Moving into a new space is equal parts exciting and hard work. Choosing where you are going to rent an apartment is generally associated with a positive change, a new start and certainly a new lifestyle!
But, finding the right apartment is proven to be a full-time job in such an increasingly competitive market. Finding the perfect apartment for rent is a hustle that can be easily bypassed with the right real estate agency to find it for you!
The secret, that all real estate professionals agree to, is of course to plan ahead to avoid as many mistakes as possible.
Let’s explore how you can avoid critical mistakes when apartment hunting!
1 – Estimate Your Apartment’s Running Costs
Finding an apartment within your budget isn’t impossible but setting that budget is the first and most important step you can take before starting your search.
When looking for an apartment for rent, avoid the mistake of overestimating your rent budget. Take the time to update and polish your personal budget before you start looking for apartments. This will not only help you figure out your price range, but it will also help you identify areas in your personal finances where you can improve.
As a tenant, what you should also take into account is the expenses that need to be factored into their budgets in addition to a rent payment.
Expenses like:
- Move-in costs
- Purchasing new furniture
- Deposits
- One time fees
- Recurring fees
- Utility bills
- Common expenses
These costs need to be considered when determining how much you as a tenant can afford to pay when deciding where to live.
Truly understanding this first step is the foundation for less stressful and highly rewarding apartment hunting.
2 – The Perfect Location For an Aparment is…
The next step after budgeting is the location, and the perfect location should help with your day-to-day life. Your neighbourhood should bring you a sense of joy and security; after all, this is where your safe space is.
The neighbourhoods that appeal to you will largely be a matter of personal choice. If you are looking to nest into the most popular areas of Limassol, take into consideration that it will undoubtedly affect the apartment’s rental price.
Truly great neighbourhoods will have a few key factors in common. For example, accessibility to key areas of the town such as your place of work. Also, having amenities nearby such as grocery stores, shops, and restaurants shows the area’s good economic health.
Lastly, but equally important, the area you choose should be able to complement your overall lifestyle. All of these factors should play a catalytic role in where you will finally make your home.
3 – Explore Multiple Apartments
Today, anyone who is looking into their housing options can easily access millions of apartment listings through hundreds of digital databases and rental search engines. Looking for apartments in Bazaraki in most cases is the first place that Cyprus Nationals go when their house-hunting journey starts.
Although, different real estate agencies are now offering different databases of properties on their websites. When looking for an apartment for rent, exploring multiple websites with multiple properties is a good way to start warming up.
Even though it is very important to have a variety of options, exploring online sometimes gets overwhelming and misleading.
In order to avoid this kind of stress and effectively tackle your property hunting, it is important to find a trustworthy real estate consultant who will support you through this process.
4 – When to View Your New Apartment?
Ideally, you should view your property of interest around one to two times minimum in order to get a holistic understanding.
The same property can look very different at various times of the day. It is valuable to see how each room in the home looks at different times. Especially the rooms that will be used the most – ie. living room, kitchen etc.
The neighbourhood too can be more inviting at a certain time of the day. A visit during lunch and generally peak times should reveal if there are traffic jams. Whereas a visit during the evening may indicate whether the streets are safe.
A weekend visit will offer important insights such as who your neighbours may be. Make sure the neighbours seem nice, as you don’t want to be surrounded by uninviting people.
Following the same logic, if you know that you will be home during the weekends, it would be good to know that the neighbourhood is peaceful and quiet. Or maybe that is something you are looking for, thus, you’ve probably found the perfect place!
5 – Negotiate For Your Apartment
When you hear the word “negotiate”, your rent is probably not the first thing that comes to mind.
While most people don’t realize it, it’s possible to negotiate your rent price. Your landlord operates as a business, after all, and they’re going to want to find a balance of happiness for their client and themselves.
Results will vary from person to person and it will depend on many different factors. Including quality, amenities features, location and the particular apartment for rent. Since rent prices make up the largest portion of the overall expenses, shaving off even a small percentage of the rent price can save you an impressive amount in the long run.
If you haven’t done this before, you’re probably going to be feeling a little nervous. After all, it’s a big step and one that’s outside of most peoples’ comfort zones.
Yet, if you are working with an expert real estate consultant, the negotiation will be taken care of by a trained professional who is most likely to strike a much better deal than a non-pro.
So When Are YOU Moving In?
It’s easy to become overwhelmed during your apartment search; we know. The apartment hunting process is full of doubts, back and forths, and needs a lot of patience.
It requires you to be open and most importantly proactive. Being aware of multiple factors of which we discussed in this blog. This can be a hard and draining process, but in the end, if you’re willing to push through, it is totally worth it.
Knowing all of these, and still being aware of them while property hunting is hard. There are people who do this for a living, and love doing so! These people are called Property Consultants, and they are more than willing to spend hours and days to find the property of your dreams.
Here at CENTURY 21, we make sure that our property consultants become your best buds! We pride ourselves on our Property Consultants being the best of the best. One by one specially selected, and trained to be the beacon you need in your journey!
You can find our offices in all major areas of Cyprus. A visit to our offices will be the start of your home journey.