Home, Property, and Real Estate

Trying to meet all of your needs can be stressful. This list will help you organize what you need for your search and what to look for in a great apartment.

Location is Key! Consider All of These Factors:

Neighborhood Safety

Public Transportation

Parking, street? Off street? Garage? Do you have to pay?

Taxes

School Districts

Location of essentials, including drug stores, grocery stores, local doctors, and hospitals.

Reputation of the area, is it well know for its’ night life? Scenic parks, friendly neighbors?

What is the Apartment Like?

• Get an estimate of the cost of utilities to factor into your rent.

• Speak with the other tenants, they know first hand if the apartments are comfortable, how responsible the landlord is, and what to expect as far as noise level, cleanliness, and rules and restrictions.
• Does the apartment have amenities, laundry, gas or electric stove, refrigerator, A/C, heating (gas or electric), ample electrical outlets, cable and phone hook ups, internet service (Dial up, DSL, or Cable?)? Is it furnished? You need to think about what is most important to you, and what you can afford on your budget.
• If you own pets, you need to find out what the pet policy is. Are there breed, weight or number restrictions? Will you be responsible for a pet deposit and is it one time or monthly?
• Check the apartment for any flaws, it is best to walk around a make a list and or take pictures of cracks in the walls, water stains, or broken amenities to present to the landlord, this will help in any security deposit disputes.

Once You’ve Found Your Place:

Be sure that you can provide good references for your new landlord.

Get a credit check, often a new landlord will require a credit check.

Be honest on your tenant application.

Make sure that you have enough money for the security deposit as well as the first month’s rent and utilities.

Looking for an apartment can be a very tedious and time consuming task. Not to mention the stress involved of making sure that the apartment has everything that you want. However, your worries don’t end there. Once you have gotten your perfect apartment, next comes fitting it with furniture and making it into a home.

If you are lucky, you already have furniture, and won’t need to worry about outfitting your apartment and spending your precious budget. But, if you are some of those unlucky few who has nothing but a few items to bring to their new apartment there are different ways to cut corners and save yourself some money in the process of turning your apartment into a home.

If you don’t mind used items, there are a couple of great ways to get the things you need at affordable prices. One way would be to spend a Saturday or two going to yard/garage sales. This is a great way to find awesome items at very affordable prices-and don’t be afraid to haggle prices. Haggling prices is one of the fun aspects of yard sales. Going to yard sales to look for the items you need allows you to get all the essentials you need and still have money left over to buy other things to add personal touches to your new apartment. Another way would be to go to places such as the Salvation Army or a Good Will. These places have used items that people have donated, and are at very affordable prices. Shopping at either these two places also has the added benefit of helping those in need, because they are non-profit organizations.

If you just can’t stand the thought of having used furniture in your home and have a tight budget, then stick with the essentials on your first shopping spree to outfit your apartment. There are a handful of ‘essential’ items that you will need within the first days of apartment living. A bed, but remember to check the size of your bedroom and see how big of a bed it will hold, as well as keeping in mind that you will need the sheets, pillows and comforter to go with it. A kitchen table or desk and a chair is essential because you have to eat and if you are in school, you’ll need a place to study. If you can’t afford a real table, you can always look into getting a card table; and a card table has the added perk that a lot times it comes with 4 chairs. Dishes and cookware are extremely important items to get as it is a lot cheaper to eat at home and buy groceries than it is to go out to eat every meal. And you can be picky about what you get, just start with the basics. Other things that you need to consider are the number of trash cans you need, taking into consideration the number of bathrooms and whether or not you will be recycling, a shower curtain and rings, curtains and blinds if they don’t come with the apartment, a chest of drawers or hanging closet organizer if you don’t have much closet space and a sofa or futon for when you have company.

All in all, buying and obtaining the things that you need to turn your perfect apartment into a home can be a very fun task. With an apartment being a small space, you don’t need a lot to turn it into a home. There are also numerous ways to save money in getting the items that you need, you just need to know where to look.