Apartment Hunting Tips
If you’re apartment hunting and taking tours, then this is for you #apartmentliving #apartmenttour #movingtips #practicaltips #renter
When apartment hunting, it’s crucial to go beyond just liking the look of a place. One tip I’ve found invaluable is paying close attention to kitchen storage and cabinet space. Before committing, open all cabinets and drawers to see if there’s enough room for your belongings. This can save you from storage headaches later on. Noise level is often underrated during tours. Try visiting the apartment at different times of day if possible—morning, afternoon, and evening—to get a real sense of the sound environment. Living near busy streets, construction, or late-night venues can impact your comfort significantly. Lighting plays a big role in how inviting an apartment feels. Natural light can boost your mood and reduce energy costs. Check how much sunlight each room receives, and notice whether the apartment has enough fixtures for your needs. Sometimes, a well-lit space can transform the atmosphere entirely. Lastly, don’t forget to consider additional storage options. Besides kitchen cabinets, look for closets, shelves, or even space for office essentials like printers or files if you work from home. These details often make a huge difference in day-to-day living. I’ve personally visited several apartments where the kitchen looked great but storage was minimal, leading to clutter down the road. Balancing practical features like these with aesthetics helped me find a home that’s both beautiful and functional. Taking notes or photos during tours can also help you compare and recall details later. Overall, thorough inspections focusing on kitchen storage, noise levels, lighting quality, and extra storage will guide you toward an apartment that truly fits your lifestyle.
learned the hard way… (this is for apartments, duplexes, and houses…basically anything you can rent) check the windows (make sure there’s no paint on them and how see through are they from both directions). check the paint on the walls (make sure they’re actually dry and were painted correctly with a primer otherwise they’re more prone to getting sticky as soon as it warms up and there’s a little humidity inside). check the doors (make sure there’s no gaps/is sealed properly, locks aren’t easy to pick/break, and if there’s a sliding door that it ACTUALLY locks and it isn’t a two person job just to lock it only for it to open just as easily despite being “locked.” 💀 my husband was locked out of our duplex one time and went around the back to the screen door and got in…despite the screen door being locked, he didn’t think it was locked because it opened with little resistance). toilets flush easily (no old flappers that stick and break the chains, and water pressure isn’t weird). make sure drains/faucets don’t backup/leak whether there’s AC or if it just pushes air around (this should be obvious but the place i moved into did not correct me when i asked ab the ac until i had called maintenance to check on it after living there for a few months💀) check how thin the walls are for privacy and noise levels and how much noise echos in the building (ie how loud a car pulling up or a door slamming down the hallway/road sounds. the place i live in now, when a neighbor shuts or opens their car door it sounds like MY home door being opened, even tho i know it’s not) the sad thing is i SHOULD NOT have to check these things but companies build homes and apartments for as cheap as they can and don’t bother to get a proper inspector, so YOU have to be the inspector.