Is it easier to find apartments in person? (Burlington, Colchester: for sale, real estate)

[DrJenWilliamson]

Where would be places to help me find an apartment? Are there rental agencies? Driving around looking for signs? Coffee shop bulletin boards?

I've checked the 7days classified and it's pretty minimal pickings. Craigslist is full of spam.

We are coming up this weekend to look for something in person since the online options seem so minimal.

We are looking for 1 or 2 bedroom, ok with old dogs, any neighborhood or suburb with buslines. We would love the city, even your worst parts if we can find something cheap. We are coming from Buffalo, so we are used to old buildings and bad neighborhoods, but not to the high rents. Eventually, we'll acclimate and get a better place, so we're thinking 1-2 years wherever.

[vter]

Yes, I think it'll be easier in person. Keep in mind though that Burlington has a very tight rental market.
Larkin Realty owns/manages a few apartment complexes. I'd give them a buzz.
Burlington VT Real Estate | Homes for Sale
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[MRVphotog]

In 1974 I left Vermont for Wyoming, after 23 years I decided to move back. A month before I planned to leave I flew back to Vermont and spent the week with the sole purpose to find a place for rent in the Montpelier area. This might be abit extreme but it resulted in being able to check all the resources and personally see the places available. I found a great place, put down a deposit and flew back to Wyoming knowing I had a place to live in hand. So, yes it's much better to find a place in person.

[AlwaysWandering]

We have been looking for rental homes in Vt & I do think it's easier to find a place in person, we will be visiting in the next few months but in order to begin familiarizing ourselves with the cities we are interested in we've been using hotpads.com. It has pictures & usually a good description of the place. Good luck in finding a place!

[DrJenWilliamson]

We were in town for a few days and didn't get to see even one apartment. We have two dogs and no one is interested in renting to two dogs. We'll keep looking, but it was a total bust.

[68vette]

Because of the rental laws in Burlington, pets are a huge turn-off. It's much easier and less hassle to rent to tenants without pets. My step-son has a cat and ended up in Milton because he wasn't able to find a place that met his needs. Depending on your needs or requirements, you may have better luck.

[DrJenWilliamson]

We tried Milton, Winooski, Essex, Colchester, South Burlington, Shelburne. Nothing. We'll keep trying until we get something, but it's wearing on my patience. It's not like I'm a scumbag with a puppy, I'm a physician with 2 old dogs that I have no intention of ditching.

[68vette]

Are you a resident at FAHC? If so, the HR department may be of some help. Another place to look would be the boards outside the Davis Auditorium or in the McClure lobby entrance.

[DrJenWilliamson]

No. I'm a Naturopathic Physician going to work for Avalon Natural Health downtown.

[Gemini1963]

Originally Posted by DrJenWilliamson

We tried Milton, Winooski, Essex, Colchester, South Burlington, Shelburne. Nothing. We'll keep trying until we get something, but it's wearing on my patience. It's not like I'm a scumbag with a puppy, I'm a physician with 2 old dogs that I have no intention of ditching.

We had a similar experience when we moved to New Orleans for a one-year clerkship. We only had one dog at that time, but it was REALLY hard to find something. We'd visit these apartments that had been T-R-A-S-H-E-D by Tulane students (sorry, not targeting Tulane, just providing the details), and yet, they would not listen to one word we said about our extremely well-behaved and quiet dog. As my husband said - to a prospective landlord, I think - when looking at one of those apartments: "My dog would not do this to your apartment even if left alone in here for a week, and you won't rent to us solely because of him?" It was unreal.

What finally worked for us was to place our own ad in the newspaper, describing ourselves in the best possible terms - reliable professionals with great credit, etc. etc. - and then stating that we did have a dog. We got ONE call back, but it was better than nothing at all (which was what he had had up until then), and we rented the place. It was not a palace, but it wasn't so bad, and our problem was solved. (That landlord even let us get a new puppy towards the end of our one-year lease.)

Anyway, good luck.