Your New Apartment | The 5 Factor Find Formula
Posted on September 26, 2009
Filed Under Apartment Living | 10 Comments
Are you moving to a new city and looking for the perfect apartment to call your new home? Well, in most cities there are lots of apartments to choose from, so the task of finding the perfect one can be quite daunting. Here are some pointers to help you easily find your new home.
Know what you are looking for – This might seem obvious, but the better picture you have of what you want, the better and the faster that you will find the perfect apartment for you. Apart from the obvious factors such as size, number of bedrooms, bathrooms and the onsite amenities such as parking, pool and laundry facilities, other important questions that can help you narrow your focus follow.
Know where you want to be to achieve the perfect balance between work, play, schools, shopping, restaurants and amenities so you don’t waste your precious time in rush hour traffic. For example,if your new city is Las Vegas, the area has great neighborhoods and shopping centers and many apartments are just a short distance away. One of the many benefits of downtown apartment living is the proximity to restaurants and activities and you should easily find an apartment that is within easy and convenient commute of your work.
Will you get good service? – There are several tell-tale signs that can clue you in to how of how well-run your property is. What are your first impressions of the exterior appearance, the office and the grounds? Be sure to tour common areas such as the laundry room. If you see liter or an untidy exterior appearance you should probably look elsewhere. Is the staff professional and courteous in their appearance and demeanor? Are they willing to accommodate any special needs like disability etc? Ask about routine maintenance and how quickly they handle service requests. Typical turn-around times for service request should be between 24-48 hours.
Know your budget – When renters first visit an apartment they’re often swept away by emotional responses. The view from the living room, the beauty of the grounds, the fine-grain of the kitchen cabinetry and the spaciousness of the rooms – all can be quite intoxicating. Enjoy visualizing your beautiful new home but ask yourself what it’s really going to cost you. Take care to consider the small stuff, like parking, water, gas, and electric. Ask about typical utility costs for your desired unit – both summer and winter. Remember, the bigger your apartment, the more it will cost you to keep it comfortable, especially in the hot summer months of Las Vegas. Also, check out the often overlooked hidden costs. Do neighborhood prices for groceries, gas, video rentals, laundry services etc meet your expectation?
Will you feel secure? – In the rush to find your perfect apartment rental, security is often an afterthought. And yet it’s perhaps a more critical detail for you as a renter, especially with neighbors that you may have just met. Ask if the apartment performs a criminal background check on all applicants. Note features like night-time courtesy patrols and day night video cameras. These are great for easing your security concerns in choosing your new home.
Use this “Five Factor Find Formula” and you’ll quickly find the perfect apartment for you. Know what you want, know where you want it, look for good service and property management at a price that you can afford and pay attention to your security. Before you know it, you’ll be enoying the view from your new home.
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Help answer the question about downtown apartment living
I just moved to Chicago and don't know which TV/Internet service to go with. What's best for downtown living?I'm living in downtown Chicago (60601) and need to get TV/Internet service. I don't really care about the bundled packages that include phone because I primarily use my mobile phone at home.
I think most people here have Comcast, but some of the specialty channels I like (LOGO, for instance) aren't currently available. Is DirecTV the way to go or is it best to stick with cable?
I also work from home and need speedy internet service. I don't need DVR service since I have TiVo. If home phone is included cheaply then I may consider it, but will most likely only need Cable and Internet.
Premium movie channels also aren't a big draw for me, but I do enjoy cable channels like BRAVO, LOGO, DISCOVERY HEALTH, TRAVEL, IFC, SUNDANCE, ENCORE, etc.
Also, I live in a high-rise apartment… is DirecTV or DISH even possible or am I stuck with Comcast and their more expensive plans?
Input from Chicagoans would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!
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10 Responses to “Your New Apartment | The 5 Factor Find Formula”
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This place is a dump. Very old and run down. For the same price, or even, cheaper, you can get something brand new with better views right across the street – I did!
Modern apartment buildings have secure parking usually underground,. Older type buildings are called unit blocks and generally have carports for parking at the back of the buildings.
have a look at this real estate site to give you an idea…if renting prices are per week.
http://www.domain.com.au/Public/SearchResults.aspx?mode=rent&Refine=1&state=NSW&areas=Sydney+City&sub=Sydney&pcodes=2000&ssubs=1&displmap=0&areato=2147483647&from=0&to=2147483647&proptypes=&ptdes=All%20Property%20Types&searchterm=sydney
Depends on how high up you are and what type of building it is. The higher up you are, the less noise and commotion you hear. That's if you have a balcony. There are quite a few dwelling downtown that don't have balconies. For instance, you could live in the John Hancock building. No balconies and no noise, but a great view. And some of the people there are so high up in the sky that it could be raining on the street below and they don't know it until they get downstairs. But again, it depends on the building and how high up you are.
As for cost, yes, everything is a big more expensive downtown. The stores charge more because they figure you can afford it if you can liv downtown. True, you can be steps away from all of the "action", but if you want to go somewhere quiet you have to drive quite a ways away. There are lots of other neighborhoods in Chicago where you can just walk to a quiet park in a matter of minutes.
Finally, make sure the area you're looking at is "downtown". Lots of people who are unfamiliar with the city assume that places like Wrigleyville is "downtown". It's not. It may look like it on a map or have a lot of tall condos, but it's not officially "downtown". Also, there are a lot of condos in the south Loop which is also downtown, but it's a totally different atmosphere than the condos and apartments right in the center of downtown. Give us the approximate area you're talking about and we can tell you better what goes on there,
http://pennstate.craigslist.org/
http://pennstate.craigslist.org/apa/415293306.html
3 in a 1 bdrm is really crowded. 4 in a 2 bdrm is more doable – either bunk beds in both bdrms or two twin beds in each if there's room, or futons! If any of you are handy, create some semi-loft bed frames. Have the bed about waist or chest height – easier to jump onto than a bunk, but lots of storage space underneath.
4 x $250 = $1000
4 x $330 = $1320
Not real easy to find as they go fast, but keep looking! Don't forget to ask for the utilities history – depending on how well-built the place is (or isn't!) the utilities can really range.
12 people in a 2 bedroom is highly illegal. I would rather live in a place where I knew I could not be evicted by the town/fire marshal at a moments notice.
Bethesda is much more expense then rockville. Bethesda is a very nice area, but the the traffic is so bad there because of the high rises and the limited streets. Plus you will be traveling Rt 355 past NIH and the Navy hospital. Rt 355 around these 2 areas is BAD during rush hour and will only get worst because of the construction at both locations.
If you work in Rockville, you should think about going north of Rockville (around Shady Grove Road). Prices are MUCH less!!! Rockville should have apartments!!!! Maybe you are not looking at the right areas.
Welcome to the DC area.
What area is the job located at? Email me if you want more help/information.
Try this site……..
http://www.rent.com
get everthing in WRITTING
and have a realestate lawyer check it out.
find out who the leasing agent is .
walk very careful through this egg shell field.
they get put in vans and driven out to the suburbs or they go to a chruch program
I have had Comcast for the past 5 years and have not had any problems. The broadband is extremely fast and I have only experienced one outage. I never lived in a high rise, so you'll have to ask your building manager about satellite.
There's no LOGO, but everything else is available from Comcast.
There is digital voice, but if you have a cell phone, stick with it. Cost is like $20-30 per month.
Yes, the prices are high, but the service and customer support have been excellent.
Hope this helps!