No matter where you live in the U.S., finding affordable housing these days can be a challenge. Granted, but are many areas in the southern states where home prices and rent market values are lower than the national average, but rents are still climbing across the board — so low-income households may still have difficulty finding inexpensive apartments in the South. How can you find a place to live that meets your needs without breaking your budget?
The good news is there are still plenty of affordable places to rent across the South — provided you know where (and how) to look for them. Below, we’ve outlined two basic approaches you can take to find the low-income housing you need.
The Needle-in-a-Haystack Approach
These days, there are dozens of apartment search websites on the Internet that allow you to search for available apartments in a local area. You can narrow your search by all sorts of criteria, including square footage, number of bedrooms, monthly rent, etc. The down side to this approach is that if you have a limited income, your results may feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Your price range may turn up apartments that aren’t clean or well-kept, apartments in dangerous or high-crime neighborhoods, etc., and you’ll have to weed through these to find something that works for you. This approach can work if you have the time and patience, but it can be a frustrating and discouraging process.
The Income Based Approach
Depending on how much you earn, you may qualify for a number of local or federal programs designed to provide affordable housingIn general, housing for which the occupant(s) is/are paying no more than 30 percent of his or her income for gross housing costs, including utilities. Please note that some jurisdictions may define af... More to low-income households. With these programs, rents are determined based on your income, not market valueMarket Value is the value of the asset on the open market. More; the idea is for you to pay what you can afford while the government subsidizes the rest. Many apartment complexes participate in these programs, but they’re not easy to spot using the previous approach because they typically display their current market rates online. You can find out if you qualify for one of these programs by contacting your state or local housing authority, which you can often find using a basic Internet search. You can also click here for a directory of HUD field offices who can point you in the right direction.
Olympia ManagementOlympia Management, Inc. exists to meet the needs of the affordable housing community by providing top-quality living conditions, excellent management, compassionate interaction with tenants, and cons... More specializes in providing safe, clean, inexpensive apartments in cities across the South, many of which are income-based or income-restricted. To learn more, give us a call at 256-894-2382.