Your source for Capital Region apartments
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518 Apartments is a real estate listing service for the Capital Region of New York. We offer visitors the ability to search our site for both residential and commercial properties for rent. If you are a landlord or property manager, feel free to register and post properties you offer for rent. You can search by location, price range, size or community features. Features
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Check Your Credit Report Before You Apply
As a young adult I was very financially savvy. I would always save and bought my first car cash. To be more precise, I repossessed my first car from my parents. I loaned them the money to buy it and we decided later on that I needed a van. I canceled the debt in return for ownership of the car. I always handled my finances better than most. I started working when I was 14 and saved every penny I could. I started a political consulting company when I was 18 and ran campaigns and advertised.
When it came time for me to settle down and get married, my wife and I applied for an apartment. We were shocked to find out that our credit score was not good enough to get the apartment. When they checked our credit score they said it was not bad; rather I just had no credit history at all. I got a $300 credit card once but never used it. Everything I bought was cash. My good financial behavior made it hard for me to get credit approval. This coupled with my wife's long credit history, albeit not so good history; the application was doomed from the start.
We eventually bought a two bedroom mobile home for $5,000 and a lot rent of $395. Things worked out in the end. Three years later my wife and I decided to apply to another apartment. This one was far more luxurious and expensive than the last one we applied for. This time however, I went in ready. I knew my credit score, credit history and other aspects of my credit report. Not only that, I knew what they were looking for. We were approved for the apartment and we are set to move in March first.
The need to know your credit score is not just to prevent the let down of being declined an apartment. There are financial costs involved in most apartment applications. I have seen credit report fees as low as $35 to as much as $200. It doesn't really matter how much you make. If you have to pay fee after fee just to be told you are declined, it is not fun at all. Also, every inquiry into your credit history can negatively affect your overall credit score. If you are in search of an apartment I would like to warn you against going into the process blindly. Although your goal may be to live in a luxurious apartment complex, you may end up in a trailer park instead. So make sure to check your FICO score before you apply for an apartment.