How to Find Parking
Your new apartment is amazing. It’s the right size, has all the features you’ve been looking for and is in a great location. There’s only one problem—you’ve got nowhere to park your car. Take it from someone who knows, driving home every night and having nowhere to park your car can quickly turn a dream apartment into a nightmare. Apartments.com has some tips to help make finding a home for your car even easier than finding a home for yourself.
Consider All Your Parking Options
Street parking is sometimes the only option for many apartment-dwellers but there may be other choices.
- Read the parking signs carefully. Many people pass up spots that are legal because they misread the posted hours or other information. If a residential parking sticker is available, buy it. The extra fee will be worth the time you’ll spend searching for parking spots.
- Your landlord may have parking spots available near your apartment for an additional monthly fee. If you were told your building’s lot was full, inquire if another building in your area has extra spots. You may be able to rent one there and have only a short walk to your apartment.
- Look on local advertising websites to see if anyone is renting out a spot near you. In some cities, listings for parking spots are becoming almost as common as listings for apartments.
- Technology will soon be able to help you find a parking spot. A new service called “SpotScout” will connect drivers through any web-enabled device. A driver who is leaving a space in the near future can “Spotcast” their space to other drivers. When the space is successfully received by another driver, the drivers can rate each other as to how the transfer worked. The service is being test-marketed in Boston, New York and San Francisco.
Look for Alternatives
If none of the above options work, looking into other transportation options is your next best bet.
- Taking a bus or train may make your commute easier as well as relieve your parking issue. Investigate the routes near you for reasonable options.
- Carpooling can also save you from the need to park your car every night. Check in newspapers and online for local ads for people interested in carpooling. You can also post an ad at a community center. Make sure to state in your ad what days you are willing to drive and the general route you’d like to take.
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