Choosing a property for rent can be daunting. How do you know if you have chosen the right property for you? Further, there are many other aspects of a property that you must keep in mind.
The world of rentals can be confusing, says ZRooom, who offer rentals in Singapore. Which real estate ads do you look at? Should you rent an apartment you fell in love with, but can’t afford? Can you trust your agent or landlord? There are many questions that can be asked and should be answered.
Here is our list of dos and don’ts when choosing properties for rent.
Do: Research
You should research the apartment you are looking at, including rent and dimensions. But you should also research the potential landlord and real estate broker to see if there are any known issues with either of them.
You should also research the neighborhood and make sure that it is safe, says NBCNews. The last thing you would want is to move in with your children to an unsafe neighborhood. You should also research what entertainment is in the area as well so you know you will not be bored when you move into one of the many properties for rent that are available.
Don’t: Buy the Apartment Sight Unseen
You should never buy the apartment sight unseen. Sight unseen means that you rent the apartment before you move in. This is because, while things may seem legitimate on the website, you could go visit the apartment and find out that there are holes and mold in the apartment.
Viewing the apartment before you move in is the perfect way to make sure that you do not get screwed by the real estate agent or the landlord. You should make sure that the apartment is exactly the way the listing said and with no major issues, such as leaks or mold.
Do: Walkthrough the Apartment
When you have narrowed the list of apartments for rent that you would like to potentially get, that will be the time to walkthrough the apartment. When you walk through the apartment, you should be looking for two things. The first is to make sure that there are no major problems with the apartment, such as holes in the walls (or floors), leaks, or mold.
The second thing you should be looking for is whether you can see yourself living in the apartment. Is it comfortable? Is the atmosphere correct? Is there something imperfect about the apartment? If you cannot see yourself living in some of those properties for rent, then the logical thing is not to rent those apartments.
Don’t: Forget to Read the Lease
A lease can have problems in it, not which of least being that the landlord has included provisions that will cause you problems. Examples of these provisions would be if they do not follow the law, or there is something inconsistent from what you have been told by the landlord and what it is in the lease.
If either of these cases exist, you should immediately ask for a new lease. If the landlord or real estate agent will not provide a new lease, then this is not one of the properties for rent you should ultimately decide on.
Do: Set a Budget
In order to avoid breaking the bank, you should set a budget for how much you will spend on the rent. This will usually be about $300 less than the maximum to allow yourself some wiggle room in case you just have to get one of the available apartments for rent that is just a little pricier than you could otherwise afford.
If you are going to go over budget, then you should know by how much. This is because you will then know what you will need to sacrifice in your livelihood. Examples may be that you can’t go out to eat that often, or that you will have to cut the cable bill as much as possible. If you know what you will have to sacrifice, it will help you determine if this is one of the properties for rent that are worth this sacrifice.
Don’t: Be Inflexible
It is highly unlikely that any of the properties for rent will have exactly what you want. It is possible, for instance, that you find an apartment that works perfectly except that the bathrooms or not en suite. Perhaps storage space will be limited or there will be a limited number of bathrooms. Maybe the kitchen will not be fitted properly.
By being flexible, you acknowledge that there is almost no such thing as the perfect apartment (see here). It will prepare you and help you to make compromises. If you remain inflexible, you may never find an apartment that works good enough for you.
Conclusion
For setting a budget to walking through the apartment, there are many things that you should do in order to have a successful experience finding properties for rent. You also should not be inflexible and never, ever buy an apartment sight unseen. Using this basic guide of dos and don’ts, you will be more prepared for searching for properties for rent.
