Should I choose my neighborhood before I start checking apartment availability?

Quick answer

Yes. Grant prefers to narrow the city to the strongest lifestyle and commute areas first, then use live inventory to choose among apartments inside those areas. If you begin with whatever units happen to be available, it is easy to end up scattered across the metro with no coherent comparison. Area first gives the search structure; live availability then determines the best current options.

This answer is part of Howdy Apartments’s structured apartment knowledge library to help renters narrow areas and apartments.