Tips For Moving Into Your First Apartment

Moving into an apartment for the first time may come with many unanswered questions. It isn’t as simple as signing a lease. Per professional moving companies, there are some key tips that you can use to make sure you’re making the right choice when moving into your first apartment. Here is a thorough breakdown of these tips.

Research

The first and foremost thing you need to do when moving into a new house is research. Nowadays there are many apps, brokers, and even certain storage companies that can facilitate finding everything from studio apartments to multi-bedroom apartments in your city.

To save time, when researching make sure to filter and narrow down the search according to your options by price, a number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and other amenities.

Additionally, look through the apartment pictures and most importantly previous tenant reviews. Once you have a handful of options sorted, make an appointment to take a tour or you can also have an online tour.

Take Tours

Of course, touring apartments can be exciting, but don’t let the outlook deceive you. Slow down and take a deep and thorough look at each space in the house – both inside and out.

Here are some of the things you essentially need to look at when taking apartment tours.

• Is there enough parking space or garages well-li closer to the apartment?
• Are there any signs of damage, weird smell, or anything strange in the apartment building or premises?
• The security level of the apartment? Does it ensure resident-only entry?
• Are the water pressure and lighting in good condition?
• Are bathroom and kitchen fittings in good condition?
• Are there enough closets and storage facilities for your requirements, depending on how many people are going to move into the apartment?

Understand Your Budget And Other Related Expenses

Regardless of how many people are moving into the first apartment with you, you should always know how much you can afford to rent each month, even if it’s on a sharing basis. Ideally, your rent should be at or 30% of your after-tax income.

But the monthly rent expense or your budget is not the only thing you need to consider as a first-time apartment renter. You need to also consider other living expenses that come as part of the monthly rental cost. This includes,

• Advanced Rent– This is where you will be required to pay a stipulated amount of rent, like the first and last months’ payments before you sign the lease agreement.
• Rental Deposits & Fees– Renting an apartment comes with many types of deposits and fees which includes but are not limited to leasing fees, damage deposits, community fees, pet rent, and utility fees. Most of these fees are not refundable.
• Utilities – Depending on the apartment you choose, utilities like electricity, water, trash, and cable/internet may or may not be included in your monthly rent. So make sure to clear these doubts before signing a lease.

Check The Neighborhood

Another key tip that moving experts suggest for first-time apartment renters is to do a thorough background check on the neighborhood of the chosen location. Look for information regarding local crime rates and walk around the area to get an idea about traffic, noise, and proximity to grocery stores, hospitals, schools, banks, pharmacies,  and other essential services. You can also check for places for entertainment, hanging out, and recreation as it can help you determine if you like living here and if it suits your lifestyle.

As far as household goods are concerned, you can hire a moving or self-storage company that will do everything you need from packaging, loading, and unloading your goods into your new apartment. As they also specialise in proper packaging and handling techniques, you’ve assured a safe and damage-free move.