Useful Posts on this Blog for the Apartment Shopper

Tips for a Stress-Free Apartment Search

6 Signs It Might Be Time to Enlist the Help of Apartment Search Services in Your Area

Apartment Shopping: Know What You're Paying For Before Lease Signing

Community Cover-Ups - What Some Don't Want You to Know

12 Apartment "To Do" Things When You're Shopping/Moving

How Soon Are You Looking to Move?

Are You Really Ready to Move?

So you have plans to move, but are you really ready?  Consider the following before you start apartment shopping.

1.  What is wrong with where you live?
2.  Has it been inconvenient lately to travel to work and back again?
3.  Is the landlord reliable, polite, and seems to care about the property and residents?
4.  Do you believe you can find a better place to stay for less money?
5.  Is there a neighbor, roommate, or someone or something else putting pressure on you to move?
6.  Would you prefer to stay at least one more year until you can save more money?
7.  Do you have enough money for a security deposit, first month's rent, and movers?

If you can answer most of these questions, and if most of your answers are unfortunately negative, then yes, it is time to move, my friend.  Be sure your finances are in order so that you can make it happen!  Best wishes on a successful move!

Nicholl McGuire, check out more blog entry posts on this site about moving.

Internet Apartment, Town Home Shopping: Finding and Renting Your Next Apartment Online

Soon it will be time to move again.  With so many apartments online how can one decide which apartment is right for him or her particularly when one isn't able to view it in -person?  For any number of reasons a prospect may not be able to tour an apartment, so it would make sense for a property management company or landlord to have a variety of photos and/or video showcasing the rental.  Keep in mind, YouTube is widely used by realtors, so you might be able to find some great video of a apartment/town home and surrounding community.  

As a shopper,  you will want to pay close attention to the information about your future residence and ask questions of the management before you fill out an application and pay a fee such as:

1.  Is the available suite an upstairs or downstairs unit?

2.  How close is the office, pool area, workout room, laundry facility, a boiler room, parking lot, or any other place that might have potential noise near the apartment?

3.  What is the color of carpet/cabinets/appliance/walls/door etc.?  This might be an issue if the photo appears to show a questionable color and doesn't go well with one's furniture and decor.

4.  Where is the nearest school/store/post office etc.?  Sometimes one might overlook what is nearby when viewing a map, so it would be best to find out the exact location.

5.  What are additional features in the suite?  The ad might not have everything listed.

6.  What are the on-site amenities?  Again, there may be some features not listed.

7.  Does the community welcome pets?  Even if you don't have a pet, you will want to know because if you are sensitive to noise, you don't want a barking dog or a purring cat annoying you at your new residence.

8.  Is there on-site storage, how big is it and where would it be located?  You typically won't see photos of this.

9.  Is there a parking garage?  Another feature that you might not see in photographs.

10.  How close is your building to...?  Mention the address of your job, a nearby freeway, or some other place you might frequent.

It is very easy to overlook some crucial factors when shopping for an apartment.  Avoid the distractions of a beautiful building design and the latest features to keep you from asking important questions.

Find out the requirements of leasing an apartment on this site.  See labels. 

Nicholl McGuire