a roof over your head is a blessing.
that said, an apartment building which you can call, shareefoon ka muhala, is a blessing just like an independent house with a drive way would be.
better have a balcony with the lounge or bedroom and a gas stove inside in your kitchen, a spare bathroom for guests is good and at least 2 bed rooms.
then, as a single person, or a couple with little child/ren, you can make do.
prefer first floor, so that elderly parents or grand parents can visit you easily.
living in a house with privacy of one's own, is indeed something that an apartment cannot give anyone.
in finding a good apartment, matching ones needs with wants and both of those with one's pocket's worth is the real challenge.
Town houses don't have a good resale history in south. I'd suggest if you are buying, go with a small single family home.
I don't know about your city but in fl we have a trend of apartment and townhome communities. All good communities are gated and have community centers. I'd say check some of those communities and compare the location and features. It is best to do a lease if you intened to live longer. If you are not sure then go on month to month rent thing. I think it is $50 or $60 more. Most of the time leases are from 8-12 months and yeah the rent is constant under the lease till it expires.
In south all the good communities have central heat/air. Some places have washer and dryer included in the rent and at other places you have to pay extra like 35-40 each every month. In such cases sometimes people prefer buying their own washer and dryer and hooking them up. Fridge, microwave, dishwasher, waste disposal are normally included (atleast in fl).
Another question: What are some of the things/services included in the rent? I know most of them have water bill included. Almost all of them have fridges and some even have microwave ovens. I believe if something breaks (not due to your fault) like water leakage etc., they have the maintenance guys that can come fix it. My brother's apartment even changed his air filter for the central AC. Any other things that may be included in the rent? Things that aren't?
Depends. Water - maybe. Some might include electricity, which is nice.
Depends also on whether you're renting from the apartment company or a private owner that owns the apartment or condo.
fridges, ovens - of course, most have them.
its nice if you can get a washing machine and dryer in your apartment
maintenance guys are better when you're renting from the apartment complex itself. If you rent from a private owner, good luck in convincing them to fix something for you. They can be stingy.
Some apartments come fully furnished, which is nice.
Dushi jee &** PCG**, thanks for your suggestions :) Yeah I would rather get my own washer/drier. Electricity used to be included back in 90s, I doubt if it'll be included now but I will check.
Lusi FL, AL, MS, LA (where I am), TX are not too different. All places have the air/heat. I prefer gated communities because they are a bit safer than where just anyone could drive in and get. Yes you are right, town houses aren't as popular here in South as they are in North where my in-laws live. I'll keep all suggestion in mind when apt. hunting next month.
Also, when renting we preferred communities then private owners because repairs and service is not that much a hassle. In south water is not included in rent. You have to pay for water, electricity, gas (is it is a gas community), and cable. The community we used to live in even had a security system and it was included in the rent. I think security systems are always included in the rent.
Hmmmm............I called a few places and all of them had water included. Not sure about FL. And yes, I will not go for a private owner, def. NO DESI!!!! And I am not going to go for cheap places either, I would rather pay a bit more but have peace of mind knowing that someone would show up ASAP when there is a problem. In fact, I will ask around at work and see what people recommend because I am sure someone will know good communities around.
Yeah in Fl we have to pay for water. For rent besides coworkers, also check rent.com and get those rent apartment magzines/booklets from your local grocery store. Normally they have them at the entrance of the grocery store.
shikra/lusi if there are people who are renting their townhomes u can find good ones who have contracted with service companies to do repair work. same companies that are contracted by apartment buildings.
when i moved from downtown chicago to the burbs we rented a townhouse from a dude, and for 1100/month we had a townhouse with an attached garage, a loft, patio .. we would have been paying 1300 for a 2 bedroom apt without washer dryer in unit.
Oh and the area was significantly better than the area for apartments. private community and all, so look around, u may find something better.
When you first move in, your apartment's pretty much ready! Painted, carpet cleaned if it's carpeted. All that good stuff.
Your lease ensures that your rent rate will not go up during that lease time. And if you were to break the lease before it's due time, the landlord can, possibly, withhold your security deposit to pay for finding another tenant because you broke the lease.
