How to Find the Perfect Apartment
Few things in life matter as much as where you live. Where you live determines the lifestyle you can lead, the things you can do and even how much time you spend in your car traveling to work and other important places.
Moving to an unfamiliar place makes it much more difficult to find the perfect place to live. Are you moving to a new city or state? If so, you may be wondering how to find the perfect apartment. To help you get started, here are a few tips.
How Much Can You Spend?
It’s essential that you be realistic about what you can spend on monthly rent. Even if you can get approved for a lease, it’s not always a good idea to push as close to your maximum rent amount. After all, you want plenty of money left over to enjoy the place where you’re living, right?
Most lenders and leasers want to see a debt-to-income ratio of no more than 50% before approving a loan or application. That means your total monthly obligations (car payments, credit card payments, student loans plus whatever your rent would be) take up less than 50% of your monthly gross income — that’s your income before taxes and other deductions.
What Should You Be Close To?
Now that you know what you can afford, think about the areas you want to be close to. Are you interested in a short commute? If so, look for apartments near your place of work. Do you want to be close to a child’s daycare or school? Look for apartments in those areas. Do you need to be near a certain kind of recreation, like a lake or a running trail? Look for apartments nearby.
The Importance of Safety
Before you sign a lease, make sure you’re investigating how safe the apartment is. Make sure it has substantial locks and perhaps even a private entrance. You’ll also want to get a look at crime reports from the area. You can find websites that display crimes across a map, so you can quickly examine your apartment and the immediate area. There’s going to be crime no matter where you go, of course, but you want to ensure it’s not excessive.
Learn From Those Who Live There
It’s always a good idea to talk to current residents. They can share about the experience of living in a certain apartment complex or neighborhood and can tell you about the responsiveness of management when making maintenance and repair requests. This is where you can get an unvarnished look at what life is like living in a certain place.
Always Do a Walkthrough
Make sure you do a walkthrough of the apartment before signing the lease so you can ask final questions and come to a consensus with management about anything that might be a question mark. This is your chance to get the final information before moving forward with a lease.
How Will You Move?
Moving to a new and unfamiliar place is always tough. Make sure it goes as smoothly as possible when you choose Mid Atlantic Van Lines as your long-distance moving company. We are your best option when searching for a residential moving company that takes cares of your belongings.
Contact Mid Atlantic Van Lines today!
