Whatever you do, don't get an apartment with electric baseboard heating, especially if it's an old building. They were built with large windows and before electricity in some cases. Your electric bill will be over $200 dollars per month in the winter with that type of heating. Or if you do, be aware that you may be paying over $200 per month for electricity in the winter and budget accordingly.

You also need to be ready to pay on the spot. Depending on your price point the competition is fierce for apartments. If you are going to pay $2000 plus for a studio or 1 bedroom, though, probably you don't need to worry, as there are lots of them and less competition at that price point. If you want anything under $2000, you can't wait. This happened to me in 2014, long before the pandemic and the apartment bidding. I looked at some 30 apartments and the ones I liked, I waited a day or two and they were gone. I finally got my current apartment by giving them a check for the security deposit when they showed it to me, to hold it.