Apartment hunting can be exhausting. Frustrating. Stressful. And confusing. Especially if it’s your first time. When you start out you’re probably just going on budget alone. And seeing anything and everything in your price range. But just because it fits your budget, doesn’t mean it’s going to fit you – your style, your life, your priorities.
You can’t try apartments out for size but that doesn’t mean you’ll be left with something that doesn’t fit.
Before you start looking at apartments, take a look at your lifestyle. Are you home a lot? Do you like to cook? Do you get visitors often? Do you have a car? Are you a person who likes shiny new things or do you find comfort in something older, with a bit of character? Do you want to live close to work (to make your everyday as easy as possible) or do you want to live close to the things you love to do outside of work? The more you understand yourself, the easier it will be for you to know what kind of apartment will fit.
One size definitely doesn’t fit all.
Bachelor, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, 2 bedroom plus den, Town home, Penthouse…knowing what size of apartment you need is more than just square footage.
Narrow your search and take notes.
Depending on your needs (and the current market), you may be viewing multiple places as you search for your perfect apartment. Arm yourself with a good checklist of questions to ask about each one. And even consider taking a some photos as reference for when you’re trying to remember the details of each one. Here’s one Apartment Hunting Checklist that might work for you.
More questions to ask yourself…how long to you imagine staying in your apartment? What life events do you see in that timeframe that might impact your needs (baby anyone?!?!)?
Happy hunting!
