Monday, May 5, 2008

Apartment Rating Services

After your minneapolis apartment search and before moving into a new apartment community it's really important to do your homework. Unless you're truly familiar with an area, or know someone who is, it can be difficult to determine what kinds of things to ask about when researching a new apartment complex. Most developments will advertise what they are "required" to tell you about. They will offer potential residents the basics: square footage on units, utility information, price, and a host of other essential details.

In some cases, these developments will even offer you insight into what "kind" of community you'll be moving into. But even this information could be used to mislead potential residents into signing leases. Luckily there are web sites on line that are designed specifically for real residents to offer their three cents about the communities they have lived in. But how reliable are these web sites? And are they truly a great resource for someone who is thinking of moving into a new apartment complex?

Subjective Opinions
One of the main problems with public opinion-based rating systems is the concept of Subjective Opinion. People look for different things when searching for a place to live. Thus, descriptions like: noisy, clean, secure are all words that can be represented in varying degrees. Additionally, people have differing standards of "clean." Some people expect interiors and surrounding property to remain perfectly spotless at all times. Others may be tolerable of a "bit of debris" here or there. Furthermore, a person's sense of safety may be entirely contingent upon an apartment complex's security personnel. But for some, simply being located in a more remote suburban area may symbolize security. But a resident's perception of how dangerous other individuals are will certainly vary from person to person.

Bias
One thing to note on apartment rating websites is the ratio of good reviews to bad reviews. The problem with this particular review is that while the resident's experience may be true, it doesn't particularly reflect the kind of treatment that a future resident may have at the development. In fact, by the time future residents even read the review, that management employee may no longer be with the company. In essence, many disgruntled residents utilize this anonymous on line service to discredit individuals with which they have personal issues. Most people rarely ever seek out managers at restaurants or other businesses when their service is particularly good. Therefore, even the most luxurious apartment complexes found on web sites have a significant number of "legitimate" complaints.

Timing
It's also important to consider the timing between reviews for certain apartments in atlanta developments. One way to look into the switch is to examine the apartment communities that a company owns. Look at their locations, the demographic of people in the area, and the prices on units. These things can tell you a lot about what kind of values a specific company stands behind.

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