Moving out on your own can be scary and completely overwhelming. My house-hunting experience was kind of a nightmare and I wish I had more guidance beforehand. These tips can help to make your moving experience a little easier:
1. Do Your Research
Weather you're moving to a completely new city like I did, or looking to move out of mom and dads this step is important. Research what areas you'll likely be hanging out (bars, restaurants, parks etc). Whatever you like to do for fun it's important you're not too far away. You'll also want to get a feel for the areas you're looking in. I found a beautiful (and affordable) apartment complex whose website looked incredible, but once I dove deeper into the area I realized its an "up and coming neighborhood" which is really just a nice way of saying "come here in the daylight". If I wouldn't have found that out I would be sleeping with mace under my pillow. Another important step in the researching process is to call ahead and see what each apartments availability is. Learn from my mistakes! You don't want to tour an apartment, fall in love with it and realize the availability doesn't line up with your timeline.
Before you tour any apartment make a budget. Figure out how much you're paychecks will be after taxes and estimate living expenses like food, cable, internet etc. You will want to have plenty of money left over each month for savings and for fun. Do not make yourself rent poor! Remember this is your first apartment, it doesn't need to look like Pinterest threw up. Especially when you move to a new place, you will want to go out, make friends and experience the city you live in. It's really hard to do this when you have to put every penny into your rent. Every apartment is a blank canvas, a little decorating, repainting and your furniture can really transform your space.
3. Be Organized & Have a Plan
When apartment hunting for the first time it is crucial to have a plan of action. I did my initial research, and found a list of apartments, called ahead and made appointments for when I'd be in town. Once I had it all set I made a binder. I highly recommend doing this! I printed out the information (address, phone number, etc) for each apartment complex as well as the amenities and rent on a sheet of paper. I then printed out each layout, added a folder (for the paperwork/flyers they hand you) and some lined paper so I could take notes. I did this for each place I was touring and put them in order by appointment. Doing so, made it easy to look back at each place at the end of the day and compare them to one another.
4. Be Perceptive & Go With Your Gut
While looking through apartments be very perceptive to your surroundings. If anything about the place your considering makes you feel uncomfortable,(the landlord, the people walking around, the state of the building, etc) don't take it. That feeling will only get worse once you live there and once you're in a contract it can be difficult (and expensive) to break.
Most importantly have fun and be proud of yourself! This is a huge step in your life, make the most of it and don't let the stress ruin your experience.
XoXo,
Kristin
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