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The Apartment Search 👀

Alexa play New Apartment by Ari Lennox

Okay guys so 6 months after moving to my new city, Houston, TX, I decided it was time for me to get out of my aunt’s house and get an apartment of my own. Starting off I thought I wanted an apartment locator to help find one. There are so many apartments in Houston, and I wasn’t sure what area I wanted to live in. I had friends living in Pearland and family that lived in Missouri City and along Beltway 8. Other neighborhoods I had heard about were Memorial City, League City, Sugar Land, etc.

There are a few things that I knew I had to consider when moving into an apartment. The most important thing to me was having a washer and dryer in the unit. Believe it or not, some apartment complexes do not have them. Some complexes have laundry facilities that residents can use but you definitely have to pay to use or they have washer and dryer hook ups. I’m sorry, I’ve always been against paying rent and having to pay to wash my clothes or wash them away from my home. Other things that factored into me choosing an apartment were:

· What utilities are included in rent?

· Utilities that aren’t included, are there specific companies I have to use or is it my choice?

· Does the apartment complex have elevators?

· Is renter’s insurance required and can I get my own or is there a specific company I have to go through?

· How is parking?

· Is maintenance 24/7?

· What is the guest and pet policy?

· How do you physically pay rent?

Knowing what utilities are included could make a big difference. My apartment’s rent included water, pest control and valet trash. I absolutely love valet trash. Sunday through Thursday all I have to do is sit my trash outside the door in the designated trashcan and boom they empty it. It’s amazing. Other utilities like electricity and cable, we have the option to choose the company. My apartment complex did have contracts with Ambit Energy and ATT, so I went ahead with those companies. I thought about elevators because I knew I didn’t want to live on the ground floor. Houston floods and even though I’m not in a flood zone, I wanted to make sure I’m okay. More great reasons for elevators are moving and carrying groceries back to your apartment. I love having elevators at my apartment and it’s great for when my grandma visits. She doesn’t have to walk up 3 flight of stairs. At most apartment complexes you have to have renter’s insurance. It is really good to have just in case anything happens, like a fire or break in. Parking at an apartment complex is a big thing to ask about. Some complexes have garage with specific parking spots, like mine or they give you a tag and you park anywhere. Some have personal garages or assigned spots. I think it’s good to have a parking spot in close proximity to your apartment. Always ask about maintenance. It’s important to know if they are 24/7 because you never know when you might have a maintenance emergency. My apartment complex has an app, online requests and I have the maintenance guy’s personal number. Better safe than sorry. Ask about the guest and pet policies because one, we all have friends who come to visit us. You don’t want to potentially get evicted for having a guest over too long nor do you want them to get their car towed because they didn’t park in visitor’s parking. (This happened to me) Pet policy is important if you have furry friends. You do not want to be charged extra when you didn’t know the policy. (Nurse friends this applies to the procedures and policies at work too) Last but not least, a great question to ask is how you pay your actual rent! Some complexes have a drop boxes where you can drop a check or money order off. My complex allows direct deposit. You can also use the app or website to pay.

So, here’s to my favorite part about my apartment…decorating. I didn’t give myself a specific budget because honestly, I’m already a budget-nista! My lovely mother bought a bedroom set for me when I moved into my first solo apartment when I was in college so that was one less room I didn’t have to worry about. The only rooms I need to furnish and decorate were the living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom. After choosing my apartment and touring I decided that I wouldn’t use the dining room space in the traditional sense. I had heard a lot of great reviews on Wayfair, so I decided to shop there. I knew I was going for a modern chic look in my living room, but I knew I wanted it to be my own design. I looked a lot on Pinterest too, to help me understand what I wanted. I got my couch, bar stools and patio set from Wayfair. I got my table from Walmart, a rug, record player and bar cart from Amazon. The big rug under my living room table came from At Home. I can’t even remember everything I got from TJ Maxx because that was my go-to store. My bathroom and the wall decorations in my living room came from TJ. Maxx, Home Goods, Marshalls, and Ross.

Okay guys, so those are my few little tips on choosing an apartment and sites/places I used to furnish and decorate. If you have any other things (questions to ask or places to shop) to add for future apartment renters, please feel free to drop it in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you guys.

XOXO,

The Klassic Nurse 💋



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