Renting An Apartment? What should you look for?

Finding that perfect apartment can be time consuming and even daunting. But taking your time and finding just the right place will pay off in the long run for your physical and mental health.

To start, once you have made a list of apartments to look at within your price range, put together a notebook with the following checklist so that you can keep track of the ups and downs of each place you look at.

1. Check out the neighborhood. If you’re new to the area, walk around to see what kind of activity is going on. Ask around at local stores about how safe the neighborhood is.



2. Who are your apartment neighbors? Asking the landlord who is living above you, below you or next to you will help you determine if there are kids, pets, college students or elderly couples. This will help you decide if you’ll enjoy living there.


3. How is the place heated and cooled? This is of particular concern if you are responsible for paying the utilities. Do you have control over heating and/or air conditioning levels? Also be sure to find out average monthly costs of all utilities are, including water.


4. Are there enough windows and which direction(s) do they face? Light and temperature can dramatically affect how much you enjoy your home. If you find lack of light depressing, you may want to avoid basements or apartments with tiny windows. If there is a long wall facing north and you’re in a colder climate, find out how well it is insulated to protect yourself from northern winds.


5. How much closet space is there? Apartments in older houses tend to have fewer closets. Closets are important not only for your clothes but vacuum cleaners and other things you want to tuck away.


6. How old is the wiring? Count how many outlets there are and if they have a grounding socket. Few outlets and/or two-pronged outlets often indicate older wiring, which can be a safety concern. You might even want to take a radio or alarm clock and test the outlets to see if there are any electrical surges.


7. What are the policies and laws regarding pets? If a pet is already part of your family, make sure it is legal and acceptable to have pets. Otherwise, you may have to face a heartbreaking decision.


8. Is there parking? If you have a car you’ll want to know if parking is included in the rent, where it is and how safe it is.


9. Check for insects and rodents. Look in corners, behind furniture and along baseboards for any evidence of critters or repellent. If there are current tenants, they may be forthcoming with such information. And, if possible, visit the apartment at night and turn lights on in the bathroom and kitchen to look for any activity.


10. If the place is in need of repair or paint, find out what will be done before you move in. If the plaster is falling down and you have to repair it, you may find living there more expensive and annoying than you bargained for.


11. Sufficient safety features including smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and carbon monoxide detectors. Look inside the apartment as well as in the hallways and in other common areas.


12. Check the water pressure. Also check the water temperature. How hot does the water get and how cold does it get. A good tip is to turn on the water in the shower when you walk into the unit and see how long it takes to get warm/hot (your bathing preference). Keep the shower on while you complete the rest of your walk through. The temperature should remain comfortable by the time you leave the unit. If the water is cold by the time that you leave, there’s a good chance that you could run out of hot water in the mornings. You might ant to also find out if there is an in-unit water heater or if there is one that is shared by multiple units. This will also affect the amount of hot water that runs to the apartment.

There is no need to rush through your inspection of your potential new apartment. Be thorough and take your time. After all, it will be your home for at least the next year, make sure you choose a place that you know you’ll be happy with.

Kim Shufelt is the CEO of www.Dallas-Apartment.com, the leading Dallas apartment locator offering free personalized Dallas apartment listings and all other areas of the Dallas Metroplex. For more information, please visit http://www.Dallas-Apartment.com.

Why Rent an Apartment?

For some people, renting an apartment is a temporary arrangement, while others happily rent for a lifetime. Renting and purchasing a home each have their respective advantages, and of course, many people both rent and purchase homes at different times throughout their lives. Here we examine some of the perks that keep many potential home buyers renting long term:

-Low maintenance lifestyle. Perhaps one of the most attractive aspects of renting an apartment is that under normal circumstances you do not have to foot the bill for repairs and maintenance. If an air conditioning unit fails, a water leak forms or a toilet quits working, homeowners can be out thousands of dollars. Many renters are attracted to a lifestyle free of home repairs and yard upkeep.

-Cost advantages. Usually, renting an apartment is less costly than purchasing a comparable home. Even with a mortgage payment comparable to rent, homeowners incur additional costs from property taxes, repairs and maintenance. Additionally, living in an apartment may help keep energy costs down as compared to a larger house. Over time, the savings from apartment living can add up.

-Security. Gated apartment communities requiring a code or remote control for access provide peace of mind to residents concerned about security. Gated access can be an appealing feature to renters as an added level of security that stand alone homes most often do not provide. With or without gated access, many renters feel a greater sense of security in a community environment because others are always close by.

-Minimal commitment. The ability to move with minimal burden is one of the major advantages to renting a home. Many people do not want to make the commitment necessary to purchase a home, opting instead to keep their options open regarding the area in which they live. Homeowners must endure a more involved process for an indefinite length of time to sell their homes before moving, a responsibility that many renters are content to avoid.

-Community setting. It can be an advantage or a drawback, but a communal environment is the desired lifestyle for many people. Perhaps you enjoy living alone but do not want to be isolated from society. Maybe you feel safer knowing that your neighbors are just steps away. Or perhaps you are new to town and seek an easy way to meet new people. An apartment community can be an ideal fit in many situations.

Both renting and purchasing a home have their perks and drawbacks, and the ideal living arrangement for each person or household is a matter of lifestyle, financial considerations and personal preference.

About the Author: Kim Shufelt is the CEO of www.Dallas-Apartment.com, a prime resource for finding the most fitting apartment Dallas and other areas of the Dallas Metroplex have to offer.

