Finding a new place to live is a time consuming and potentially expensive task. I know. In the past two years, I have moved six times. I am now about to move once again.
I made the decision to go relocate from the over-priced California Bay Area to Seattle Washington with the hopes of a better quality of life.

In terms of the apartment, my goal was to find the best place possible, near to downtown, at a fair price, and without having to travel back and forth between Washington and California.

So how did I do it?

I first need to browse the apartment listings. These are a few of the more popular websites for apartment searching:

http://www.rent.com
http://www.apartments.com
http://www.apartmentguide.com

Rent.com was my site of choice.

Browsing the site, I would save the listings that best met my criteria of location, price and amenities. Once I had my list, it was time to collect further information about the apartment. Most places allow you to call or email. Its a good idea to do this and get the most up-to-date listing information. This can also give you a good mental picture about the management from how willing they are to help. Ask about things such as required fee's, deposit, pet info, safety, parking and lease options.

From this information you may further narrow down your selection.

Using Apartmentratings.com, I read reviews written by current or former tenants.
This helped me further develop my view of the apartment in regards to convenience of location, management, building maintenance and quality and its current residents.
Keep in mind that this is not a completely accurate view of an apartment. Its a known fact that people are more likely to write reviews or comment after they have had a negative experience. Because of the this the reviews are usually one sided. But you should look out for common trends in the comments, such as issues with the building or management. Don't let your final decision be based on just these reviews. There may also be other factors that led to the negative review that you are not aware of.

At this point my places of choice were further narrowed down to just three top choices.

Finally it was time to get a feel for the area surrounding the apartment. Using Google Earth(Google Maps works as well), I typed in the apartment address to get a lock on the building.

Using the zoom function, get in close until you can get a clear picture of the apartment building. While it is still a classic overhead map view,but you will be presented with 3D buildings(if the option is selected in your "Layers" options) and a very clearly detailed map.

Zooming in further, you will presented with more options. Along the street paths, you will see what looks like little cameras icons.
Note: If you dont see this, be sure that "Street View" is selected in the "Layers" menu at the bottom left hand side of the window.
Clicking once on a camera icon will show you a small pop-up window and a "View Full Screen" option. Click on this link to see the Street View. You may also double click on the camera icon to go straight into street view and bypass one step.

Now you are at the street level. Pretty great right? From this view, you can get a 360 degree view as though you are standing there in person.
Click on a camera icon to "Virtually Walk" along the streets and around blocks.
This can give you a great idea about the area, including traffic, local businesses, and cleanliness. All this without having to make a trip in person.

Using these tools, I found everything I wanted in an apartment, and at no cost! With a little time and patience it can be done!