Finding an Apartment:

An apartment is a room or set of rooms. When moving remember that there are three types of apartments so check the area on where you plan to move to. A studio apartment is a one room apartment. Then you get a one room unit and a three roomed apartment. They are either in a building or spread over a group of buildings.

Work out what you need first. If you are moving from a smaller apartment to a bigger one, there is not much to think about. However if you are moving from a big apartment or even moving from a house, to a smaller apartment figure out what you don’t need and will not use again. Don’t move those items with you to your new apartment. Leave things you are not going to use or need behind. Do waste money on moving things you don’t need!

Many apartments come with different options. Some have a patio, laundry facilities, check what they offer and where it is located. Is it far from your new job or the children school, and is it near any mass transport facility such as a train station or on a bus route. Does it offer fitness centers, playgrounds; picnic areas and do they have parking for your car. Is this in the building and if so do you pay any extra for the parking space. Do this before moving. Now that you know what you need it is time to start looking!

Classifieds sections

You can start with the local classifieds listings in the area you are planning to rent an apartment. These are normally full and it is one of the places people can advertise for free. If there is nothing that fits your bill, check out the postings itself. Also check the online versions of the newspapers and you might have missed something when looking the first time around.

Walk around

If you have any friends in the area, asked them if they know of anyone or any place that might have apartments listed for renting. Better yet, if they don’t know, ask them what would be a good area to start searching in. An area that is safe and central to where you need to be. With this information it is time to hit the streets. Write down the numbers of all the buildings that have "for rent" signs. Unfortunately, many landlords are lazy and leave signs up even after they have been rented. However, after enough people call them, they usually wise up and update their postings.

Message Boards

Start early and look on the bulletin boards on the internet. Any time of the year, there are people looking to give up their place, so keep an eye out?  Remember if don’t call, knock if you can. Most people are too lazy to return calls, if they are getting allot of them.

Also check out online sources:

Web sites like Apartment Guide, Rent.net, Apartments for Rent or Apartments.com.

Also try Google under searches, in the area where you are looking to stay such as:

“Texas apartment for rent”, “Texas apartment rentals”, “Texas condos for rent”, “Texas home for lease”, “Texas home rental” or even “Texas home rentals”.

This will give you not only listing but agents who work in the area that you are looking at.

Now a good rule of thumb is not to spend more than 25% of your income on your rent. For example, if you earn $30,000 per year, or $2,500 per month, you shouldn't spend more than $625 per month on rent. Remember, the more you spend for rent, the less you'll have for other living expenses, including entertainment and savings.

Now normally if the apartment is central, it will cost more. Further away, costs less. Calculate what you transport costs would be each month and see if you will be saving more each month by paying more in rent and spending less time and money  in/on  transportation. As an example: (Dallas Texas)

Apartment A: Rent = $600 per month. Transport to work $170 per month

Apartment B: Rent = $700 per month. Transport to work $10 per month

So, even though Apartment A is cheaper it costs you more each month, so there is no real saving when you add in the transport costs. Think of this before you move or find a mover.

Now that you have narrowed it down. Visit the building and look at the conditions and location.

Visiting the apartment:

Before you sign a lease, visit the apartment and check for any physical damage or safety violations. This is very important for two reasons:

1. You don't want to be held responsible for damage you didn't cause.

2. You want to live in a safe apartment.

If there is any damage, take a digital photo of it with the date showing. Also get the landlord to sign and acknowledge the damage before you sign a lease agreement. Ensure that these are fixed before you move in. Look at the apartment itself. Does it look as if the landlord cares about the property or not. If not, strike it off your list and move on. First impressions count!

Also check that the are Smoke Detectors, Mailboxes, Outdoor lighting,  Locks on doors, windows and sliding glass doors and most importantly are there any Emergency exit signs in hallways and Fire extinguishers in the hallways.

One thing that you always need to check is your neighbors. Do they have pets, small children? This is important as you are going to live next to them for a long time.

