Looking for your next apartment can seem like a tedious task, even more so if you are relocating to a new city or state. Luckily, we know the apartment search secrets to make it a little less painstaking.
Location Matters
Where an apartment is located is one of the most important factors to choosing it. Living walking distance from work is ideal, as you will keep cash in your pocket and win back irreplaceable time with a short commute.
Other establishments you will want to live close to are grocery stores, banks, and a pharmacy if you take a daily prescription. If you are able to walk or bike to all four of these places, you will save a significant amount of money by not having to drive or pay for a public transportation pass.
Access to healthy food, your money, and medicine are vital. A good part of your decision should be founded on how close the apartment community is to these businesses. While practicality is a good thing, it isn’t everything.
One third of your life is spent at work, but the other two thirds is your time! Think about what you do for fun and where you want to be close to so you don’t have to commute too far to do the things you want to do in your free time!
Know Everything You’re Paying For
Location of an apartment is a big reason people choose a community over another, but it definitely isn’t the only reason. The number and quality of amenities one community offers compared to another might seal the decision for you, too.
People forget amenities are part of their monthly rent, so it’s imperative you know what you’re paying for! It’s normal for apartments to provide a parking lot and laundry room, but what if you had a climate-controlled garage and a washer and dryer in your unit instead of a coin-operated laundry room in a dingy basement?
Some apartments rise above the rest with their amenities, providing a pool and hot tub or even a designated dog wash station. When it comes to amenities, make sure you know everything the community provides for its residents, as some amenities may be optional or cost extra, but you still need to know all of them.
Even if you read all the amenities on the community’s website, you should still ask an employee as there is always the chance there are new amenities becoming available soon!
Inform Yourself
Location and amenities are a huge part to picking an apartment community, but what are you looking for in an apartment? It’s necessary to know how many bedrooms and bathrooms you will need to live comfortably. When you know how many rooms you want, you can start looking at the community’s floor plans on their website.
Contrary to popular belief, apartments normally have several styles of units, even studios and one bedrooms. The more options the merrier, and you need to educate yourself on all your possible choices. Apartment communities normally upload their floor plans on their website.
Give these a read over and check out the different specs, as some styles may be slightly larger than others as well as cost more, so you will want to make sure the layout you like is within your monthly rent budget! Once you have found a floor plan you can live in, take a virtual tour of the unit.
If the virtual tour gets you hooked, then you should schedule an in-person tour as soon as possible.
Walk Around the Block
The apartment building isn’t the only community you’re moving into. The neighborhood the apartment community is in is also your new community. If you love the apartment unit, after people after your in-person tour, take a walk around the block.
Make sure it has what you’re looking for, whether that be a park, a few coffee shops and cafes, or even just friendly homeowners. Apartment buildings want their residents to feel like they belong and use communal amenities to encourage residents to socialize with each other and develop lifelong relationships. It can be difficult to introduce yourself to new neighbors, especially if you’re living by yourself in a new place, but it will be well worth it when you learn how cool your neighbors are!
Don’t Trust What You See
Searching for an apartment may feel like an endless scroll through internet listings, but the silver lining is right around the corner. While floor plans and virtual tours are a good start, you need to see it for yourself to see the truth.
When you visit the apartment community in person, it gives you a chance to meet the people behind the building and make sure you like the energy they give off and overall atmosphere of the place. It would be wise to bring a tape measure along if you plan on moving your furniture, that way you aren’t guessing and hoping it fits through the doorways.
Furthermore, if you like the unit after your in-person tour, you can figure out how you want to structure your furniture.
Keep Hunting
Are you actively searching for an apartment? Use these apartment search secrets to find the right apartment community for you!
