first timer looking for apt....need tips.

[axnff]

With 550 sq ft, you'll eat on your sofa, you'll never have more than two guests at a time (you might be able to push it to four if everyone is close - the first time someone has to crawl over someone else's lap just to go to the bathroom, you'll know why...). You will have your choice of being in the living room or bedroom. My first apartment was 600 sq ft, and I hated it. After I got married, I moved from my 1350 sq ft duplex into a 720 sq ft apartment that had a small dining room. Again, hated it.

If the kitchen has corners, check to see whether there are corner cabinets/cupboards - you would be surprised at how many apartments leave the corners empty - robbing you of a LOT of cabinet space. If you are looking at ground level, make sure there are no drainage issues - my first flat actually collected 1 - 2" of standing water after rains or good snow-melts. The carpet was permanently soggy, and I had a problem with mold (the allergic/asthmatic reactions almost killed me) and bugs. Lowest-level apartments tend to have the most plumbing problems, as all the crud in the pipes tend to collect there (my bathroom once flooded with all the crap from the kitchen sinks/dishwashers from the two floors above me). Top-floor apartments frequently deal with leaky roofs, which a landlord will rarely fix promptly.

Make sure the bedroom is big enough for your furniture. Many smaller apartments can't fit a queen bed and a dresser (if they can, you might not fit a decent sofa in the living room).

Last but most: Tour the apartments. Don't get your heart set on one (cheap or nice, doesn't matter) apartment. Shop around, and tour them ALL. Tour the ones that might be a bit more/less expensive than what you are looking for, or smaller/bigger etc. That is the only way to see whether it is a good deal in your area.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: KingPhil
550SF = SMALL

I had a 1 bedroom that was 800 SF and there were 2 of us. That was an OK size, but after a while we ran out of places to store our stuff.......

KingPhil describes what I had for 5 years. I agree. 550 ft^2 is just too little for two people to live comfortably. I had ~800 ft^2 and it was great for about 3 years. As the fourth and fifth year came around we completely ran out of space to buy new things. Actually that worked out since that was a great excuse to tell the wife not to buy useless junk - no room.

I don't care how well you get along with your gf, at times you will want space. In 550 ft^2 apartments, there is no space. If you want peace and quiet and she wants to play the stereo, you are screwed. There are thousands of similar examples. You pretty much have a bedroom and a living room. If she is doing something in the living room, then you must be confined to the bedroom - often that can be depressing. Instead, the wife and I got a 2 bedroom apartment and turned the second bedroom into a computer room/office/entertainment room. Thus both people could be off doing their own thing if need be.


Some people mentioned utilities, but as I briefly scanned this thread I didn't see the most important utility question. How much did the previous renter pay in utilities, and did the previous renter use the heater/AC as you would? This information can be a huge deal breaker. My apartment was a new building, efficient furnace/AC, and utilities ran me an average of $52 a month. Many of my friends had apartments in old buildings: drafty rooms, inefficient furnace/AC, etc and their utilities ran $150+ a month for a smaller apartment.

 

[DougK62]

I suggest ~1000 sq.ft. minimum for two people or you'll want to kill each other after a few weeks.

 

[RossMAN]

How is your g/f going to legally live with you when she's not a US resident or citizen?

 

[cHeeZeFacTory]

dam...I pay $1100 pay a 1 bedroom 750sq ft here in orange county, ca

 

[Semidevil]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
How is your g/f going to legally live with you when she's not a US resident or citizen?

yea, well, I mailed in the forms for the K1 fiance visa early in the year, so I was just planning to see what I was looking at. I'm estimating that she will come in the summer or late summer......hopefully, it will work out fine...........

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: Semidevil

Originally posted by: RossMAN
How is your g/f going to legally live with you when she's not a US resident or citizen?

yea, well, I mailed in the forms for the K1 fiance visa early in the year, so I was just planning to see what I was looking at. I'm estimating that she will come in the summer or late summer......hopefully, it will work out fine...........

Good luck.

It's going to take $$$ in fees and TIME. My wife living here in the USA is STILL waiting 3.5 years after arriving here to receive her "conditional" status removed by the immigration department.

You're living in dreamland.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

550sf ain't sh!t!

 

[Semidevil]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: Semidevil

Originally posted by: RossMAN
How is your g/f going to legally live with you when she's not a US resident or citizen?

yea, well, I mailed in the forms for the K1 fiance visa early in the year, so I was just planning to see what I was looking at. I'm estimating that she will come in the summer or late summer......hopefully, it will work out fine...........

Good luck.

It's going to take $$$ in fees and TIME. My wife living here in the USA is STILL waiting 3.5 years after arriving here to receive her "conditional" status removed by the immigration department.

You're living in dreamland.

seriously?? shoot......it takes that long? I read only 4 to 8 months.....

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: Semidevil

Originally posted by: RossMAN
How is your g/f going to legally live with you when she's not a US resident or citizen?

yea, well, I mailed in the forms for the K1 fiance visa early in the year, so I was just planning to see what I was looking at. I'm estimating that she will come in the summer or late summer......hopefully, it will work out fine...........

Good luck.

It's going to take $$$ in fees and TIME. My wife living here in the USA is STILL waiting 3.5 years after arriving here to receive her "conditional" status removed by the immigration department.

You're living in dreamland.

Amen to that. Mention immigration around my buddy's wife and you'd better be ready to receive a beating. 😛

- M4H

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: Semidevil

Originally posted by: kyparrish
OP, don't forget to have some work stubs/proof of income when you apply to live there. Also, they'll run a credit check.

yea, thanx. I think that should be no problem..I have had a decent job and my credit is good.

just want to know everything I should consider when looking for apartments. things I should look for, and ask for etc etc. Want to make the first independent home as pleasureable as possible

When you go look at a place - check out the little things. Make sure that the drawers and cupboards open and shut properly. Make sure the fan in the bathroom works and doesn't sound like it'll explode. Make sure that the icemaker in the fridge actually makes ice, and the A/C actually blows cold air. There are a lot of little things like this that you wouldn't normally notice until after you moved in, and some landlords can be assholes about getting these sorts of things fixed.

Notfred speaks the truth. His earlier reply was spot-on as well.

What I like to do is drive by the prospective apt at different times. Day. Night. Weekend.

Just b/c the parking lot is empty during the day except for a few new Cadillacs (owned by retirees that no longer work) doesn't mean that at night the place isn't full of Hooptees and criminals hanging out smoking weed and breaking beer bottles.