Hello, all.
It's been awhile, because I am busy looking for a new place while also packing for an international trip.
Before I went apartment hunting, I set out with two things in mind.
1. Budget
I already had a budget set, and from there I started researching where I should go. My original budget for rent money was $500. It is very cheap considering the fact that I'm looking into a place by myself (aka live by myself). I would be okay with $50 more since I really wanted to make sure to have the next thing down, which is...
2. Neighborhood.
As a student living in a university based city, I have been around in some areas that I don't want to go back to. I've grown so tired of uncivilized neighbors that I decided to make this one of my priorities when looking into my next apartment. Also as a female living by herself, safety is something I cannot ignore.
As soon as I set these two things that I could not compromise on, I used apartmentfinder.com to narrow down my options to save my energy and gas. It was nice that I had lived in this city long enough to know which areas are good and which apartments are decent since it made my search so much easier and faster. I was able to find 2 apartment complexes that fell into my price range and satisfied my neighborhood standards.
I went to those places and checked them out. One thing I noticed is that apartment finding websites might have inaccurate information. One place I really loved actually ended up being $150 more expensive than what I found on the website.
Because the first apartment I saw was out of my price range, I went to the second one hoping that their price was the same as the one stated on the website. And it was. Apartments' rents differ depending on the location of the apartment unit and how renovated the unit is. There was one property which was fully renovated and still had the same rent rate as the older ones. Unfortunately, someone had already taken that unit. So I had the option of either paying $84 more for a renovated one vs. an old one. I was really tempted to take the renovated one because the old one looks... old. However, considering the fact that I will be at this apartment for at least 11 months, that would be a $924 difference. With $924, I can do so many things. So after a few very dreadful moments, I decided to go with the smarter choice: the cheaper option. I will work something out to hide those ugly cabinets in the old model and make good use of the money I save.
Once I move in after I come back from my trip, I will post about decorating my apartment with a budget. Since I hate having too much stuff (because it gets so difficult to move), I decided to limit myself to 11 new items to purchase for my new place.
Well, if you guys are also apartment hunting like me, hope you guys find a great place! Cheers to your new places. and new starts.
