Apartment hunting and don't know how to feel about the "CALL FOR RENT" complexes

It should be fine. My theories on why some places do this are 1) to talk to you and know you're a real person, and 2) to not publically advertise the prices because some apartments sre paying vastly different amounts and they don't want people to complain about changing their rent based on other people.

worst it can cost you is the time commitment of a phone call... or at the very most, however long it takes them to print you a lease agreement. They can't make you sign the damn thing.

I'd ask them first and not give a budget until they've told you.

Do they go by income? Some places do. Otherwise, yes, I would be like 🤔