The great apartment hunt is the time when people everywhere decide to search for a new place to live. This can either be a really stressful experience or a really pleasurable experience. The decision as to how to go about this can decide what experience you are stuck with. So let’s get going with the great apartment hunt!
Start Searching
The search for apartments can start by deciding exactly what areas you would like to live in. Go to these areas and take a look whether there are any apartments available or not. However, an easier way is to simply get a professional company to do it as a company like Anchor NYC can search from their own database and bring up all the available apartments. There are, of course, the classified ads and bulletin boards that are also effective.
Your Needs
This is the place where you’re going to live for the foreseeable future. Don’t make the mistake of making lots of compromises. If you need an apartment of a certain size then stick to that size and don’t budge. Just because the first few apartments don’t appear to be the right fit, doesn’t mean that there won’t be one that comes up in the next month or so. Getting an apartment on a compromise can be a real kick in the teeth when your dream apartment appears on the market a few weeks later.
The Building
Look at the building to ascertain whether living in the apartment could be costly or a dream. Look at any gardens or communal outdoor areas and see if it’s well-kept. This can tell you a lot about your community as well as the general state of the area. Then take a look at the windows. If the windows are broken then that’s not a good sign. Furthermore, check if there are any gaps between them. If there’s a draft, then heating the apartment during the winter months could be costly as heat will just filter through the cracks.
The Interior
The interior of the apartment should be looked at next. It’s important to remember that there might be someone still living here. Visualise the place with your items in there. This is the best way to see if it really is the right fit or not. Another item that should be looked into is the state of the walls. If they are cracked, or they need repainting then this is something that has to be sorted out with the landlord. Never EVER do something stupid like agree to repaint the walls yourself.
Landlords
An interview with the landlord is critical and should always be done because, if you can’t get along with the landlord, then life could turn out to be very difficult for the next few months/years. A company like Anchor NYC can set up such an interview if the company is actually being used to find an apartment. However, a quick call to the landlord shouldn’t be too difficult.
When looking for an apartment, unless you are homeless, do not make snap decisions. The first one you see may not be the best one, so always view a few.
About the author: Anton Damasovic has been a New York real estate agent for eight years and specialises in letting apartments in Manhattan.