I'm going apartment hunting for the first time. Always lived in provided housing so never had to worry about it.
Any advice?
I'm going apartment hunting for the first time. Always lived in provided housing so never had to worry about it
Blake Torres
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Adam Walker
Always physically look at the place before signing, read the contract, take pictures of everything that might be an issue with the house right before moving in (mold, fucked up paint etc).
Camden Wright
Another take a drive through the parking lot. Look at the cars, if the cars are shitty don't move there.
Whether this sounds racist or not, if there's a lot of black people.. it's ghetto don't move there.
Central air is a huge bonus, AC units always suck.
Try to find a place that covers as many utilities as possible.
Samuel Thompson
I now reddit links are not loved here but read this 42 point list.
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Brayden Fisher
Check for signs of rodents, roaches and other pests.
Make sure there's a place to park your car if you have one or plan to get one.
Check the windows and window sills carefully. Sometimes they can be painted shut or not close properly.
Try and see what it's like in winter if possible.
Talk to the neighbours and see how they like living in the area.
Kayden Brown
Nah, its okay if theres black people, OP.
It just has to be young and educated, usuually near a university.
But also, loom at reviews, they'll always be biased because theyre complaining in the first place.
Look at their website. If they dont have one, maybe not the best place.
If they do section 8, maybe not a great choice.
Have you thought about living in a townhome, duplex, or roomsharing?
Samuel Richardson
For gods sake get a place where you have your own washer/dryer.
Wyatt Gonzalez
Why is that such a big thing in the US, by the way? Communal laundries in the basement or whatever
Logan Myers
There were a few townhomes i was looking at. But they were about equal price but consistently had worse reviews and security concerns so I cut them out of my list.
Dont want to roomshare because I really want to live alone for once. Money is a bit of a concern but I can drop a few hundred a month for overall quality of life improvement.
Cant speak for everyone but in my experience shared laundry means you have to waste 2-4 hours a week sitting in a noisy room or people steal your shit. Plus generally unsanitary and people put disgusting shit in the washers.
Brody Edwards
>Cant speak for everyone but in my experience shared laundry means you have to waste 2-4 hours a week sitting in a noisy room or people steal your shit. Plus generally unsanitary and people put disgusting shit in the washers.
I meant why do they even exist. The downsides of them are obvious.
Luke Brown
Oh man I forgot about that. I moved from an apt with washer/dryer to a shared washer/dryer and it's horrible.
I'm moving soon and I'll never use a communal washer/dryer again.
Thomas Barnes
I guess if you don't know any better you won't mind but reasons I hated it:
-people leaving their shit in when you need to use it
-not being able to just use it however and whenever you like, like maybe you just wanna throw something in the dryer for a few minutes to get wrinkles out, you still have to pay like you were going to do a full load. another example is i like to wash my workout stuff right away just quickly before the sweat sets in
-if there's smokers in the building, enjoy having your clothes smell like smoke too even if you don't
-having to possibly meet someone in a dank basement or sketchy area where the washer/dryers usually are...also, i'm not home during the day so if im doing laundry its usually at night which makes it even more undesirable to be around a place like that
i took it for granted until i lived in a place where i had to use a communal washer/dryer and it just sucks. in a college dorm or something ts kind of alright but in an apartment, just, no. i need that luxury.
Brandon Bennett
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David Myers
Depends on what you mean by advice. Are you trying to live somewhere like San Francisco where there's no houses and you have to interview/do a background check etc or do you mean checking if a place is a disease ridden shithole?
I think the latter is common sense and the former mostly luck and pavement pounding.
Jason Cooper
Oh sorry.
I dunno I think maybe some older buildings just don't have the venting/plumbing setup to have one in each apartment. Perhaps it's cheaper to build or something I really don't know the reason.
Nathan Clark
Easier and cheaper. Not all rooms have the space for a washer and dryer, especially in expensive areas.
Also means you dont need to move it when you move. And someone else can clean/repair it.
Ethan Bennett
Mostly the latter. I'm just not really sure what to check for.
I'm kind of stuck between being pampered and being too apathetic to care about my living space.
But I at least want to make sure I'm not wasting a fuckton of money on something not worth it, or basic security/standards I'm not thinking of
Logan Moore
The best advice I got was from my mom when I moved out, take photos of the property before you move in. Take pictures of pretty much everything even before you have a single box in the house.
If they try to fuck you out of your deposit for something that was already in bad condition you'll have photographic evidence that it was moldy/cracked/etc when you moved in.
Grayson Young
>Nah, its okay if theres black people, OP.
Don't listen to this idiot
Andrew Green
Just some random thoughts from someone who was in your position 3 months ago:
Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. I have place of my own. It came with all of the basic appliances (not having to buy a fridge/stove is fucking great). I have my own parking spot. The rare maintenance requests I've had were handled very quickly. The neighborhood itself isn't too great, but the complex is gated and I have never felt unsafe. The neighbors themselves are also generally quiet.
The bad part of all this is....paying rent and bills fucking blows. NO utilities are covered, sometimes it seems like the charge you the most bullshit fees. Whatever my rent is on paper, it ends up being significantly more per month when you include everything else. I know that's a pretty fucking obvious statement, but when you're use to not paying any rent/bills it could be a real wake up call. I'm not starving or struggling, but I'm aware that a few dumb money mistakes could really fuck me over if I'm not careful.
Beyond that, just be aware of basic pitfalls. Read that lease. Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if you feel its stupid. Signing a lease is a big fucking deal so be absolutely sure you're comfortable with it.
When you're checking out different places, be cognizant of showers/sinks/appliances that are not working. Don't be afraid to turn shit on to see if it works.
Don't go crazy and buy everything all at once. Besides a bed, cooking stuff, basic cleaning supplies,some toiletries, really be selective about what you're buying in the beginning.
Daniel Brooks
at least in my country the owner/real estate company will FUCK you if you let them. Take pictures of EVERYTHING. If anything's messed up when you move in, they will blame you for it once you leave and make you pay for it. Open the taps, check for electricity and water problems. Try to see how the house handles rain and try to check on the neighbors