I haven't rented for a while, but I do have answers to a few of your questions:

- Most leases I've signed in the past have been about 3ish months out from when the rental period begins. It could be more, it could be less- just depends on the situation. I once signed a lease less than a week before I moved in, but typically landlords will start showing a property approximately 3 months before their tenant moves out.

- I've never heard of anyone using an apartment realtor, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

- My *biggest* tip here is to avoid the newer construction apartment/"luxury" apartment complexes. If you're moving from a high COL area (say, the Bay Area or NYC), those might seem like decent prices, but in reality they are often more than twice as expensive as a totally nice apartment in an older building. For example- I rented a fairly nice 2 bedroom apartment in Highland Park a few years ago for $975/month. I've seen those new/"luxury" apartments charge $1700+ for a studio apartment. And I keep putting "luxury" in quotes, because those places don't seem like they're very well built or particularly luxurious at all- they just look "new". I've heard rent has gone up a lot in the past couple years, but I assure you that it's not dire enough to consider a $1700 studio apartment a "great deal".