So I did it.
I paid the application fee and the administration fee for what might possibly be my new home for the next 10 months--Finally.
My lease is ending on July 31st and apartment hunting around Charlotte has not been as fun as I thought it would be. I figured this post might be good for people who are thinking about/planning to move into their first apartment. Here's a few things that I've learned from apartment hunting these past few weeks:
1. Don't wait until the last minute.
All of this time I've been just chilling in my student apartment and it has truly been the simple adult life. I pay $490 a month (all utilities included). I get a room, private bathroom, cable/internet, and, of course, all of the amenities. After graduating from college in December, I felt like I had plenty of time to figure out the next step of my life. June came before I knew it. I didn't have anyone I want to room with and I wasn't (and still am not) sure I wanted to live on my own. So finally I decided well--let's see what's out there. Since my lease ends in July, it's been challenging to find a decent place with available units in the time frame I need it to be. Lesson I've learned: You have to start MONTHS in advance. You don't want to feel rushed into finding a place that you'll be stuck at for a while.
2. The clubhouse & amenities ALWAYS look better than the apartments.
Like most apartment hunters, I started my search online. Looking through all the pictures you think "Hmm that looks nice...". Everything looks beautiful and the amenities/landscaping look great---too bad they paid so much attention to the outside that they totally forgot about the inside! As soon as you walk into the door it's like you're in a time capsule. It looks like the apartment hasn't been updated since the 1950s! Lesson I've learned: Don't let the outside appearance fool you.
3. Apparently $700 is not a lot of money for a 1 bedroom apartment....
Now I can admit: I might just be a little picky. However...I felt like my expectations of I what can afford and what I expected were pretty realistic. Wrong. True, there are definitely 1 bedroom apartments in this price range, but most are in the hood and are raggedy. Nuh Uh. My original plan was to not go over $700/mo for rent but since then I've had to stretch my budget to get something I think I wouldn't mine staying in and wouldn't mind paying for (I will move back home before I pay a ton of money for a dump!). The apartment I applied for was $780/mo. I'm still daunted by that price but I think I can manage it with the money I bring in.
4. You can't always rely on the Internet to find an apartment.
Living in Charlotte, I know there's an extensive list of apartment complexes out there I could live at. Since I'm not from the area, I don't exactly know where the best places to look are. So many apartments just don't advertise on Apartments.com, Apartment Guide, or Apartment Finder. A lot of apartment I've done by just driving around. I found the apartment I applied to when I was headed back home from touring a place I thought was horrible.
5. When choosing an apartment, so many factors have to be aligned.
This is what makes apartment hunting exhausting and draining. First, you have to find the apartment complex. Then, you find out whether they'll have a unit available when you need it. Then, you find out whether it's in your price range--and that's just the preliminaries. Here's a list of other things to consider: safety of the neighborhood, the size of the space, distance from work, the amenities you have, what's included with rent, how big the walk-in closet is (yes, that's a factor for me!), etc. My advice: Go with your gut. Everything will never be totally aligned. Well, at least without paying a huge price (Side note: If I had a bigger budget and/or a live-in boyfriend, apartment hunting would be SO much easier!).
6. Moving Out is EXPENSIVE!
Out of all of things I've listed, this was probably the most expected. Just to fill out an application for an apartment costs $50 or more. Yep. Just to "consider" your application. Here's a snippet of the expenses I have/will encounter just moving in (Keep in mind, I just paid rent for my student apartment on the front):
- Application Fee: $50.00 (Non-refundable)
- Administration Fee=translation: a fee just to hold the apartment for you: $150.00 (only refundable if I don't get approved)
- Security Deposit= translation: a fee the apartment keeps to "secure" themselves in case of damage to units $300.00+ (based on credit verification; refundable at the end of lease term depending on the damages)
- Prorated First Month's Rent=$355.00
- Next Month's Rent= $788.00 (due 2 1/2 weeks after paying the first month's rent!)
- Start-up fees for utilities =?
Well, here's just a couple of things I've learned trying to find my first apartment. Hopefully, it will help other first time movers, like me.
Live your life in YELLOW!
Yours Truly,
Aesha
Sidenote: I need to start blogging more. Hopefully I can make this a habit.
