Confession. I love house hunting shows. You know the ones I’m talking about. There’s a doorbell ringing intro, three options, and by the end of the show, you’re magically transported to a beautifully renovated space. It’s perfect and there’s no stress. I could watch these shows for hours. Now if only moving worked like that for the rest of us. Instead, we find that our days are filled with boxes. Boxes of pizza, boxes of stuff, and boxes that need to go to the Goodwill. Over the past five years, I’ve lived in apartments, condos, and townhomes. Every rental experience has been a bit different.
Keep reading for the full (and honest) guide to apartment hunting after the jump!
Learn your market.
In my market, the rental market is highly competitive and receives an onslaught of applications around the beginning of August. Students from around the world show up in the thousands, often signing leases to places remotely, with spaces unseen. This was initially confusing to me and something I didn’t desire to do. I had excellent credit, was applying with all US citizens, and we were established and are long-term residents in the community. Many apartment companies would refuse to offer showings of spaces or available apartments to us. We turned to using yelp, craigslist, and started driving around the neighborhoods we desired to live in. We found many properties weren’t listed or didn’t have property management offices on-site, making appointments difficult. Our phones and computers became our saving grace.
Know your budget and your non-negotiables.
When we started our apartment search, we were unsure of our budget and how many roommates we were planning on living with. Half-way through our apartment search, we were one roommate down and looking for a much lower price point than we had initially projected. As we narrowed down our options, we knew it was a time where we wanted to save rather than spend. This meant what started as wants (updated kitchens and bathrooms) went out the window as location, a pool, garage, and W/D hookups became higher priorities. If I could start our search all over again, I would have a more firm budget and solid list of non-negotiables that every roommate agreed upon. This would have saved a lot of headaches and time as I was looking at properties. On the upside, while there are no granite countertops or mountain views, we are saving money, have furniture, and a pool available to us (keeping Redding summer temperatures bearable).
Give yourself time.
Due to finances, we moved gave notice at our previous residence and were moved out in 15 days. In two and half weeks, with international communication (one roommate was living in England for the summer), our apartment hunting process was rushed and stressful. If you can, give yourself a full 30 days or more to find a new space. I know it is always desirable to only pay rent on one space at a time, but give yourself time and breathing room to uproot, reestablish, and nest accordingly. Your blood pressure and hair follicles will thank me later.
Find ways to destress.
Some days you will find that you are hitting a wall and no matter how many places you look, there are no new listings that meet your parameters. Shut your screen, take a breath, and walk away. Check back in a few hours. Another boundary that we found to be super helpful-don’t discuss properties during dinner or allow it to drive the course of conversation all the time while you’re looking. Go enjoy a cup of coffee, a run, or divert your attention somewhere else for a while. That hammock and a nap sound pretty good right now, don’t they?
Be leary of property management companies.
Property management companies can be super helpful, until they get your application fee. Then, we found not so much. Ask questions to understand how many other parties have put applications in on the property you’re interested in. Whoever is answering the phone, could very well be the person processing the applications and collecting the fees. If a company isn’t transparent about their application process, how many applications they have received on a property, or their approval process they shouldn’t be trusted. Don’t hand over application fees until you have the answers to your questions.
Understand the full terms of your lease prior to signing.
When it comes to lease signing day, in your heart you’re thinking, “Congratulations, we’ve finally made it! The light at the end of the tunnel.” We were eager to get our keys and were ready to start moving in furniture the day we signed our lease. Don’t rush through paperwork or your final walk through due to haste. Read everything thoroughly and take your time. I kept a list on my phone of maintenance issues that needed to be taken care of prior to our lease signing. We also asked for our countertops (that were far more dated than we desired) to be deep cleaned, removing years of grime. We put in our maintenance requests at the time of lease signing and were firm in our requests to our apartment complex.
As you nest, celebrate!
Our home was built with laughter, hugs, large groups of people, and community in mind. When you get your keys, enjoy! Have a dance party on your new carpet and make carpet angels if you like. You did it! You learned your property market, found a location you like, and have a space to call your own!
What are some of your experiences apartment hunting? Any stories, tips, or tricks to share? I’d love to hear from you! Comment below.