to 17 percent more leads for property owners and managers

Leading apartment operators are already seeing the benefits of Apartment Guide’s HD Image Pack:

“What a difference the new HD Image Pack photographs have made with Legacy North Pointe in driving interest to the community. The images were able to capture every detail of the community amenities, office and model with acute clarity and crispness, while providing the best angle shots for demonstrating each area. The upgraded photographs have enhanced the community packages, creating additional interest which has resulted in more site traffic and awareness about the community.”  - Kelly Shuffett , Regional Property Manager with GCI Residential

The HD Image Pack launch follows the recent announcement of Apartment Guide’s Certified Resident Ratings & Reviews^SM service for property operators — another industry first — featuring a free-of-charge online ratings and reviews service compiled from certified residents. Apartment Guide continues to evolve its search technology to deliver quality results for property managers and provide consumers with the best experience to find a new place to live. The entire HD Image Pack is available at no additional cost for Apartment Guide customers with Diamond packages. HD Photos are also available at no additional cost to all customers with Gold or higher packages.

For more information about Apartment Guide, please visit www.ApartmentGuide.com.

About PRIMEDIA
PRIMEDIA helps millions of consumers nationwide find apartments, houses for rent or new homes for sale through its category-leading websites and mobile applications, including ApartmentGuide.com, Rent.com, Rentals.com, RentalHouses.com, and NewHomeGuide.com. PRIMEDIA continues to simplify the consumer home search and drive leads that result in occupancies for property management companies, landlords, new home builders and real estate professionals. For more information, visit www.primedia.com. For more information about Apartment Guide, please visit www.ApartmentGuide.com.

The post Primedia Launches HD Image Pack to Power a More Visual Search Experience appeared first on Apartment Living Tips - Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.