Looking for apartments is about more than just location, location, location. It’s also more important than whether you’re looking for one bedroom apartments or two bedroom apartments. Those things matter, yes, but don’t neglect the little things in an apartment, the things you don’t think are important — until you’re forced to live with them every day. Here are a few of the more minute details you should include on your apartment hunting checklist.
In the Kitchen. We spend a lot of our time in the kitchen, no matter what kind of home we live in. Make sure your apartment’s kitchen has enough countertop space to accommodate meal prep for at least two people at a time (more, if you can swing it). Check the depths of the cabinets, upper and lower, so that your larger skillets and serving platters will fit. And throw a quick glance under the sink to see if there’s a garbage disposal.
In the Bathroom. Next to the kitchen, the bathroom is the biggest selling point of any living space. Check your countertop space in here as well (i.e. does it have any). See if the mirror has a medicine cabinet behind it. Flush the toilet to see how long it takes to fill and how fast the water goes down. And run the bathtub to get an idea of the water pressure, how long it takes for the water to heat up, and how hot it can get.
In the Bedrooms. Are the closets roomy, or at least well-planned? Are there options for where you can put the bed (specifically with regard to outlets and vents)? And does your bedroom even have to be a bedroom? Perhaps a den space would work for your bed, freeing up the separate room for a home office. If you live alone, the ability to close a door at night might not even be an issue, and your bed can exist in the corner of the living room.
The Rest of the Place. Be sure there are enough outlets in each room (if you’re viewing a space before someone has moved their stuff out, you might have to go digging a bit more). Do the rooms have light fixtures or will you need floor lamps? And if you do need lamps, which (if any) of the outlets are controlled by wall switches? Finally, take out your cell phone and walk through every room, checking for reception dead spots.
You should be looking for apartments near public transportation, near work, near school, and near the kind of nightlife and shopping you enjoy. But you should also be looking for apartments that feel like home, rather than apartments that feel like you’re just making do.
Do you have some helpful apartment hunting tips? Please feel free to share them in the comments section below. Links like this: www.belmontatcitycenter.com