How to secure a competitive apartment?

I’ve been living in Boston for 6 years now in a variety of different apartments, both with roommates and solo. I currently live alone in a tiny studio apartment with no laundry and I’m hoping to upgrade as I’m no longer a struggling college student and I make enough to live pretty comfortably. I don’t have a budget at all, I just really want to live somewhere that I LOVE. I have the following specifications:

- 2 bedroom or 1 bedroom with office; I am a software engineer as well as a comic artist and I want an additional space for an office/studio
- Private outdoor space like a deck or balcony. An additional shared yard is a big plus
- Laundry in building
- One off street parking space
- In JP, Cambridge, or Somerville
- August or Sept 1 move in date

However these places seem really competitive—I check Zillow constantly but for the nice ones there are oftentimes 50+ inquiries within the hour. How can I get my application to the front of the pile?

I found an apartment that checked all the boxes a few weeks ago but they ended up choosing a different group.

Is it blind luck? Or is it because I’m a single woman instead of a group of two? I make more than 3x rent and I have great credit.

I know a lot of listings aren’t going to be posted until June, so that could be affecting things. Just wondering if anyone has advice for securing these super popular apartments. I want a truly nice place in a good neighborhood and I don’t care how much I have to spend.