by M Jvlian Simmons
GROWING UP; LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LIVE
Whether you're
a high school graduate about to start college or even a middle-aged burnout
who's had to 'press reset' a couple of times from your parents' house, It can be hard to
finally strike out and make your mark IN CONFIDENCE.
Do you have enough money?
Do you know what to look for? Can you even afford the image you may have in your own mind (also known as your "taste level")?
Are you ready for the fastballs and curveballs about to be hurled at you in the near future?
There's going to be a lot of them so here we give you an idea of things to know when you're looking for your own place to live!
Peter Gabriel sings a song about coming into one's own space and power.
I've lived in the city/urban areas for most of my adult years (over 20
years) and have collected a bevy of assorted tips/techniques for
strategizing, shopping for/finding/choosing great places to live (and
ways to get OUT of not-so-great places to live as well).
Throughout my life, everyone looking to make their own way in the world
has had the same questions to which I'm now about to share some
answers.
Some of these techniques I admit are a little unorthodox mind you, however it gets the job done and in a way that you can still 'sleep at night'.
Let's begin!
*
PRE-MOVE; KNOW THE LEDGE
When figuring out your finances, its not
just the 'rental amount' to consider but also other things like the
'nut (how much more OVER the initial pricetag)' on "utilities" (eg., power
bill, water/sewage, natural gas, associative/amenity fees like cable,
web, etc.) that are separate charges from rent.
..and don't forget to consider how much it takes to keep your
transportation up to par as well (gas, maintenance,
tag/insurance, licensing, etc.).
So when your genius buddy comes in bragging on "how cheap rent is" on a
place, you'll know to keep your cool until you discuss "the nut
(utilities, amenities, and add-ons)".
* PRE-MOVE; STREAMLINE YOUR OVERHEAD
How many monthly bills are you paying?
If its over 8 or 9 including rent, then it maybe time to bundle and streamline that.
My Overhead is as such:
Rent, utilities (eg., power, home gas, water and sewage, internet, 2-4 TV apps, cellphone bill, etc.), food, and car-gas-
..still, a simple 8-10 to manage.
*
PRE-MOVE; PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE
There are also other bills that could creep up that seem like pennies by themselves.
There are also other bills that could creep up that seem like pennies by themselves.
But when added up they can eat your wallet whole if left unchecked (minor credit card bills, payment-based memberships, etc.).
Clip them so that you can first learn to live in (and afford) a basic
comfort level before you begin adding on dangerous "luxury riders".
* PRE-MOVE; GET OFF THE GROUND
Birds have the right idea here.
You can
save yourself a lot of hassle if you get off the main floor.
The main level includes nuisances like lobby and parking lot noise. It
offers potential burglars a chance to peep into your eye-level windows
and perhaps just climb right on in.
And in bad weather, if your place is set low enough, rain water may
be able to seep into your habitat as well because of
low-set/sub-terrain foundations.
Even
if you take an apartment on the first level, do what you must to at
least make sure that the windows are high enough off the ground outside that it'd make thieves think twice about how much effort it takes to
climb in.
Remember, if thieving too closely resembles work, then they lose motivation as they may as well BE WORKING. lol
*
PRE-MOVE; AVOID BACK-ALLEYS
When looking for a place whether
apartment or house, you'll want to make it difficult for potential
burglars to access your abode.
 |
| Police check the perimeter, especially the rear access routes. |
Maybe you take an apartment that has a rear parking lot or sketchy access points to it.
Back alleys are an easy way for them to make-off with your goods with an escape route that runs behind main streets.
* PRE-MOVE; FEEL-UP THE PLACE
Apartment hunting?
Getting shown some places and need to know what points to REALLY check?
Get IN there and feel around!
Open and shut doors, windows, cabinets; flush the toilet, run the shower
and all the faucets at the same time. Assure your parking spot,
inquire about the neighbors, morning/evening sunlight directions, etc.-
..all the little things that could make you NOT wanna move in there, make sure that the place has NONE!
Don't be afraid to, its expected and it shows that you are the shrewd type that knows how to identify value/quality.
* PRE-MOVE; AVOID "ROOMMATE/COHABITATION" SITUATIONS
 |
| No matter what is said, the other person has things they don't want to reveal. |
May sound like a
good idea to room with a buddy or even sound a bit sexy to shack-up
too, but its been the consensus that roommate situations many circumstances mean impending
DOOM.
Bet
money that either one or the other of you will go into default and not
be able to keep payments over-time or worse yet, things turn weird
after playing with fire and becoming "roomies with benefits".
 |
| It will NEVER be like THIS. |
Heck, sometimes it can be dissolved amicably but trying times are inevitable and the way you part ways can either make or break a potential long-term relationship.
Make sure that if you go into a situation like this, that you also have an EXIT strategy before you begin. You may need it.
* PRE-MOVE; GET OUT AND WALK
Driving around to check out rental
listings can be comfy and easy but can also cause you to miss some
sweet options.
All because even though you're driving relatively slow through the neighborhood, you're still moving too fast to check out
other listings more easily by WALKING the block.
That
charming duplex or the ivy-covered brownstone you've always fantasized
about is tucked away from the immediate block and owned by some
private individual (rather than a company with it listed
in their pamphlet) could be yours but you'll have to lose the car
sometimes to even SEE it/them.
* APPLYING;
FORGET THE DEPOSIT
Hoping that once you move out, you can get that
deposit back?
Yeah, FORGET that. There'll always be some reason as to
why they decided to keep it, leaving you hurt, disenfranchised and
underfunded.
Instead, just count it as their cleanup
fee so you can leave that move-out mess guilt-free because once they reclaim the place, they are just gonna come in and either gut/demolish the place and redo
everything OR they'll just upgrade the place ANYWAY but only to a passable standard for the next tenant.
