Q: I dread looking for a new apartment. Any thoughts on how I can make my life a little easier?

A: Before pounding the pavement, surf the Web. Browsing online listings will give you a sense of what current prices are like in your area, and unlike the classifieds (or some brokers), most real-estate Websites filter out apartments that don't match your specified size, price range, and neighborhood.

nyaptstore.com - The city's original purveyor's of no-fee apartment lists, they now practically give their lists away-they do charge for a $40 mandatory credit report-in the hope of attracting more traffic to their site.