Four Things to Look for in a Furnished Apartment

Are you looking at furnished apartments for a short term stay you’ll need in the near future? There are a number of reasons you might need furnished apartments. Maybe you’re staying in your location for a short amount of time, and it doesn’t make sense to move all of your belongings. Maybe you’re scoping out the area to get a feel for it before you make the plunge and bring all your belongings. Whatever the reason, it probably comes as no surprise that not all furnished apartments are created equally. You want to find one of the good furnished apartments. We’ve put together a list of tips of ways to find one.


Four Things to Look for in a Furnished Apartment

1. Read over the short term lease before you sign it.
   
   There are probably assumptions you can make about most real estate leases, but short term leasing doesn’t follow all the same rules that typical leases follow. You may be subject to additional fees for the care and maintenance of the furniture when you vacate the furnished property, for example. Other leases have very strict guidelines for getting your deposit back, since the condition of the furnishings have to be considered in addition to the condition of the entire apartment. There may be other details in your short term lease that might be a deal breaker for you; the point is you should take some time to review the fine print before you sign the dotted line.




2. Think about the “where?” as much as the “what?”
   
   Maybe you aren’t going to buy a home that you’ll live in for years and years in the area you’ll be staying short term, but the location of your furnished apartment will have as much of an impact on your life as the furnishings themselves. If you are in an unsafe part of town, you could be endangering yourself (and at the very least, won’t sleep as well) during your stay. If your short term apartment is far from everything you need to go to, the commute will be a big buzzkill.
   
   
   On the other hand, if your short term apartment has a nice coffee shop you can enjoy nearby, or the stores you enjoy shopping at, or close by a good public transportation hub, you’ll really make the most of your stay in your short term apartment.
3. Meet the management.
   
   You might find an amazing furnished apartment in an amazing part of town for an amazing deal. That might be awesome until your hot water heater goes out. Then you find out that the management of your apartment is impossible to get a hold of, or perhaps makes promises about getting repairs done right away that they don’t keep, or perhaps makes your stay in your short term apartment miserable in general. This will take all the good about your apartment and turn it into a big bummer.
   
   
   You can avoid this scenario by taking the time to meet the apartment management in advance. Get a feel for how helpful they are. Make sure they jive with your style. If you have faith in the apartment management, it will benefit you throughout your stay.
4. Be realistic about your budget.
   
   It is very easy to get swept off your feet with an amazing apartment and sign up for a lease that your can’t really afford. When you see the wood floors or the view of the city, or whatever your pipe dream is, it’s easy forget about the dollar signs. However, when it’s time to actually pay your rent, those dollar signs will matter. You won’t be able to enjoy your fancy luxury apartment if you worry the whole time about how your going to make your next month’s rent.
   
   
   Many financial experts suggest your housing expenses should be no more than 20% of your total monthly income. Use this number to ballpark what you can pay for a furnished aparment, and then stick with it.
   
   
   Make sure you calculate any additional expenses that might come with the particular apartment you’re considering, such as condo fees or parking passes when you determine if you can afford it.

Do you have any other questions or suggestions for finding a furnished apartment? Please share in the comment section below!