Apartment Inspection:

What to Look For

1.         Before entering the apartment, have a close look at the building it is in. Doing this is a good way to determine the maintenance of the building, and the general amount of upkeep it is receiving.  If you notice that the common areas (hallways, elevators, are filthy or rundown, it could be a sign of the condition of the apartments as well.

2.         When entering the apartment, have a look at the door and the lock mechanism. Is it a deadbolt? Is there a chain? How strong is the door? Do the locks get changed with each new tenant or not? You don’t want duplicate keys running around. Also ask if you may install your own locks on the doors. Most builds “recycle” their locks from one room to the next. So there is a duplicate somewhere.  You want to make sure to prevent break-ins, and to help you sleep better.

3.         In the Kitchen, check all the cupboards and try to spot any mouse droppings.  This is important as it will tell you about the building itself and if they have rodent problems. Where there are dropping there will be mice. If there are ask the landlord about it.

4.         Check to see where the electrical outlets are and see if they are functional. Also check for any burn marks on the plugs or walls. If there is a fresh coat of paint around the plug, it might have had a short before.

5. Closely look at the fridge and oven if they are included. Listen to the fridge run and listen for any strange noises. If there is a stove check out if it is electrical or gas. If it is gas check the condition of all the connectors and ask the landlord about any gas leaks. Remember if the fridge is making any noises, it might either be uneven or have problems with its gas. A fridge that does not work properly, will add onto your electrical bill each month. Also check the rubber seals at the BOTTOM of the fridge. If they are torn or worn. The fridge will consume more electricity as it has to turn on the refrigerator unit all the time to maintain the temperature.

6. Check out the space in the kitchen. Can you add a table to it of not? Is there enough counter space for what you will need, maybe a microwave or a dish rack? More space is always better.

7. In the Living room, check if the paint is pealing or chipping away. As you might stay a long time, better to have this covered.

8. Check to see where the electrical outlets are and see if they are functional. Also check for any burn marks on the plugs or walls. If there is a fresh coat of paint around the plug, it might have had a short before. Remember this is where your VCR, Television or Computer is going to go. So be careful.

9. If there are track lighting? Do you need a lamp or lamps?

10. Check your telephone jacks. See if they are in good condition. See if they show ware, as a worn jack will cause your modem to disconnect and create statis on your line.

11. Check out if the room is odd shaped. In order to make attractive looking buildings, developers make odd shapes. This ends up in your apartment. Does it create wasted space? Space you would not be able to use?

12. Check out the bathroom. Is there any mold on the walls or tiles? Make a note of any chipped tiles you see. If there is mold it might show that there is not enough ventilation in the bathroom.

13. Also flush you toilet. Listen for any odd noises, or leaks around the back of the bowl. Also check for any mold build up behind the bowl and any moisture.

14. Do the same with your sink in the bathroom. Check for any leaks that it might have, and condensation and see if the pipes are in good condition.

15. Very importantly, check if you windows can open without being forced open. If there have been long term moisture problems and the apartment has steel framed windows, it will be rusted. So check if they open easily.

16. Move to the bedroom and check the size of the bedroom. Will you furniture be able to fit into it? Remember the bed, dresser, desk, chairs etc)

17. Open the windows and check it they can open easily and if they can shut easily.

18. Look at the electrical outlets and see if they are functional. Also check for any burn marks on the plugs or walls. If there is a fresh coat of paint around the plug, it might have had a short before.

19. Have a look at the closets/wardrobes are they large enough for your clothes that you have. Also check for any mouse droppings here. If they are to small you might need to buy another wardrobe or dresser which would take up additional space.

20. Look at the carpets in the bedroom. Are they worn? If it is tiles check for any chip marks and brink it to the attention of the landlord.

21. Very importantly! Check the thickness of the walls between the rooms. You don’t want to have a noisy neighbor and have to listen to their music all night. Nore do you want to listen to your kids playing games in the middle of the night when you are trying to sleep at midnight!