Apartment Hunting

• Home
• About Us
• Contact us

Where To Start

The Commute

Car Parking Facilities

Laundry Facilities

Utilities

What is Nearby

So you are out looking for an apartment, you are going to stay there for at least a year, you want to make sure you are comfortable no matter where you decide to live.

I try to find an apartment at least 2 to 3 months before my current apartment's lease expires. This gives me many choices on areas and apartments.

I first visit at as many apartments as possible within my budget and the number of bedrooms and then use this list to make a choice. If you don't have the time or the patience to look for an apartment yourself then go through a real-estate agent, they usually charge a fee for their service, but in return you would have saved time and effort.

1. Where to Start: Rent and Bedrooms
   
   I first list out the names and phone numbers of all apartments that are within my rent buget and the minimum number of bedrooms I'm looking for, before using this list.
2. The commute to work.
   
   This is useful to know especailly if I'm working in a major city. Some people may choose to live in the city, and some near it. Go to the central station and pick up a few timetables or look it up on the Internet. If you look at an entire time table it will give you a better idea of other locations close by where you might want to consider moving.
   • How far is the commute. If you like reading on the bus or train everyday, then you wouldn't mind a long commute, but typically a 1 to 1 and 1/2 hour commute max may be appropriate for most of us. Anything beyond this max would make us tired and leave us less time for activities after work.
   • How much time does it take. Calculate the time of your travel and the time between changing transportation, if you change from a car to a bus or a train.
   • What modes of mass transit are available. Some people find that trains are more convenient than buses or ferry. Some people like the scenic view on the ferry. Each mode has its advantages and disadvantages.
   • How many buses,trains would I have to change. Ideally it is less work to have only one mode of transportation all the way through from home to work, but some areas don't give us this choice.
   • What is the frequency of the mass transit during peak and off peak hours. If there's a lot of time lapse between the arrival of your mass transit then it gives you much less flexibility over your time. You would have to time everything just so that you don't miss the next bus or the next train otherwise you would end up waiting another hour before the next one arrives. I would say, a 15 minute interval (or less) is good frequency, 1/2 hour is ok but an hour or more is bad.
   • What is the total cost of commuting to work. I add the total cost of commuting to my rent to determine if it's worth taking the apartment, or to look in another area where commuting and apartment costs may be better.
3. Parking facilities for my car and other vehicles.
   
   • Is there a facility to park all of your car(s). Some apartment building don't have a parking facility. In this case street parking would be the only option. Look at the restrictions and signs on street parking. Some signs only allow residents to park, or they don't allow parking when it snows, or during certain days of the week, or there may be other restrictions.
   • Indoor/covered parking, you won't have to go out in the freezing cold to remove the snow off your car and you won't have to worry about leaves from nearby trees accumulating on your car. This also protects your car's paint from the sun, birds and other natural elements. One disadvantage of indoor parking is that the space allotted tend to be much smaller than what you would have in an outdoor parking area. If you have a bigger car or plan to buy a bigger car then it would be a hassle to yourself and your neighboring cars to park in a small spot.
   • Do the parking spots have numbers assigned to them? In some cases where there's a possibility of crowding, it is better to have assigned spots this way when you drive back home late in the evening you are guaranteed to have a spot. I lived in a place where there were no assigned numbers and all spots would be gone by 8 or 9 p.m. If all spots are taken then you'd have to go for street parking, with any luck you'd find a spot closer to your apartment. On the other hand, if the number of spots available are greater than the number of apartments in the area, then you are likely to have a few empty spots during peak hours.
   • Is there a fee for parking one car, additional cars. Add this fee to your rent.
4. Laundry facility
   Some apartment buildings have laundry facilities per floor, some have at a central location, some have it within walking distance and some don't have a laundry facility but there may be a few laundromats close by.
   • Check out the condition of the laundry machines, do they appear worn out and used
   • Are there too many broken/not-working machines
   • What are the hours of operation.
   • Are the machines coin operated or card operated. Where and how do you refill your card.
5. Utilities
   What utilities are available and what utilities are included in the rent. Almost all apartments come with heat, hot water, electricity, gas. In some cases the landlord pays some or all of the utilities, in this case the utilities are included within the rent. If the utilities are not included in the rent then based on past usage history add the utilities to your rent.
6. What's close by:
   • How many grocery stores, pharmacies,malls, gym are in the area and how far are they.
7. Other things to consider: Car insurance rates, tax rates, gas prices.
8. Garbage disposal - Some multistoried apartment buildings have a garbage disposal chute on every floor. The opening of these chutes is usually small, this restricts the size of garbage bags that can fit in the chute. Some apartments have a cluster of dumpsters where you'd have to walk a few feet to throw away the garbage.
9. Aoartment's square footage - Is the apartment big enough to fit everything I have so far. Will all the furniture fit in each room, and leave enough room to move around freely. How big are the kitchen and batroom, do they have enough shelves and counter space.
10. Are there enough electrical outlets in each room, are they safe and grounded? You can use a grounding tester to test this.
11. How bright, dull, or glaring is the lighting, can it be changed or improved. Tall lamp shades, light up the whole room, without the glare.
12. What type of cooking range does the apartment have? Is it gas or electric. I prefer gas cooking ranges. The cost of gas seems to be lesser than the cost of electricity, also cooking on fire gives food a better taste,flavor than cooking it on an electric stove.
13. How old is the fridge, does it have a stench, mold or mildew.
14. Is the paint on the walls peeling off. Will it be repainted before you move in.
15. Is the apartment ready or is it still being renewed. Is it guaranteed to be renewed by your move in date?
16. What type of flooring is available, carpeted, hardwood, partial carpeting, which one do you prefer, which one is easier to clean and maintain.
17. Additional facilities in the kitchen, microwave, how big is the sink, dishwasher, oven.
18. Is there any type of smoke or pet odor left behind by the previous tenent. Will the apartment be deodorized before you move in.
19. What is the pet policy.
20. Doorman/assitance etc. How quickly do they respond to maintenance requests. Is maintenance available on weekends or is it only weekdays. This means if something goes wrong in the apartment and you are out working, then your apartment remains unattended, while you are out. YOu might want to consider installing a security video camera.
21. How thick are the walls and the roof or floor, if you play loud music or if kids run around will it distur you, or will you be disturbing the neighbors.
22. How big is the closet space, is there space for winter coats, is there space for all your clothes.
23. Do you have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to your apartment.
24. Are the electic outlest properly grounded, how many of them are there in each room and where are they located.
25. Is there cable/DSL or other high speed internet coverage in the area, is there wireless/cell phone coverage (with the provider of your choice) in the area.
26. How is the water pressure in the bat tub, kitchen and sink. If the water presure is low in the bath tub you can get a specail small shower head, that distributes water so that you have enough pressure.
27. Qaulity of tap or bath water, is it muddy or murky, is it clear. Is the water filtered?
28. Availability of the superintendent, does s/he work on the weekends off hours.
29. Have the current tenants vacated? When do they plan to vacate? Are they buying a house but still haven't vacated?
30. What is the security deposit policy.
31. Lease terms , yearly , month to month, 1 year and then month to month, how many months notice before moving out.
32. Are there any additional fees, air-conditioning fees etc.
33. read the entire lease before signing it.

Hopefully someone out there finds this useful. Oh and even if you sign the lease, some states allow about 3 days before you can cancel the lease if for any reason you are unsatisfied with the apartment. Check with your landlord or your state for the number of days you are allowed to cancel a lease.

"Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the gratefully and appreciating heart."

- Henry Clay

Comment

Name/Alias: (required)

E-Mail: (required, not published)

Website: (optional, published)

Message: (required)