The Romanticization of the “First Apartment”
News Flash: Your first apartment is going to be many things, but perfect isn’t one of them. As someone who is on their third apartment, you should know that your first apartment will suck, because you don’t know what’s important to you yet. But you will. Here are some things to consider about your first place.
Know that there will be bugs. Ants, cockroaches, etc. will be a fixture in your first apartment. Unless you are paying out the rear for a super fancy place, which is ridiculous, but whatever, you will encounter little buggy friends. Avoid this by keeping your place reasonably clean, take the trash out frequently, and try not to keep piles of paper everywhere. This helps a lot with keeping them at bay. Or keep a can of raid on you. That helps too.
Choose what is going to work best for you. Do you have a car? If not, find a place that is close to stores (clothing and grocery) and a Laundromat if your apartment doesn’t have a washer/dryer. I have been lucky enough to have lived in apartments that came with a washer/dryer, but that is an amenity that I have rented from the complex. Do you rely on public transit? Check what routes go by your place. I didn’t realize that my first complex didn’t go to the main shopping plaza in town until after I moved in. And I was grateful at my second apartment, there was a grocery store literally right outside the front gates.
Decide how much you want to spend early and do your research. Some complex’s bundle internet and utilities into your rent, others don’t. Check with your complex FIRST rather than later about this. Suppose you want to find a place for under $500. Does this include utilities/internet? If yes, you need to check whether your place bundles or not. Because if they don’t, you should actually be looking for a place that is closer to $400 to allow for these things.
And finally, VISIT THE PLACE BEFORE YOU SIGN A LEASE. My first apartment was situated so I had zero natural light and the one window faced a hallway, so I could never leave the blinds open. This is something I realized I hated only after moving in. And I didn’t visit the place before moving in, so I could have at least seen the problem beforehand. The carpet and furniture provided was also dreary and ugly, and while I didn’t mind the apartment, I also didn’t enjoy living there.
I’m going to talk in a later post about what you actually need for an apartment, useful things to have, how to pack if you’re moving in just a car, etc.
I hope this helped. If you have questions, let me know!
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