Posted by Looking for a new apartment can be a really exciting prospect. This is your chance to live in an entirely new area, if you want to. It can be a fresh start and a chance to get to know new people and places. You might find that it is hard to know whether you’ve found the right apartment for you. Here we look at ways to identify how to know when you’ve found the right apartment.
1. Feel
How does the space feel? Is there enough natural light? These are important things to consider along with whether you can make the space work for you and your furniture. I believe that you should go with your gut feeling here as you’ll know if it feels cold or not cosy/spacious enough. Perhaps write down what your ideal apartment would be like to give you some clarification and enable you to tick boxes for each apartment you visit.
2. Location
You must think about the location. Hopefully you’ve already worked out the radius from your place of work or study and the travel links, so you’re only viewing apartments that meet the criteria you’ve set. Consider if you’re happy with the street the apartment is situated on.
3. Budget
There can be fierce competition for apartments these days – especially in cities like New York. If you’ve registered with an online apartment search resource such as Zumper, you can apply online with digital rental applications and credit reports. You will need a good credit report to be accepted for a rental property. It will be worth looking at all your expenses so that you can make an educated decision on how much rent you can afford.
4. Second opinion
It might be worth getting a friend or family member to come with you and give their thoughts on the apartments you’re seeing. This would be particularly useful if you are not used to the process or you find it hard to make a decision. Brief the friend or family member on what you are hoping for so that they have a good sense of what you would like and maybe discuss the things that you don’t want to compromise on.
5. Go for it!
Once you’ve made your mind up you will need to move quickly as the demand for apartments in cities like Chicago are in high demand. You don’t want to miss out once you’ve found your perfect apartment.
I think the main thing to remember about apartment hunting is that the competition can be quite fierce but you also want to choose carefully as at the end of the day, it will be your home! If you can put in as much preparation as possible and be ready to pounce on the apartment you love as soon as possible, then the choice will be yours! Be really clear about what aspects you might consider compromising on and make sure you stick to it. Sometimes it is easy to convince yourself that an apartment is right when it is not quite the place for you. As mentioned above, always try to get a second opinion too, to reaffirm your decision if anything…