Renting with a misdemeanor...*help*

[Ricky Gutierrez]

First off thank you for taking a second to read this post, any experience and knowledge provided is very helpful.

I'll start off, the beginning of this year I made the stupid choice of drinking and driving, I was blackout drunk, phone was dead and instead of finding another way home I somehow got into my vehicle, long story short I got a DUI but am in the process of having it removed through a pretrial diversion program.

I am not a heavy drinker, after that episode I definitely don't enjoy drinking anymore and very rarely drink, it was a stupid mistake and I never cause trouble... with that being said I now realize certain aspects of my life have become more difficult for simple things.

I've been told by property managers that it may be an issue to apply for a background check through them, and then through HOA.

I am a 23 year old male with 2 jobs, I'm always at work, make 50k+ a year, don't have the best credit score but no actual negative remarks, just a high utility rate I've felt no rush to pay off.

Another thing is I dislike living in an apartment, I've only had bad experiences but not with a house or apartment.

I've only had my name on 1 lease with no issue.

Now the questions, with all these factors weighing in are...

Are most property manager and HOA very strict with a DUI even if it doesn't say I've been charged? (But it still shows)

Would it just be better at this point to hire a rental realtor or would even they be hesitant because of the difficulty?

If an apartment is my last choice so be it, time to find some thick plywood walls Lol!

It's a lot to read so if you read it and could offer your own advice I very much do appreciate it, have a wonderful day y'all.