Move-in Specials May Mean Cheaper Rent

Move-in specials and look-and-lease deals may allow you to pay a lower rent FOR THE ENTIRE LEASE! Most of them can be prorated, meaning that you can divide them up to drop your rent price for each month of the lease.

So, for instance, if your rent is $1200 for 12 months and the complex offers you the first month free, you can apply it to the other 11 months and pay $100 less EVERY SINGLE MONTH. Effectively, your rent becomes $100 cheaper.

Now, paying a cheaper rent is certainly a nice thing. However, this kind of scenario may help you in another way. If you were prepared to pay $1,200/month, you may be able to find a NICER apartment for that price.

The only downside is that there's no guarantee the apartment will remain affordable to you after the current lease expires. So, be aware that you may have to move once again - but, if you don't mind, you might be able to stretch your rent budget a bit farther than you thought.