4 apartment hunting tips to help you with your housing search

Claire Small
Authored by Claire Small
Posted Friday, September 4, 2020 - 11:29am

Did you know that almost 40% of Americans were living in rented properties in 2019?

If you live in a rented apartment, you know that sooner or later you are going to have to move. Whether the owner sells, or you have children or get married, one day you will need to search for a new place. 

Do you find apartment hunting stressful? Many people do. This is often because they are not quite sure what they want. 

How can you make apartment hunting easier? What should you particularly pay attention to? Why not check out the answers to these questions in the following article. 

1. Gather Necessary Documentation

Landlords know that they have to thoroughly check your financial status before entering into a contract with you. Getting the documents together that they will ask for can save you time during the rental process. 

The landlord will ask for a letter of employment to show that you have a regular income. Of course, if you are self-employed, this may be difficult. In this case, you may want to have a paystub maker that you can use to provide documentation of your income.

2. Move With Friends

If you are looking to get a great apartment but don't quite have the cash, you may want to get together with some friends. If you are willing to share your living space with a couple of other people you may be able to afford the great apartment with the river view. 

The savings will continue after you move in. Not only will you split the rent each month, but you will also be able to share the cost of electricity and other utilities.

3. Move During off Seasons

The moving season in most places is in the summer months. This is the season when families with children take advantage of summer holidays to move to a new location and students get settled in for the new semester.

If you want to move but have flexibility on the dates of your move,  you can save money by moving outside of peak times. Not only will you likely find a cheaper apartment, but you will also likely find that moving companies charge less and have greater availability. 

4. Prepare Your Questions

Preparing your questions before you start apartment hunting is a great way to avoid "if only" moments after you have moved. 

Asking about rules regarding pets, parking fees, deposits, and any other expectations can save you serious heartache later.

Base your questions on experience from apartment moving experiences from the past or ask friends for their "if only" stories to get good ideas. 

Making a Success of Apartment Hunting and Much More

When you move to a new location, you want to settle in and feel at home as soon as possible with minimal surprises. By applying these principles when apartment hunting, you will be able to avoid some of the main traps that renters fall into. 

If you want to learn more about apartment hunting, then we are here to help you! We research these and a range of other topics and bring them to you via our feed. Why not take a look today to see how we can help you?

 

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