So you’re looking to choose an apartment? We’ve all been there and done that. The process can be fun, but sometimes stressful, and hard to decide on what you need. There are many reasons why you may choose to relocate: a new lifestyle, relocating to a new city, starting a new career, leaving your family’s home, and moving in with your other half.
It is often an exciting yet daunting prospect – it can also be a long and tedious process. But one thing is for sure; you will never forget the day you move into your delightful apartment. This article will look at the most critical aspects that you need to consider before choosing an apartment.
Location, location, location
There is a British TV show called “location, location, location.” It is a top-rated television show because the location of your apartment is so important. What are your hobbies, what are your interests, and what you want to live near to?
Let’s look at Los Angeles – if you like to live by the beach, you should look at Santa Monica. But if you love an urban feeling with an artistic vibration, you might prefer Venice Beach or Downtown LA. Also, if you like hiking, you might opt for a spot near Los Angeles’s hills.
The location is not just crucial for your personality – it is vital in terms of price. When you have a specific budget, it is a great idea to look at specific locations within that budget. Having multiple locations you like isn’t an issue. It gives you more choice on the type of apartments you’d like.
Decide on what decor and interior design you want
This is a crucial question depending on whether you’re willing to invest in the design yourself. If you have extra-capital to renovate the apartment into your dream design – this might not be a massive concern to you.
If the budget is vital to you, and you don’t have the time or disposable income to invest in a new design after moving in, you should pay close attention to the decor. You’re going to find some pretty unfurnished apartments, and that could be an excellent benefit for your creative soul.
You can pick out those interior design books – head down to your local Ikea store – and become an interior designer. That sounds pretty good. So first, determine the type of decor and design you want for your apartment.
Pick your budget
Let’s be honest before you choose an apartment; you need to decide your budget. Do you need to stick to that budget? Absolutely not, and you should be considering moving your budget depending on the state of the market and what is available.
Do you need to have parking space? If so, is it going to cost extra? You should also look at what you need to live near, do you need a gym, places of worship, nightlife, restaurants? Or do you need parks, highways, beaches, and public transport? (We would love them all if possible, right?)
The next thing you’ll need to figure out is the apartment’s size. How many people are moving in? Are you planning to have children? Some people want a kitchen, living room, a bathroom, or a dining area. Some folks also want a spare room to add a gym, games room, or a meditation room!
Many apartments come with a range of amenities, and some of these are highly sought after. Do you want 24/7 CCTV security, laundry facilities, or even a swimming pool?
There are so many things that you should determine before choosing your budget. Once you find what you need, you will figure out your budget and proceed accordingly. We know it can be overwhelming to decide what you need. Sometimes, we have to be honest with ourselves and decide against things that we would like, but we don’t need.
However, if we set ourselves a maximum price budget of what we would like to have in our apartment, we can always drop things to get to the right apartment.
Do a scan of the apartment market.
Now it is to scan the apartment market, and we’ve all had those moments where we have incredibly high hopes of finding that dream apartment straight away. But it doesn’t happen – and it usually doesn’t happen for everyone.
Often, it will take a while to find the apartment that you want. Also, it would help if you weren’t afraid to chat with multiple landlords to find the right deal. You might discover numerous apartments, but they don’t have the decor you want or the bedroom size that you need, or they don’t have space for a little home-gym? (We would all love a home-gym during pandemic times)
That is where it is time for trade-offs. Now, of course, you could be patient and wait as long as possible for the ideal dream apartment to appear on the market. However, you might not have time to wait. You may need a quick relocation for an array of reasons – and therefore, it is time for trade-offs.
What isn’t a necessity for you? Could you do without the balcony or the extra bedroom? Once you’ve determined what isn’t a necessity, you can drop things and get closer to an apartment that fits your ideal desires and is still available on the market.
Check out the apartment reviews
Reviews are essential when you’re checking on an apartment, but are they critical? It depends, but you should be sure that the internet reviews are not always a fair reflection of the apartment.
If the apartment is within an apartment complex, we know you’d like the complex to be clean, quiet, and well-maintained! Therefore, it is a superb idea to check out the reviews of an apartment complex.
It could act as a vital weeding-out process and get you closer to your dream apartment, but we shouldn’t take the reviews as a certainty because it is often a great idea to visit the apartment yourself.
Review the finalists, and go and visit the apartments yourself
So now you’ve weeded out a tonne of apartments that didn’t match your requirements. Now you have a list of finalists! You’ve done your homework, you’ve spent countless hours determining what you want, and now you’re ready to visit the finalists.
When you visit, make sure you look at the apartment thoroughly and ask yourself if you could see yourself living there for the long-term. From this point onwards, you can compare the apartments based on value, location, lifestyle, design, liveability, and potential investment.
There are many things to take in, and it can be incredibly daunting to sign a rental agreement or a mortgage on an apartment. However, when you first visit an apartment, your instinct is always great at gauging whether it’s a home that meets your soul.
Once you’ve decided on a winner, make sure you check all the paperwork thoroughly (so important), and you’re ready to start the next chapter of your life.
Choosing an Apartment Doesn't Need to Be a Nightmare
Moving into a new apartment can be one of the most stressful moments of your life. We know how it feels to decide on an apartment; it can be emotionally challenging but gratifying.
We hope this article has given you a transparent thought process on choosing a new apartment, but most importantly, enjoy the journey of picking your next life chapter.
