When is the best time to rent? (Atlanta, Austell: for sale, real estate)

[Larry X]

My wife and I are currently looking to rent an apartment. We stay in Austell now and looking to rent an apartment in southwest Atlanta/Fulton area, we really like the 30331 area but prices can be pretty steep for a decent 2br apt ($900-$1200.) We are trying to decide if we should rent in Dec-Jan or wait til tax season (February-March); do apt rent prices go up or down during tax season?

[creativmind]

Hi,

I haven't paid much attention to the prices of rent during tax season so I can't really comment on that. What I have noticed is that rent is usually least expensive during the winter months because most people prefer not to move during those times. I have also seen lower rates during the months of May and June then again in Sept/Oct.

I hope this helps! Best of luck in finding what you're looking for.

[afdinatl]

Fall and Spring

[ATLTJL]

This is not as simple as it used to be. The wisdom once was move when nobody else is moving and the rates are cheaper because there is less demand. You also have more wiggle room for negotiation.

But technology has really changed that. Nowadays, rents aren't hashed out by you and an apartment manager, they are set at the corporate level by an algorithm that considers market conditions, property capacity and vacancy, and a bunch of other data. That number is updated daily. So an apartment that is $900 today can literally be $980 tomorrow and $850 the day after that. And the people who work in the office have little to no control over rents anymore.

The only exception is if you rent from a small property that is not managed by one of the large management companies, but the technology has gotten so cheap that almost every property has some form of rate calculator that they can't control. Obviously, this is more true in hot intown areas where the management companies with the big bucks are most prevalent.

It may be true that some times are better than others, but rates are now calculated based on tons of different factors and if you look at them on a spreadsheet, they can look truly random. My advice is to find something you like and if the rent sounds good, jump on it that day. If you like the unit but the rent is too high, call every day and ask what the rent is that day. It may go up, but you could get lucky and call on the day it went down, too.

[LovelySummer]

This. Always better to rent or buy when no one else is doing so.

Originally Posted by creativmind

Hi,

I haven't paid much attention to the prices of rent during tax season so I can't really comment on that. What I have noticed is that rent is usually least expensive during the winter months because most people prefer not to move during those times. I have also seen lower rates during the months of May and June then again in Sept/Oct.

I hope this helps! Best of luck in finding what you're looking for.

[Tarzanman]

Originally Posted by Larry X

My wife and I are currently looking to rent an apartment. We stay in Austell now and looking to rent an apartment in southwest Atlanta/Fulton area, we really like the 30331 area but prices can be pretty steep for a decent 2br apt ($900-$1200.) We are trying to decide if we should rent in Dec-Jan or wait til tax season (February-March); do apt rent prices go up or down during tax season?

There is no magic time, in my experience. If you have flexibility in your moving date then that puts you ahead of the game because timing is a factor in securing desirable properties (the type that don't stay vacant for long).

It is true that there is more demand for rentals in the Fall and the Spring, but there is also more inventory during those seasons as well because school schedules influence when people decide to pick up and move.

Trulia shows several homes (as in townhomes or single family homes) in that zip code between $900-$1200 for a 2 bedroom. What price range are you trying to hit?

[George Chong]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

This. Always better to rent or buy when no one else is doing so.

Agreed - like now. I was at an apartment complex today and the leasing agent said that no one is looking at this time of the year. March is when business starts kicking back up again. Spring is when the market picks back-up in the number of listings in for sale in real estate too.

[Larry X]

Originally Posted by Tarzanman

There is no magic time, in my experience. If you have flexibility in your moving date then that puts you ahead of the game because timing is a factor in securing desirable properties (the type that don't stay vacant for long).

It is true that there is more demand for rentals in the Fall and the Spring, but there is also more inventory during those seasons as well because school schedules influence when people decide to pick up and move.

Trulia shows several homes (as in townhomes or single fam homes) in that zip code In $900-$1200 for a 2 bedroom. What price range are you trying to hit?

My wife and I are newbies renting here in the Atlanta area, coming from Ohio I was paying $460/mnt in a Ok area, lol. We knew we would have to pay more here. So at first our max was $700/mnt (Six Flags dr anyone? lol) so we bumped it up to $800/mnt but looks like we are going to have to bump it up to almost $900/mnt for a 2br in the area we want (30331) or we can do a 1br with enough space for a small office. Yes my wife and I can afford $900/mnt but if i were to loose my job she couldn't afford that on her income and if she lost hers it would be almost half my income per/mnt.

[matilda79]

I remember looking for rental properties around summer and fall and pickings were slim. One of my leasing agents from awhile back mentioned to me that moving in our complex occurred most during this time because of kids starting school and students graduating/going to college. That's also when I saw the most moving trucks.

Now, in winter, I have seen more rental listings and (bummer) the prices are a bit lower than what I am paying right now. I'm not familiar with the zip code you mentioned but you could possibly negotiate lower rent from a landlord if you agree to a longer-term lease (which may depend on credit standing) --it might get you a $50 or so reduction per month, depending.