What’s up?! It’s been a while since I’ve made a blog post, and I haven’t been making my regular social media posts about my crochet business or write in my journal every night. I felt like I was a bit out of touch with what’s going on in the world (and still am, to be honest). Well… here’s why.
I have officially gotten my first apartment! Yes, I got an apartment in the middle of a pandemic. Yes, I got my first apartment at 29 years of age. I always felt welcomed at home. At the same time, I didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of financially struggling while living alone, so I waited until I felt comfortable.
Finding an Apartment
Now that I’ve been living in my humble abode for 14 days, I think it’s time to write about my process and give you some tips.
- Where can you look for an apartment? Well, I began searching on websites like Apartments.com and Zillow.
- Where do you want to live? Do you want to live close to your family? How about your church (if you go)? How long will it take you to get to school or work… or both? All of these things I considered when I looked for my apartment. My main focus was on how far it will take me to get to work. I used to drive 43 minutes to get to work, and it didn’t bother me at the time. As of June 2020, I didn’t want to make that drive again.
- The right size for you. The rent depends on the size of the apartment, so that’s what you need to think about when choosing. How many rooms do you want? How many bathrooms do you really need? How much stuff do you want and how much do you already have? What apartment is the right size for you?
- Find an apartment within your price range. This tip should be a given.
- Have more than one likely living space. Be open-minded during this process. Choosing one didn’t necessarily mean that you will be living there for sure. I made a list of places that I thought would be nice. I may not like the only one that I chose, or someone may have already taken the unit advertised online.
- Look at multiple sites for reviews. Not only did I look at the reviews on apartments.com and Zillow, but I also Googled the apartments and found their pages on Facebook to give me more insight.
- Drive around the area of the apartments and get your bearings. This one may take a few days, but I find it to be necessary. Take a look at the apartment complex and the neighborhood. Where’s the nearest grocery store and food places? Would you feel comfortable in that area if you lived there? These are questions that I had to keep in mind. I also took the time to write some notes after checking out the exterior of the apartment complex. Then I ranked my choices from most-likely to least-likely.
- Contact the apartment to see if it’s still available. Whether by email or call, please contact the leasing offices and don’t take the word of these apartment hunting websites. Sometimes the apartments that use these websites aren’t going to update their information daily. Therefore, it helps to make sure the unit you want is still available. Moreover, pay attention to how they respond to your request. For some people, the tone of their response won’t matter. I know that finding tenants is a business deal, but their tone of voice meant something to me. It lets me know that I can call them at any time if I needed their help in the future.
- Have a look at the apartment. Make an appointment with the leasing office for a tour. Yes, I know it’s a pandemic but scheduling time to look inside of the apartment you want is so necessary. You need to have a feel for the place since you may be living there… or maybe you’ll realize this isn’t the apartment for you. Moreover, pay attention to the attitude they give you while showing you around. Similar to #8, how I am treated during this encounter means something to me.
- Ask questions before saying yes. All I did was google some questions to ask before making my decision. Apartments.com has a pretty good article you can consider. Click here if interested.
- Make a rough draft of your budget. This may be something you can do earlier in the process. If you chose this apartment, then what does it look like when you include
As you can see, I took my time and considered all things before I made my decision. This is where I’ll be living after all!
Say Yes to the Dress Apartment
Once you’ve found your apartment, you will need to apply for it and wait until you get approved. Once you get approved, the next steps would be to pay attention to whatever they ask you to do. It’s a daunting task, yes, but read everything they give you. Thoroughly. Every. Single. Thing. Don’t skip anything! Read every single email or document!
Decorating Your Apartment
Here’s the fun part of getting an apartment: DECORATING! You get to decorate your place how you want to! Yay! I’m not an expert nor am I an interior designer, so I’ll keep this one short and honest. Furniture can be stressful, especially during a pandemic. So try to make it fun and interesting. Make a budget of how much you’re willing to spend on furniture and decorations too. Be open-minded and patient. You may not be able to get everything on time. At the same time, I was blessed with having almost all of my furniture delivered to me on time.
It’s okay if you don’t have furniture in every room of your apartment during the first week. Take your time designing each room based on how you want it. As for me, I stuck with finding the basics: a place to sleep, a TV, and somewhere to put my clothes. Everything else came secondary.
How was your experience with getting your first apartment? I’d love to know!
Take care of your self out there. Wear a mask. Sanitize everything.
~Live Laugh Love~
Check out the previous blog HERE.