After each lease term, you will be required to renew your lease, and yes more than likely there will be an increase, usually under a hundred dollars. much less most of the time.
When you leave, normal wear/tear is allowed, like paint chipped, etc..etc...However, if there is substantial property damage (families with kids have this problem), then you will be required to make those repairs if they exceed your security deposit amount, if less then will be deducted before your security deposit is returned.
Having said all that, You should always look for a few things in an apartment because i've experienced way too many to know the issues that can arise:
1. Proper cooling (high rises usually have built-in A/C)
2. Proper heating (A must if you live some place where winters are brutal)
Inspect and make sure all radiators work. you can often just visit the people
living in the building and ask for their opinions or check our apartment review
online.
3. Pests can be a big problem. Make sure to ask of that.
4. Ask whether parking is included, parking on the street, especially in the city
can and will be a pain in the rear.
5. Repairs are the landlord's problem, make sure to give him/her/the management enough time to resolve it. They're usually slow to act.
Last but not least:
Check the area you move into, the surrounding buildings, etc.... the whole North vs. South issue DOES really play a huge role.
Make sure you ask plenty of questions, read your lease carefully and ask if you're unsure of anything.
When you first move in, your apartment's pretty much ready! Painted, carpet cleaned if it's carpeted. All that good stuff.
Your lease ensures that your rent rate will not go up during that lease time. And if you were to break the lease before it's due time, the landlord can, possibly, withhold your security deposit to pay for finding another tenant because you broke the lease..
hafta look at eeach states renter laws, e.g. delware renter laws favour landlord heavily, if the renter breaks teh lease they are respionsible for rent until landlord finds a new tennant ...
I don’t really get this point. Shed some light on this please.
Thanks Who said it’s Houston? May be I am going to become your neighbor
Lusi/X2 Yeah I’ll look for those catalogs at the store and will also look into town houses. We have mostly houses in South, and their rent is usually higher than apartments because they are generally 3-4 bedrooms single family houses.
North will more likely leave you with a better outlook....
South is more like rowdy/auto burglary/drugs/etc..etc.....lol
but then again...it all depends where u live too. some places dont that inferiority complex issue.
i don't wanna sound racist, i've live in the south, and um....it's not really looked upon with a smile when u mention where u live. let alone if u want ppl to come visit u. Where you choose to live, your neighborhood, or a certain location of the city/town....matters as far as ur surroundings go. You need to have good neighbors.
I've been living in South for 10+ years now :D I am in New Orleans. I'll be moving to Texas and north south really doesn't matter there, it's still south. I know a few good neighborhoods and will keep that in mind.
**Another Question: **What do people in apts. do about the drinking water? Tap water? Filtered? Bottled? Right now we have our own fridge in the house and it has the filtered water dispenser. I was looking at some bottle-less water coolers. They are expensive ($300-$800) but they are cool. You don't have to fill water bottles every week nor spend money on new bottled water.
well when u move in...u already get a fridge as an amenity with the apartment. It's the very basic kind. gets the job. You will, if u want to, have to get like a water filter or whatever you prefer. Otherwise tap water all the way.
I personally, use the filter that screws right onto the faucet. And i also have one of the filtering system with a jug underneath it so...works out pretty well. As for cooler, i think u might be better off calling Sparkling Springs or one of those company, they replenish you with all you need (cooler, water tanks, etc) and you get a bottled water case everytime they come to replace your empty tanks with the filled one. Dono how u feel bout that...but tht's an option.
We used to have that service where the guy delivered 5-gallon bottles but I didn't really like the whole ordeal. Our job has the bottle-less coolers with filters and I like that idea, but they are expensive. I guess for the time being the filter on the faucet would do, until I figure out what the best option would be.
LOL. Jokes aside, most of my stuff is done online. i.e. paycheck is deposited into my account, I pay bill via online banking, etc. so I am not too worried about that for now. All official correspondence, bank, credit card, 401K, stocks etc. are available online and I have opted out of the mail option. Most of the mail that I get is card offers. I am still thinking whether to officially change it or not because even if I don’t, the mail would just come to my house here and parents can always forward it to me.
Who said it’s Houston? May be I am going to become your neighbor 