Either way, leave the deposit. Its just a great big headache to chase behind.
* APPLYING; CREDIT CHECKS AND OPTIONING
Bad/questionable credit? Does it show on paper?
Bad/questionable credit? Does it show on paper?
You can offer to lessors as an option to pay an inflated rent amount to cover first/last month's rent.
 |
| "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." |
"Cash now" rather than "credit later" is often an attractive option to consider which may
convince renters to override the credit check portion of the
criteria/process in favor of a nice "cash-in-hand TODAY" deal.
I've done this quite a few times after I had once ruined my credit in my twenties yet was still forced to manage regardless.
* APPLYING;
ACQUISITIONS; CO-SIGN TAKEOVERS
Need a place but can't withstand the
paperwork? Got a buddy in trouble with their lease?
If you have the right amount of cash, then its possible to
rescue/buy-out a friend from their own place.
A lessor
will entertain the notion of a roommate to sign-on if the primary tenant
is no longer able to pay the total.
Of course, they'll want you to
sign but the process is way less intensive because you are only
signing on as a SECONDARY tenant.
Once you receive a copy of your lease amended, then you may eventually have the utilities turned on in your name when needed.
Take
a few weeks-to-months, saving up utility startup funds while under this
arrangement so that after then, the (primary) tenant becomes eligible
to sign OUT of the same contract leaving the SECONDARY tenant as the
NEW/SOLE PRIMARY.
* PRE-MOVE; MOVING; KEEP
IT MODULAR
Don't break your back on that clunky "antique" dresser from
the thrift store.
Don't bother trying to hoist that huge oak
entertainment system up 3 flights of stairs when you can now carry
wall-sized big-screen TVs with one hand.
If its dense and heavy, LEAVE IT.
Most
furniture is heavily-built for houses (places of permanence), not for apartments (which is a more nomadic option) because they weren't meant
to be moved about a lot once initially placed.
Consider more lightweight modular furniture to make the task of moving much simpler until
you get into a more permanent housing situation.
Try Sterilite or Rubbermaid cabinetry or pressboard furniture from discount retail stores.
Trust me, your back will thank you for it!
* POST-MOVE; MAKE HOME THE PLACE TO BE
You can save tons of cash just by pimping-out your own space.  |
| Carefully invest in and curate nice things for your home. Make it where you'd rather spend your time. Forget the clubs every weekend, the overpriced booze, the movie theaters you have to risk life and limb inside and all the random pull-overs, tickets, boots, towing, incidents and accidents that the streets have to offer. It only robs you of your resources. Do the math. |
Instead, make home where you prefer to entertain. Make your abode just as cool if not cooler than any other place to hang out in town.
Invest in some nice things for the home, a nice video screen and sound,
mood lighting, small bar, decent patio furniture, etc. so that the
natural choice is to skip the public mayhem and just chill THERE
instead.
Learn to entertain at home to decrease your random expenditures.
* POST-MOVE; SECURITY, GETTING/KEEPING NICE STUFF
Although we just
encouraged home entertaining, there are still little things that can be
done to keep your security tight regardless.
Of course we'd also encourage keeping a close eye on your guestlist and
your valuables put-away as not to tempt klepto behavior in your house.
"Good fences make good neighbors."
-Robert Frost
When
getting nice things, BRING THEM INSIDE DISCREETLY like at night when
no one's around and maybe toss a blanket over the box so people can't see what you're unloading.
When you're done, throw out the boxes by TEARING THEM DOWN and placing
them in opaque trash bags.
You may not see it but "the streets iz watchin'" and a good way to let
them know what you have is to place the boxes out on the curb for
pickup without first having them torn down.
Crooks can then take inventory from the curbside without ever having
step foot inside your place (yet) so don't give them that chance.
Another thing that you can do to avoid break-ins is to CREATE AN INTERFERENCE PATTERN when you leave for longer periods of time.
Burglars will often stake-out a place for days or weeks to learn its
ways but you can confuse their ability to know when the place is
definitely empty by leaving a TV or radio with music or conversational
chatter on while you are away.
Leave a light source or two on as well.
Light and sound from a home
usually means that there's someone there and in times when you can't
yet afford renters' insurance, you learn to employ a few simple tricks
to protect your developing life/assets. Make them think you may be home especially when you're away.
Additional power usage cost?
Yes, sure there is but its only pennies per month.
Besides, consider the cost of more conventional security means in
comparison.
Its no substitution, only a way to be proactive until you
can afford more proper means.
*
POST-MOVE; BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR
I know, I know: You're finally FREE and wanna express your freedom and blast your music, with your friends
yelling over it as they gather in the yard littering and taking up all
the extra parking until 2am on a Monday's dawning. |
| Don't; just don't. |
This is a quick way to p*ss neighbors off and turn them against you.
A good neighborhood/community thrives through CONSIDERATION and a good
neighbor knows that there are people nearby that work mornings and go to
bed early or have small children to tend to.
They also consider other people's peace of mind so if they should
party, they first give prior notice/permission(s) to their neighbors, 'keep it down' and/or take extra care to keep other tenants' best interests intact (e.g., time-appropriateness, their parking spaces preserved,
noise kept at moderate levels, trash upkeep, avoiding troublesome activity, etc.).
Make sure to be at least a LITTLE responsible for the upkeep of your environment's quality standards; you'll always be a better person for having done so.
Voila,
done! Now you have all the savvy of a shrewd city-lovin' 40something year-old concerning finding that perfect place to live for one's self.
Good luck!
If you'd like to start your new life or your own business but aren't sure just how or where to begin, contact us now to embark on this exciting quest together and unleash the extraordinary within you!
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