Apartment Search Advice

It took what felt like forever to finally find an apartment and it was a struggle to do the search for the first time in my life. I thought that maybe someone else reading this may be in a similar situation.

A little advice;

First thing: Budget. Figure it out, be honest with yourself or you won't be happy in your new place. You will need to account for a security deposit, some places need first and last rent when you move in, any extra bills entailed with moving, any rent due for your old apartment.
(This section could go on for days, but the most helpful thing I did here was just go through my bank statements online to see what I was spending and what I could afford to pay monthly towards rent with all the initial costs I mentioned above)

Be Nice to Everyone: even if the apartment isn't a fit they may recommend somewhere that works better for you.

Your always interested, but BE HONEST: This is part of being nice to everyone, if you are taking the time to interact with the person at least seem interested and then if your not just politely and honestly explain why. (This led to another great lead for me)

Be meticulous with follow-up and note taking: after about the 15th apartment I couldn't tell up from down and my notes helped me remember what places we liked and which where just dumps. Also, your expectations for a place may change through the search and the housing you passed on before may need to be reevaluated so having these notes is great for that.
-I tend to need a little more organization than other people so next time I would probably start an excel spreadsheet with my notes: availability, price, address, contact info, status, etc.

Where to look:
-classically the classifieds are a good place, the print versions are great, but look online because most local newspapers have an online addition of the classifieds that is easier to search.
-property management companies have apartment rental listings that you can get from their website, by calling (some times prerecorded), or by calling and talking to reception. Personally I like talking to someone because if its a large company with a lot of properties you can usually explain what your looking for and they have recommendations for you which saves a lot of your time.
-Drive By: Depending on the neighborhood you want to live in there may be lots of apartment complexes you can just drive by and stop if you like. This is much more time consuming and best when done during business hours because sometimes they have offices and can show you a place right then. As you drive-by these complexes write down any information on rental signs and call while your there because they may have a lock box so you can view on the spot.
-Myspace, Facebook, Social Networks: I put up bulletins, postings on all the market places and general information dialogues provided by the social networks sites I belong to. This led to a few emails of friends who had info and also my friends' friends who are in my network that I may have connected with otherwise.
-Tell Everyone Your Looking: A lot of opportunities come up when you talk to people, and if they are close to you or care at all they will keep you top of mind if they come across something.

About.com has good articles on the subject

I hope this helps someone, please leave comments with any corrections, additions or anything else you want! Thanks!