The Great Apartment Search

I've been searching for a 2 bedroom apartment for myself and my friend for almost 3 months now, and I'm really beginning to get frustrated.  I've seen places that they'd have to pay me to live there because of repairs, or the neigbourhood, and I've also seen nice places that were just too small.

Today, I call a place that advertised 2 Bedrooms starting at $730, and was told there was one available for September, and it was $795.  First off, why do these places lowball the price and then give sticker shock to potential tenants when they call?  Secondly, THIS IS HAMILTON, PEOPLE! There's such a thing as being too expensive for the area the apartment's located in.  I refuse to pay +$800, plus utilities for a shitty place downtown, that I know I'm just going to have issues with.