When you’re on the hunt for a place to live, you may be in a hurry to choose the first place that you see. The stress of an impending lease which is almost up, or having to relocate suddenly for personal reasons can cause you to move somewhere hastily without much thought.
Unfortunately, not taking your time to make the best possible choice for your new apartment can lead to serious troubles later down the road. When you find yourself committed to a home, and you wind up not liking it, it can lead to years of misery until your lease is up. Therefore, save yourself the stress and make sure that you look for the following qualities when looking for an apartment to rent.
Amenities Offered
Take a look at what kind of services and amenities are included in your rental price. Chances are that if you have an onsite property manager and perks like a swimming pool and gym facilities you may be persuaded to pay a little extra.
However, if you are looking at a considerably high price and there are no amenities included, then you may want to consider looking for another place which does.
Ground Floor
Ground floor apartments are ideal when you’re looking at properties. Even if the building has elevators available, you never know when there could be a technical problem or a disaster like a fire which causes the stairs to be out of order.
If the elevator is out of order, then you’ll be forced to take the stairs. While this may not seem too bad once in a while, and maybe even good for your health, it’s important to consider whether you may be carrying a heavy load, pets, or children. Factors like these could make having to take the stairs up several flights a huge pain, particularly when you are first moving all your furniture in.
A Good Landlord
Make sure that you get a feel for your landlord and what kind of person they are. If you rush into a lease only to find out later that the landlord is a nightmare, then you’re in for a potentially long period of stress.
Have a talk with the property manager or owner before you sign anything and make sure you aren’t getting yourself into a sticky situation.
Proximity To Stores
It’s ideal to find a place which is close to convenient locations like drugstores and grocery stores. That way you know that if you need to buy something quickly, you have a store nearby to get what you need. Whereas living further away means having to battle long distances of traffic in potential emergency situations.
