CrimeReports.com – This website takes public crime data and lets you search by map. This is a good way to check out your prospective zip code/neighborhood before you decide to lease an apartment. Click here for a link to their website already centered in the Houston area.

City-Data.com – This website is a wonderful resource for checking out your new zip code/neighborhood before you decide to rent a property. City-Data.com collects a variety of information from both governmental and private sources. Their site contains data about everything from crime information to the weather. Click here for a link to their website.

3-Men Movers – This local company offers moving services to help you get all of your stuff into your new apartment. We have personally used this company and have referred many happy clients to them over the years. Just tell them that Houston Apartment Hunter sent you! Click here for a link to their website.

Brook Furniture Rental: Home and Office Furniture Rental – We recommend Brook Furniture Rental if you need to rent furniture for your new apartment. Just tell them that Houston Apartment Hunter sent you! Click here for a link to their website.

Our Apartment Quality Formula – This is the best way to judge a property without seeing it. Remember that a property will charge as much as they can, but the public will only pay what they think it is “worth”. This formula will give you a score. It is just like getting a grade in school.

Remember this formula: rent (divided by) square feet (equals) quality
OR
Rent / Square Feet = Quality of the Apartment

The closer to $1 per sqft., the nicer it will be (like getting a 100% on a test). The closer to $.50 per sqft. the worse it will be (like getting a 50% on a test). In the Inner loop, Medical Center or Galleria you can expect to pay 40% more. So an A+ would be $1.40, a B would be $1.30, etc…. Midtown and Downtown can be as much as $1.50/sqft.

This “score” is made up of BOTH the area and the age of the property. This is why sometimes an old property in a great area (a 20 year old property in the Galleria) might cost the same as a new property in a depressed area. So the trick is to rent the cheapest place per sqft. that you still like. Hence you will get the most for your money, but you will not overspend. For example, let’s say you go visit a .70 per sqft. property, and you HATE it (probably a “C-“ property). Then you know you will hate EVERYTHING ELSE on your list at or under this price/sqft. On the other hand if you LOVE it, then you know you don’t need to spend .80 per sqft. to get what you want.