Maximize Space in a Small Apartment

Often the most challenging issue with living in a small apartment is not the size of the apartment itself, but the overabundance of belongings packed into it. Many apartment dwellers find themselves dealing with overcrowded apartment homes because of the economical advantages, sacrificing functionality for an affordable living arrangement. However, by exploring some resourceful storage solutions, inhabitants of apartment homes can enjoy both functionality and affordability. Streamlining the organization of a small apartment serves a practical purpose as well as an aesthetic one, opening up the space and making it appear larger. With some creative thinking, anyone can improve the storage situation in his or her apartment and enjoy an efficient and orderly living space.

A lack of storage is a common issue in smaller apartment homes, and one that can leave an apartment feeling cramped and uninviting. Often, the result of too little storage is too much visible clutter, which can make even the most organized apartment feel smaller. Small one bedroom and efficiency apartments often have just one, or even no closet to accommodate all of a person’s storage needs, making it a challenge to create an organized home.

The first stage in an apartment storage overhaul is determining what items are worthy of storage and what items should be eradicated. Sometimes we hold onto belongings that offer no benefit to our lives simply because we do not know what else to do with them. Streamlining your apartment organization involves first making an honest assessment of the items you own and determining which can be donated or thrown away. Once you have on hand only the items you intend to keep, it is time to create new space for them.

Vertical storage space is widely unutilized in apartment homes. A tall bookshelf is an excellent storage solution which takes up minimal floor space and provides multiple surfaces on which to store a variety of items. In addition to holding books, a bookshelf is a great place to store smaller items within aesthetically cohesive bins and baskets. Wall shelves provide another opportunity to capitalize on vertical space. A wall shelf mounted to one wall or around the perimeter of a room adds ample square footage for storage without taking up an inch of floor space.

Another technique for clearing out clutter in a small apartment space is utilizing furniture that does double duty as storage space. A storage ottoman or coffee table allows you to stow items out of sight without sacrificing easy accessibility to them. You can also maximize the storage functionality of your existing furniture. Shallow storage bins designed for under bed storage can help you maximize use of the space under your bed, and can also be stacked within a closet to further capitalize on vertical space.

Creatively combating clutter and establishing a pleasant, functional living area go hand in hand. By thinking beyond the closet, you can create new storage throughout your apartment and control clutter more effectively. Streamlined organization and open flow can make any apartment inviting, large or small.

About the Author: Kim Shufelt is the CEO of www.Dallas-Apartment.com, one of the leading Dallas apartment finders offering free personalized apartment listings for Dallas and all other areas of the Dallas Metroplex. For more information, please visit http://www.Dallas-Apartment.com.

Your First Apartment

Moving into your first apartment is an exciting experience, but can be daunting with all of the preparations and decisions to be made, not to mention the move itself. You have signed the lease and moving day is approaching, but are you ready to move in?

Before moving day:

It is important not to procrastinate when it comes to ensuring that your apartment is move-in ready on moving day. When planning your move, contact the utility company in advance and schedule to have the utilities turned on or transferred into your name (cover electricity, water, and gas if applicable, services which may be provided by the same or different companies). If you wait until the last minute, you may not be able to schedule services before your target move-in date. Also, reserve a moving truck or make arrangements with a moving company well in advance. Planning ahead will help ensure the availability of equipment or personnel necessary to make your move a success.

Be prepared with the basics before you move into your apartment. Although it will take some time to fully establish your home, there are some items you will likely want to have available from the start. For instance, being prepared with a shower

curtain, shower rings, and shower products can be refreshing after a long day of moving. Also, have available a trash bag or trash can to help prevent pileup as you move. Furnishing the restroom with toilet paper, soap and towels from the beginning is also a good idea.

Change your address with the post office so that you will receive mail at your new place. Contact all vendors with whom you have accounts to notify them of your new address and the date it goes into effect. Changing your address at the post office is important, but is not a substitute for contacting your bank, credit card providers, cellular phone provider, and any other entity with which you do business to change your address on file.

Moving day:

Be sure you are prepared to pay the amount due on moving day prior to receiving the key to your new home. It is important to know exactly how much you owe and on what dates. Depending on the specific provisions of your lease agreement, you may owe rent, a pro-rated rent amount, or possibly a pet deposit prior to move in.

Upon receiving the keys to your new apartment, perform an inventory walk through as soon as possible. Apartment management will likely provide a form outlining what should be examined during this process, though you can also obtain a generic one from the internet. Be aware of any provisions of your lease agreement stipulating the timeframe in which the form must be completed, and comply with the terms. Depending on the community, you may perform the walk through alone or with a representative of the apartment community. The move in form attests to the condition of the apartment at move in time and protects you from responsibility for preexisting damage to the unit. Be thorough and descriptive when noting the condition of every item within the apartment.

After the move:

Once the move is complete and you are settled into your new home, do not feel like you have to furnish the entire place right away. Most people have only minimal furnishings when they move into their first apartment, and purchasing full sets of furniture to fill the place is typically not an option in the beginning. Furnishing a home complete with your own personal touches takes time, and will likely be an ongoing endeavor through the years.

About the Author: Kim Shufelt is the CEO of www.Dallas-Apartment.com, one of the leading Dallas apartment finders offering free personalized apartment listings for Dallas and all other areas of the Dallas Metroplex. For more information, please visit http://www.Dallas-Apartment.com.