3 Keys to Successful Rent Negotiation

March 16, 2018 | By Marisa AuthorMy First Apartment

Negotiation is one of the hardest skills in life. Some people hate confrontation so much that they will do almost anything to avoid it. Being on the apartment hunt myself, I ran into this huge obstacle. I loved the apartment but could not afford the price. Even the thought of negotiation made me nervous, but I decided…

Ask Your Landlord For These Extras – You Might Get Lucky!

July 10, 2013 | By doug AuthorMy First Apartment

When you think of apartment-building amenities, you’re probably thinking of the sort of flashy things listed in bold-faced text in the building’s marketing materials. POOL! ROOFTOP DECK! ON-CALL DOG-WALKERS! But just because your new apartment is a bit more basic doesn’t mean you can’t get a certain level of VIP treatment. There may be other…

Renting 101: Negotiating with Your Landlord

August 3, 2012 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

Negotiating is perhaps one of the scariest aspects of dealing with landlords. This is because, for whatever reason, American culture is almost completely devoid of bargaining. In fact, it’s almost taboo: if you walk into a store in the U.S., you expect to pay the list price. No American negotiates the price of a duvet…

Mail Call: How Much Should Your Rent Be Increased Yearly?

August 9, 2010 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

You heard it here first — we’re going to the mailbox! Benjamin from Allentown, PA wants to know how much his rent should be increased per year. Ah, don’t we all. I’m actually about a month away from my landlord sending me my renewal papers and I’m already anxious as to whether he’s going to…