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any tips for apartment hunting? also where my TN furs at
9 years ago
General
some of you may already know but just in case you haven't heard, 
MadameLollipop and I are grown-ups now and getting married in less than two months now (!!!!) and as such we would like to actually be adults and live like adults (i.e. on our own)
and given that I will soon have an Entertainment Industry degree, Nashville is the best place to be (plus Nashville is just a pretty cool city)
so we've got some problems tho:
- we are on a super tight budget; i'll likely need a second job because right now $8/hr and 35ish hours a week is not gonna be enough to really afford an apartment (it'd pay the rent at some places, but not much else)
- we have a kitty and need pet friendly places
- we would prefer to not have to have roommates but are open to that if we have to
so we had planned on looking at 3 apartments in Nash that were mostly affordable and pet friendly but one didn't have anything available, the other just *happened* to be closed the day we visited (gonna call 'em tomorrow i suppose) and the third was so far away that we didn't really have time to go to it
anyway my mom thinks I should just call every imaginable apartment building which I don't understand; I hate making phone calls, doubly so when I don't know the person, and triple so when it's anything like business related; thus I really don't see why I should waste effort in calling like places that I know I won't be able to afford and such
ALSO if any of you reading this happen to be from or know your way around the Nashville metropolitan area and wanna give me a pointer on some cheap pet friendly apartments I'm all ears here (I really don't think we can afford anything more than probably 650 a month and even 600 is pushing it)
and I appreciate any tips anybody can give with like, what sorts of questions to ask, what to do in case my application is rejected, etc etc
I'm excited but also scared cause I really wanna move out of AL and i really don't wanna get stuck here because this place is driving me i n s a n e
okay not really (i'm a drama queen) but i definitely do not wanna be here any longer than i have to, i've been here so long and it's really just time for me to leave this town, this whole state in the dust
MadameLollipop and I are grown-ups now and getting married in less than two months now (!!!!) and as such we would like to actually be adults and live like adults (i.e. on our own) and given that I will soon have an Entertainment Industry degree, Nashville is the best place to be (plus Nashville is just a pretty cool city)
so we've got some problems tho:
- we are on a super tight budget; i'll likely need a second job because right now $8/hr and 35ish hours a week is not gonna be enough to really afford an apartment (it'd pay the rent at some places, but not much else)
- we have a kitty and need pet friendly places
- we would prefer to not have to have roommates but are open to that if we have to
so we had planned on looking at 3 apartments in Nash that were mostly affordable and pet friendly but one didn't have anything available, the other just *happened* to be closed the day we visited (gonna call 'em tomorrow i suppose) and the third was so far away that we didn't really have time to go to it
anyway my mom thinks I should just call every imaginable apartment building which I don't understand; I hate making phone calls, doubly so when I don't know the person, and triple so when it's anything like business related; thus I really don't see why I should waste effort in calling like places that I know I won't be able to afford and such
ALSO if any of you reading this happen to be from or know your way around the Nashville metropolitan area and wanna give me a pointer on some cheap pet friendly apartments I'm all ears here (I really don't think we can afford anything more than probably 650 a month and even 600 is pushing it)
and I appreciate any tips anybody can give with like, what sorts of questions to ask, what to do in case my application is rejected, etc etc
I'm excited but also scared cause I really wanna move out of AL and i really don't wanna get stuck here because this place is driving me i n s a n e
okay not really (i'm a drama queen) but i definitely do not wanna be here any longer than i have to, i've been here so long and it's really just time for me to leave this town, this whole state in the dust
My then-fiance and I were looking around, and decided that we might as well give one of the upper-end ones we saw on a drive a shot because all the other ones were a bust. It ended up being in our price range and far nicer than anywhere else I've been, lived there for two years until prices skyrocketed in Denver. So it can be worth the effort, but mileage may vary.
My tips, based on personal experience:
- Ask what the neighbours are like. You don't want to be stuck with noisy neighbours or people that smoke or do drugs or anything like that
- See the place before you sign anything. Make sure it's clean and with no major damage and no mould and that the amenities are functional
- Do your research. Make sure it's a good area and that it meets your needs
- Remember to research the real estate agent/rental agency you'll be working with too! Some of them can be shady or difficult to deal with
- Don't pick a house with a pool. They're not worth the extra hassle
- Check for hidden costs. Some places will expect you to pay for a grounds-keeper or for repairs to the building and these costs may not be reflected in the rent. So don't get caught and don't pay for any damage you didn't cause!
- Shop around for different energy providers. You may pay extra for the ones the real estate agent recommends.
- If they offer to set up a service so your payment leaves your bank account automatically, DON'T DO IT! They cost extra and they make it harder to keep an eye on your own finances.
- If white goods or furniture are provided check for their functionality and find out when they were cleaned. You don't want bedbugs in your couches or fridges that waste your money by gobbling up electricity with leaking seals.
- It's also a good idea to ask when the house was last fumigated. I ended up with a house full of ants because my house hadn't been fumigated in 16 years.
- Don't let them trick you into signing anything on the day you see the house. Take the paperwork but make sure to read it carefully and consider your options before signing. Also make sure that the contract you're signing is fair and legal because once you've signed it a lawyer can't help you if there's anything shonky in there.