questions → any tips for someone looking for a new apartment?

vote-for40vote-against

Any tips for someone looking for a new apartment?

Mar 20, 2012 8:50 PM

I got a new job and am moving to a new city about 3 hours away and plan to get an apartment. What tips do you have for finding a place to live/getting the cheapest rent/moving in general? The only other time I have moved was to college and I rented from a friend, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

adam113089 adam113089

13 Answers answer

Sort By:

vote-for11vote-against

I'd recommend scoping the place out and testing everything. flushing the toilets and turning the shower on to hot and see how long it takes to heat up. Just take a peep at the sinks and stuff and make sure everything is working before you sign a lease.

Take photos of every dent, stain, carpet stain, scratch, paint chip, defect you find and turn the timestamps on in the corner of the picture. You want to try and get that security deposit back 100% (although goodluck with that)

Just a couple ideas off the top of my head

cowboydann cowboydann
vote-for4vote-against

Roommates?

Craigslist can go either way... dream or nightmare places... but a good resource for finding no-fee apartments.

rookie3001 rookie3001
vote-for4vote-against

@rookie3001: Not planning on having any roommates. I've had one for the past 4 years and I'm ready to have my own space for once haha

adam113089 adam113089
vote-for16vote-against

Check crime reports for the area of your prospects, and if possible go by late at night and see what the character of the neighborhood is at 11pm and 2am. Keep a weather eye out for possible problems like graffiti in the neighborhood.

moondrake moondrake
vote-for11vote-against

Check bedbugregistry.com for your building, especially if you're moving to an area with a high number of infestations, such as Cincinnati or New York City.

curli76 curli76
vote-for8vote-against

Similar to what curti said, keep an eye out for roaches. Once you have them, you can't get rid of them. It's no fun throwing out all of your stuff so you don't track them to your next place.

spellshock spellshock
vote-for4vote-against

I'd get a top floor location; keeps you from hearing feet stomping, etc.

mtm2 mtm2
vote-for6vote-against

@cowboydann: indeed. Landlords can be *&$%#holes. Take a picture and number inventory of everyTHING, kitchen implements and cutlery included, once you agree. Get everythign in writing, get receipts for evrerything, and never sigh anything blank or that you haven't read, and have an identical copy of.

richardhod richardhod
vote-for8vote-against

Inventory your stuff and imagine it in the rooms. Would your stuff fit?

How many outlets are there? Are they only located behind where your couch/bed/dressers will be?

FInd one that's brick if you can -- better insulation = lower utilities and more sound-proof.

How close are you to the places you will go most? How is the parking?

Walk outside -- is it quiet? Are there smells in the air (neighbors odd cooking, food factory nearby)?

Go at night -- is it loud? Are you near any utilities? Factories? Trains? Airport?

Turn on all faucets, cold and hot. Do they creak or leak? Taste the water -- is it good?

Open ALL cabinets, drawers, oven. Look for crud, bugs, and evidence of critters.

Do all the windows and doors lock? Do you have a deadbolt to turn from the inside?

How are the shared areas? Clean? Busy? Kids? Laundry?

Check the utilities (if not included) -- you can get a bill history.

Setup List: www.offcampus.housing.umich.edu/files/OCH-012_HouseApt_Set-up_Check-list.pdf

bnbsouthworth bnbsouthworth
vote-for2vote-against

@mtm2: There can also be stairs involved...ever moved appliances upstairs? It's a real PITA. Age can be a factor in that part. I would look for something furnished with appliances, assuming it was clean.

jsimsace jsimsace
vote-for3vote-against

If the local rental market is tight, take your checkbook with you and be prepared to pony up a deposit (and references) on the spot. Desirable apartments go quickly in high-demand areas. Take your time scoping out the apartment, but trust your instincts; if a place feels right, don't hesitate to stake your claim.

ginawoot ginawoot
vote-for3vote-against

Inquire about the rent increases. I have had a few friends that had to move because they were unable to afford the extra rent... we're talking about $200-$400 more a month! Fortunately, I have a rent controlled place.

underinsomnia underinsomnia
vote-for0vote-against

There is a helpful website livinginchico.com/blog/?p=264 that gives great tips on finding an apartment that is safe, affordable and even if you're not going to live in Chico; it would be great to look for an apartment site that allows you to take a virtual tour of an apartment, especially if you're going to be moving to another city.

Hope this helps...

shelterguru1 shelterguru1

Stats

Asked
Mar 20, 2012 8:50 PM
Asked By
adam113089
Answered
13 times
Viewed
633 times
Voted Against
0 times
Voted For
40 times

Similar Questions

Related Deals

Not a farewell, just a forced redirect.

It's true, Local.Woot is no longer, but please don't despair.

Never-ending savings are still to be found on Deals.Woot each and every day, so come on in. Don't think of it as a time for tears. Think of it as a way to bring us all closer together under one roof.

Sorry

This is only for people who have bought woots

We restrict voting to users who have purchased something from one of the other Woot stores. It's not just because we want your money (which we do) - it's the best way to be sure all the votes are coming from real people and not spam-bots or phony accounts. The best way we can think of, anyway. For now.

You can always get voting rights by buying something from one of Woot's other sites:

Purchases through Deals.Woot don't count, because in that case you're not buying anything from us. And we don't have your account information for those purchases.

If you think you've bought something from Woot before and still can't vote, make sure you're logged in with the same account you used to buy from us.

Geez, why so negative?

You have to vote up more before you can vote down.

Don't get us wrong. Negativity has its place. And downvotes are just as essential as upvotes when it comes to making Deals.Woot a useful place to find deals.

But when your votes lean so heavily toward the dark side, we have to wonder. Go vote up a few things. Accentuate the positive for a little while. It'll do you some good, and it'll do the site some good, too. Then you can get back to dealing out the smackdowns, OK?

Too late, we all heard you!

Hmm... you're wanting to take your vote back?

Well, that's a bit tricky. See, we do a lot of stuff with your vote, using it to work out the popularity of what you voted for, compare that to all the other things voted on, tally up our leaderboard, work out your reputation. Someday we'll do a little cartoon showing just how hard your vote is working.

Anyway, taking votes back messes all that up, so we give you five minutes, in case you just mis-clicked. After that we've got to say no take-backs. Luckily, votes are free, so feel free to throw them around left and right wherever you see fit.