Roommates and Neighbors Top List of Gift Recipients Specific to Apartment Living Apartments.com survey reveals renters’ holiday gift-giving plans

CHICAGO – A recent survey conducted by Apartments.com revealed holiday gift purchase plans for individuals specific to the renter lifestyle. Thirty-nine percent of renters stated that they will purchase a gift for their roommate; fifteen percent of these givers will spend more than $50.

The Apartments.com survey further revealed that thirty-six percent of renters will give a gift to their neighbor and one-third of renters will give a gift to their postal carrier. Thirty-five percent of survey respondents plan to give to those who directly service their apartment building. Property managers/landlords topped the list of gift recipients, followed by maintenance personnel and doormen.

In addition, nearly seventy-eight percent of renters indicated that they will spend the same or less on gifts this year compared to 2005. Six percent will spend $1000 or more, eighteen percent will spend between $501 and $1000, twenty-six percent will spend between $101 and $500 and less than twelve percent will spend under $100. Barry Boone, CEO of DealHunting.com provides the following advice for those renters looking to stay on budget as they shop for holiday gifts:
• Prepare before you shop. Think about your gift recipients and make a list of things you would like to purchase for each person on your list.
• Go online and research your gifts. Through shopping search sites you can find and compare items from multiple stores as well as find special coupon codes, rebates, free shipping and other offers.
• Avoid the impulse buy. If it’s not on your list, don’t get it.

As part of its monthly “What Renters Want” series, Apartments.com surveys renters on various topics. For more information on these surveys or to receive a copy of survey results, please contact Lisa DeVries at ldevries@apartments.com.

About DealHunting.com
DealHunting.com, ‘Where Deal Hunters Come to Save,’ provides a daily shopping list where consumers can go to find an array of deals and savings in virtually any product category they can think of. The site regularly lists savings of as much as 80% or more from brand names like JC Penney, Disney, Oriental Trading Co., Brookstone, Wal-Mart, Avon, Toys R Us, Amazon.com, Best Buy, CompUSA, American Express and many more.

About Apartments.com
Apartments.com is the most visited national apartment Internet listing subscription service distinguished by more than two million rental listings from managed properties, newspaper classifieds and for-rent-by-owner units. Its personalized searches, highly visual ads featuring 360-degree virtual tours and professional photography, and comprehensive community listings, make it possible for in-market renters to access rental inventory from across town or across the country and make informed decisions quickly. The site's foundation of solid partnerships with the local newspaper and television station Web sites of more than 170 affiliates across the country includes the Chicago Tribune (www.chicagotribune.com), The Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) and the Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com). Apartments.com, a division of Chicago-based Classified Ventures, LLC, delivers highly qualified, ready-to-rent prospects to more than 14,500 trade customers, which increases closure rates and decreases the average cost of leasing an apartment.