Finding your Perfect Apartment
When it comes to finding that perfect place to live – whether you are buying or renting – you will no doubt have been dreaming about your ideal home for years.
You will know exactly what type of property, location and number of bedrooms, not to mention how it will be decorated and how much outdoor space it will have.
The bad news is, however, that it will probably be very difficult – and expensive – to get that dream home. But, there is nothing stopping you from getting close to it.
The first thing to do is to sort out what your perfect place must have – so for example, the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, a garden perhaps, or a parking space.
Then set out what you would like to have, but can live without – such as an en-suite bathroom, a spacious kitchen or a garage.
Once you have this set out, you can begin your search. Now you will already know what area you would like to live in and a great way to start is by doing a quick online search.
Websites such as www.findaproperty.com and www.rightmove.com have a search facility that enables you to look for properties that match what you are looking for, and of course, where. If you don’t necessarily want to involve estate agents, then you could try www.gumtree.com where private landlords often list properties available to rent.
This search will undoubtedly throw up a number of properties that are worth more research. Now, depending on how much you know about your chosen area, you may want to get more information – like crime rates, local council information and future regeneration plans. If you have children, you might want to know more about the local schools and traffic accidents.
The easiest way to find this information out is to visit www.upmystreet.com – this will give you a quick insight into what your ideal location offers – it will even tell you what newspapers your potential neighbours read!
Once you have settled on a couple of properties that you like the look of, you will need to start ringing the estate agents or private landlords to make an appointment to take a look. This is where you have to be careful. If you are renting, bear in mind that they need a tenant so will try to pressure you. Take your time – have a proper look around, take note of everything that you like or don’t like, what you would want improving or changing before you move in etc.
If you are buying then be aware of the ‘hard sell’ that the estate agent will no doubt give.
It is often a good idea, if you are looking at a number of different properties, to take a camera with you so that you can refer back to them when you start to make your final decision.
It can also be the case that estate agents, and sometimes even private landlords, have other properties that you won’t have come across in your search – it is worth taking a look at these even if they don’t match your requirements exactly – the price in particular can be negotiated.
