Have Your Shit Together
The amount of paperwork to just rent an apartment is staggering. Be ready to show the landlord a letter of employment with salary, bank statements, tax forms, and your ID, among other things. This will make or break you if there's a competition or bidding war over the apartment. At the end of the day, the landlord will decide who gets the apartment and you want to show you're prepared and an ideal tenant.
[Photo via @meghoff11]