According to its survey, approximately 29 percent of people decided to move to a new apartment in 2011 because of employment opportunities. Looking for apartment dwellings that were a bit more spacious was another motivating factor, as 13.3 percent said they were looking for something bigger.
The survey also found more than 16 percent moved for financially-related reasons, as 9.7 percent relocated because their rent increased and 13.3 percent were looking for less expensive apartments.
Because demand in the apartment rental market is up, industry experts expect rate increases to soon follow.
"It's a good idea to lock into a lease right now," said Chris Brown, vice president of product management at Apartments.com. "Many management companies have announced rent increases and we're starting to see this reflected in the rents advertised on our site."
Increased demand has led to more housing starts. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, overall housing starts, which includes apartments and townhouses, increased nearly 15 percent in January.
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