Apartment hunting can be fun, but sometimes it can also be tiring and confusing. After you’ve gone to a handful of apartment communities, the interior features, and on-site amenities can begin to blur together.
Before you visit an apartment community, sit down and make a list of your wants and must-haves (they are two different things). You may think you want a fitness center, but maybe you could live without it? Or maybe not having a personal garage is a dealbreaker. Keeping all this information in your brain is just going to drive you crazy so it’s always best to write out a list.
And for that reason, we created a downloadable wishlist for you. That way, when looking at different places, you can remember which one had which feature.
Top Apartment Hunting Tips
Top Apartment Hunting TipsBe Realistic – Once you start looking, understand that your requirements will probably change as you learn more about your options. Unless you have a large budget, know that you will likely have to make compromises along the way.
Compromises Will Be Made – You may find the perfect apartment, but the location is just too far from everywhere you need to be. On the flipside, you can find the perfect location, but the apartment doesn’t have the amenities or interior finishes you were hoping for. Knowing that you will likely face this conundrum makes things a little easier when you do. And, it’s always good to decide what you’ll choose before you face it.
Questions to Answer Before You Tour
- Do you need a flex space for a home office or an extra bedroom?
- Do you have pets or plan on getting one?
- Do you need a garage or parking spot, or is street parking sufficient?
- Do you need an apartment in close proximity to work, friends, family, or everyday conveniences?
- Do you plan on growing your family within the next one to two years?
Choose Your Location – With the work-from-home lifestyle becoming more prevalent, the location may be flexible for you. If you can settle pretty much anywhere, consider these questions:
- Do you need to live near a major freeway? Or do you need to be close to public transit options?
- Do you prefer urban, suburban, or rural?
- Do you want to live near the beach?
- Can you sleep with traffic noise?
- Is it important to you to have friends and family nearby?
- Do you want to live near shopping and dining?
- Do you have a preference when it comes to school districts?
- Are there parks or trails within walking or biking distance?
Visiting an Apartment Community
Now, more and more apartment communities are offering self-guided tours. This makes your apartment tour free of sales pressure and has a level of flexibility that many people enjoy.
When it’s time to take your apartment tour, check the features that are on your wishlist, or better yet, print out our wishlist and take it with you. Get a feel for the home and also, consider that the model you tour may not be the exact unit available for rent, so the view and location could be different. This is a question you’ll want to ask the Leasing Manager during or after the tour.
Basic Apartment Questions:
- Is there enough square footage?
- Will your furniture fit?
- Do you like the fixtures and finishes?
- Are you pleased with the amenities?
- Does the parking situation work for your needs?
Once you’ve done your prep work, apartment hunting will be seamless and more organized. Our downloadable checklist is a great way to keep track of each and every fixture and amenity space in every community you tour. Happy hunting.
