Finding a new place to rent can feel like entering a race with unique obstacles. Many newcomers become residents of San Diego every year so the competition can be tough to live in your place of interest and that's no surprise. San Diego boasts the best sunny weather, has many well-known universities and colleges and is a famous military town. It is also no wonder, the rent in San Diego has continued to sky-rocket. With popularity, comes demand and a high demand can increase the cost of living for an area. According to Zumper, "the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in San Diego is $1,815" and most residents in San Diego rent their home.There are many beneficial reasons why most San Diegans are renters. One of the benefits to renting in San Diego versus buying is it allows some flexibility and is less of a financial burden. It is very common for San Diego residents to shack up or live with roommates to cut their rent costs. In some states or cities, buying a house with a mortgage is more affordable than renting if you have a good credit score and enough money in the bank for the down payment. It is really not the case here for San Diego. You have to earn a really high salary to buy a home in San Diego and even so, the mortgage every month can still be really high; much higher than rent for the same home with the average down payment. Therefore, most San Diegans can only afford to rent. Recent data by Zumper shows 52% of housing units are renter-occupied in San Diego.Another perk for renting versus buying a home in San Diego is there is less of a commitment if you're not sure how long you're staying in an area. If you hate your neighbors, you can move within the year (assuming a rental contract is typically one year long) and it gives you time to explore the city and neighborhoods in the area while you're hoping to save and planning to make your big decision to buy a home. If you need further convincing about the perks of renting, read about my terrible living situation when I rented a studio to find out how I was able to move out within months, worry-free.When trying to find the right home to rent, you have to analyze many important factors before signing that rental agreement. This list includes: how big of a home you can afford, whether you need an office workspace if you're remotely working and if you'd be open to the option of having roommates to save costs. Typically, the more roommates you have, the less cost it would be every month per person. Furthermore, a home could be one of many types of dwelling. It could be a house, room, condo or apartment. What type of living situation are you looking for and can you afford it?In my own experience, finding a new place for rent can be fun, exhilarating or stressful. Thankfully, with the available resources on the internet now, you can find pictures of potential homes for rent, use Google Maps to locate the distance between your home and workplace and contact the landlord or renting manager without leaving wherever you're sitting (or standing) at the moment. Finding a place for rent is easier than ever. Take advantage of all the available online resources to save you time and gas money, before taking that trip out there for a tour.
