As the class of 2012 turns their tassels and leave campus life, savvy grads are finding they still have some homework to do to identify the cities that offer the best opportunity for employment, a place to live and the best quality of life as a young professional.  To help give these newly minted grads a leg up in both a competitive job and rental market, Apartments.com and CareerBuilder teamed up for the fifth year in a row to reveal the Top 10 Best Cities for College Graduates list.  Backed by our expertise in apartments and jobs, we tailored our list to what matters most to new grads—a place to live that affords them a lifestyle they can enjoy and the best overall opportunity.

Check out the infographic below to see the top 10 cities for new grads, average cost of rent for a one bedroom apartment, hottest jobs and more.  Did your city make the list?  Even if it didn’t, tell us why your hometown is a fabulous place for new grads to settle down in the comments section. Read More

In response to recent U.S. Census data revealing homeownership is at a 15-year low, Apartments.com VP of Product Management, Chris Brown, addresses the impact on the Chicago rental market on NBC Chicago. 

Watch the following three-minute segment where Brown discusses the current state of the rental market, cost-cutting tips for renters and neighborhood-specific information for Chicago. Read More

As property owners, managers or leasing agents, you understand the need to conserve energy at your apartment community.  By installing energy-efficient appliances and windows and using eco-friendly alternatives for floors, countertops and paint, you are not only significantly reducing your carbon footprint, but also banking significant savings on energy costs.  If 10,000 owners of large apartment communities change to Energy-Star appliances, the energy saved could power each of your TVs for 1,640,625 years!  While the people on the property level are doing their part to protect the environment, we want to provide you with four sustainable tips you can share with your environmentally-friendly residents—leading up to Earth Day on April 22^nd—that they can put into practice today.

1. Be a Savvy Shopper
Cut down on the amount of paper or plastic consumed by bringing a reusable shopping bag to the grocery store.  If eco-friendly shoppers forget their tote, ensure those plastic grocery bags get reused to line garbage cans or when scooping kitty litter.  Additionally, fuel and distribution costs can be reduced by shopping at local farmers’ markets instead of large chain grocery stores for produce. Read More

Help Apartments.com promote the Roommate of the Year contest to your residents and not only could you win $1,000, but you could also give them a new lease on life!

Apartments.com is once again searching for America’s best roommate in the 4th annual Roommate of the Year contest, and we need your help!  For the past three years, our winners have moved on to accomplish some amazing milestones with their winnings.  Thanks to living rent free for an entire year, our 2009 Grand Prize Winner, Keaton Davis, moved to New York City for a summer to work as an intern at the CBS Early Show.  Our 2010 winner, Andrew Prestler, was able to put his prize money toward paying off his college tuition.  Last year’s Roommate of the Year, Jesse McLaughlin, recently upgraded his roommate status to happily-ever-after, when he proposed to his girlfriend, who is also his roommate.  Jesse was also a resident at one of our advertiser’s communities!  Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to enrich one of your resident’s lives while enjoying an extra grand.    Read More

In response to the news that apartment vacancies are the lowest we’ve seen since 2001, we conducted a survey of Apartments.com visitors to find out about their moving plans for 2012, including reasons they are moving, why they are opting to rent versus own property, when they plan to move and which tools they value most during their apartment search. To help break down the results of the survey, we created the infographic below. You can click the image to enlarge it.

If you have any questions about the survey or have noticed any moving trends in your area, tell us in the comments section. To learn more about the survey findings, check out our press release. Read More

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we asked our 2011 Roommate of the Year, Jesse McLaughlin –who recently turned his cohabitation into a happily-ever-after by proposing to his girlfriend, Lisa Harbin–for his advice on successfully sharing space with a significant other.  If you have any couples living in your apartment community, they may enjoy the following five tips to make living with their sweetheart a success:

1. Talk money before the move
Discuss finances up front, even before you start looking at apartments, to make sure you establish what each person is comfortable contributing financially.  When you have this discussion, remember to include the cost for internet, utilities, parking and any other fees that may arise. Read More

This week the staff at Apartments.com paid a visit to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless to present them with a check for $15,000 to culminate “Raising Awareness.  Taking Action: A Campaign to Help End Homelessness.”  During the two-month campaign, kicking off in November to coincide with National Homeless Awareness Month, Apartments.com promised to donate $1 to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless for every Like we received on our Facebook page.  While we are so pleased to announce over 6,000 Facebook Likes were earned in response to this important initiative, the team at Apartments.com wanted to go above and beyond the number of Likes and present this well-deserving organization with a check for $15,000.

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As an Android enthusiast and a proud apartment dweller, I can assure you that my mobile phone never left my side while I was pounding the pavement during my last apartment search.  And, I’m not alone.  In a year or two, mobile phones are predicated to overtake PCs for accessing information online, which will certainly have an even greater impact on the way people shop for apartments.  Knowing that smartphone owners are brand loyalists (guilty!), Apartments.com launched an Android app to help provide renters—and smartphone lovers—with a variety of options to choose from during their apartment search.

A unique feature of the Apartments.com app is that it’s built according to Google’s guidelines, designed specifically for the Android phone to ensure users have the best experience.  While many companies simply port their iPhone app design over to the Android platform, we’ve tailored the rental search experience for them so that it feels like home.  With Android gaining momentum as one of the most preferred platforms across the country—representing 47% of the market share—Apartments.com is now broadening its reach to this growing segment of smartphone users looking for easy access to apartment information on the go.  Read More

During a special Thanksgiving episode of Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers, Apartments.com is recognized as an official life changer for donating Free Rent for a Year to the King family.  Burdened by financial hardships, the family of four (with a baby on the way) have been living out of a motel for almost four years.  Watch now  to see how the King’s lives will change for the better by receiving a  gift from an Apartments.com representative, Dick Burke, in this touching segment, sure to tug on the heart strings. 

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Facing tough financial hardships in response to medical bills for their son, the McLean family of Wichita Falls, Texas struggles to make ends meet.  With only a week left before they lose their apartment, they are elated by a surprise visit from Ellen’s Swaggin’ Wagon.  Watch their relieved reactions when presented with a check for $15,000, from Ellen and Apartments.com, to help them with their rent for the next year.

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