As pandemic hit us with a sad reality, most of us revisited our priorities. Some even lost jobs, and some even settled somewhere or relocated together with their families. Last year was indeed a challenging times but this year –as vaccines started to roll out around the world, different industries are slowly recovering from it and most of the people I know either migrated or found new jobs.
It has been awhile since I visited Washington DC and If I can vividly remember there was one visit I made that made me rethink of migrating not only because of its practical location to live but my experience about the environment and the community. I’m talking about my visit in Virginia and DC where I get to reconnect with some friends who found their home for awhile now. These friends inspired me to actually move in but at that time I was clueless about finding the right reasons and things to do and look for in searching for the right apartment.
So as a tenant myself for more than a decade here, I have learned the ways and means in finding the right apartment for you. Here are my five (5) things to do in finding the right rentals.
Decide the Right Location For You
Our jobs and families or even our reason to start over are the main reason why we are hitting that click button in finding an apartment. Trust me when I say I had a hard time commuting after getting my 3rd job because it is too far from where I live. Deciding the right location for your apartment hunt can save so a lot of time and money especially If you need to be near the establishments you need to have easy access with.
Use An Apartment Search Resource
Internet became our friend and while search engines or social media apps like Facebook or twitter offer marketplace where there are apartment for rent available for everyone, it is very helpful to use an apartment search resource site. Just like booking our favorite hotels when we plan our vacation, there are way more popular apartment search sites that will help you find your dream apartment! I remember during my visit with friends in DC, they were suggesting to use as such and it made me realize that this apartment search is better because it gives everyone real-time and updated inventory, unlike those in social media where lessor don’t update their listings.
Assess your Realistic budget
I know. This is the deal-breaker about anything adulthood. But when you finally assess the right and realistic budget for your search, it will be easier for you to decide on the rest of the factors. Years ago, I found this very interesting apartment with all the things I want but the price range was beyond my means. It was very painful to let go of that listing because I somehow picture myself enjoying my cup of tea in on that window overlooking the property pool. So I realize that we should all start at our budget and let your heart decide for the rest.
Determine the Amenities you want/need
Ok so here is something that you can play with your time searching for the new apartment. After deciding a certain budget for your future apartment, I’m sure most of the things that you want may not be there anymore and only the things and amenities you need will be there. So determine what are these amenities that is on-negotiable for you. And in terms of what you want, is it really something that will make you sleep comfortably or not? Is that pet friendly? Hows the internet connection? Can you do laundry on your own? Can you install your own personal stuff?
Review The Contract
If there’s one thing that will make you seal a good apartment lease is to make sure that you are comfortable with what is in the rent contract. What are the terms of the payment, is there a premise where it allows repair for free? Can you host a small gathering with friends? How many security deposits you need to pay?
One of the things that I liked about my last apartment was when my lessor allows payment delays. She was very considerate given it was my first job and I was trying to you know get started about everything. If you can negotiate other deals with the owner, the better and make sure they put that in writing so that both parties are covered, legally.
Early this year, I gave up my apartment for a more practical spending at home but I am looking forward to my next adventure which requires me looking for a better apartment to rent. Glad that online apartment search such as Zumper and the likes are very helpful and interface-wise, it really helped me narrow down my searches.
Take note that no matter how you want as certain properties, everything will still fall from your realistic preference and as what I have mentioned above, you and only you can decide what’s best for you.
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