Are you looking for the perfect apartment?
Apartment hunting can be a daunting task. There are so many things to consider, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the options out there.
But don’t worry, we have five tips that will help make your search easier and more successful. These are tried and true methods that have helped many people just like yourself find their perfect place while apartment shopping.
- Make a List of What Is Most Important
Before you even begin shopping for an apartment, you should make a list of what’s most important to you in an apartment. This way, when it comes time for apartment tours and meetings with real estate agents, your needs will be clear and easy to communicate.
Are the best rental apartments those that are close to work? What about ones that have great amenities or high ceilings? Whatever is most important to you should go at the top of the list.
You may also want to create two lists: one for things that are non-negotiable for living there and another for things that would be nice to have. This way, you can easily identify what apartment homes are right for you with a glance at your list.
Remember when making this list to keep it realistic and give yourself options. You don’t want to spend all of your time house hunting in an area where there is only one thing on the top of your non-negotiable list. The chances are that you won’t match up with any available properties in the area anyway.
- How Much You Want to Spend on Your New Apartment
Now that you have your list together, it’s time to figure out the price range of apartments in an area.
You may want to start by looking online at various apartment listings and reading their descriptions. You can also visit rental communities or go right ahead and contact real estate agents for help with this step. Their job is finding places for people like you who are looking for a new home!
By figuring out how much money an apartment costs, you will be able to set a budget and narrow down which properties make sense to tour first based on affordability alone.
You should also consider the monthly rental amount as opposed to the price of buying. For instance, an apartment that is $300,000 may be out of your price range. But if you are willing to rent it for the next 25 years at only $2000 each month? That could work!
You should also consider how much money you have available for other costs related to moving into a new place like deposits and fees. Some apartments require an application fee, while others don’t. Sometimes there will be one-time costs associated with getting set up in your new home too.
Make sure these won’t put you over budget or break the bank when combined all at once.
Once you know what amount is realistic given your circumstances, finding an apartment in this particular price range will become easy.
- Look at Amenities
Amenities are things like pools, gyms, and on-site laundry facilities that make life easier when you live in an apartment complex or rental community.
Depending on what’s important to you, these may be deal-breakers.
If there isn’t a pool? That might not work!
Amenities can be a great way to narrow down your list of potential places. If you know in advance that the property is missing something important, it’s easy to cross them off without wasting time on a tour.
On the other hand, if amenities are important to you and they’re offered at a place that is otherwise perfect for your needs? You now have one more thing to love about living there.
While amenities play an important role in finding the best apartment, don’t let them be the only things you consider. The location should always come first when house hunting because it affects everything, like commute time and local activities.
After all, no matter how good of an amenity package something has if it isn’t close enough or doesn’t make your life easier somehow – why bother?
This also goes back to our earlier tip: knowing what’s most important before even beginning a search will help narrow down potential places much faster than blindly browsing listings and touring random properties.
- Talk to People Who Live There
After you’ve found a few apartment homes that are worth touring, ask someone who lives there how they like it.
This is one of the most important steps in finding your perfect place, so don’t skip over this step!
Talking with people who already live at what seems to be a promising property will give you valuable insight into problems and concerns. After all, these things aren’t always apparent from just looking around.
It can also help you figure out if an issue being downplayed by management or staff affects residents’ day-to-day living. You might have thought that was something minor, but it turns out to be a deal-breaker when it comes to choosing your new home.
- Negotiate With Landlords
If you’ve made it to the offer stage with a property, now is when things get interesting.
You can ask for certain repairs or upgrades that would make your apartment feel more like home. After all, everyone wants their new place to be perfect, and they want to move in feeling at least partially settled down.
This is the time to ask for what you want and negotiate with landlords. It could be anything from a higher deposit upfront, reduced monthly rate, or free parking in addition to your regular rent.
Just make sure that these requests are realistic based on their current offer, and remember: everything has its limits. So don’t push too hard expecting them to do something completely crazy.
In other words? Keep it reasonable but be open-minded enough to see if they’re willing to work with you and make compromises.
Are you looking for a home in Ann Arbor, MI? then check out these apartment rentals.
Apartment Hunting Simplified
By following these tips, you can ensure that your apartment hunting process goes as smoothly as possible and leads you toward a new home where you feel welcome and comfortable. You don’t want to feel like just another renter who is here for the short term before moving on again.
We hope you will find the apartment of your dreams here. Keep reading our articles for more interesting content.
