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RENTERS INFORMATION
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Setting Your Rental Priorities
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Most of us have a vague idea of what we want in
a rental unit. Safety, convenience to stores or work,
and specific amenities are typical requirements we
use to weed out the rentals we don't want from the
rentals we do want. But when you have a number of
s to choose from, how do you go about selecting
the right one? Do you just defer to your gut instinct
and hope you don't make the wrong decision and get
tied down by a lease in a place you hate?
Identifying your renting priorities will not guarantee
that you find the perfect place, but it will certainly
help you choose a residence based on your likes and
dislikes. The time you take will be worth it, even
if you're the type who doesn't know what you want
and need to completely reevaluate your own lifestyle.
The smallest change in your living arrangements may
turn into a big change in your lifestyle. Spending
time on identifying what's most important in your
next residence before you go home hunting can
save you big headaches in the long run.
Prioritizing is a simple process of making a list
of your preferences and ranking them. Once you have
your list, you can apply it systematically to your
home search. And when you're not living alone,
you can combines priorities and ensure that both or
all of you are satisfied with your home. Here is
a step by step guide on how to prioritize your residence
search.
- Brainstorm on paper:
Write down all the things you would like in a residence--the
sky's the limit! What would the perfect
have? A garage, a nice manager, a safe location,
even purple wallpaper if that's important to you.
- Number the items on your list: Try to rank your requirements.
Put the most important things on the top of the list
and least important on the bottom. This takes time.
Usually you can begin by grouping requirements. At
the very least, you need to identify the essential
requirements--things the residence must have.
These are hard decisions so take your time. You should
have at least three top requirements. A good priority
list usually has 10 requirements--more than 10 is overwhelming,
less than 10 might not be enough when rental units are
very similar (especially if you're looking at a lot
of large complexes).
For example, if you have a tight budget and can't
go over $900 per month, the rental price would be
priority number one. After the price, you might feel
that peace and quiet is second on the list because
you're a light sleeper. Third on your list might be
parking because you're moving out of your current
residence because you can't find parking on the street.
- Apply your list to the rentals you're considering:
How many requirements does the residence satisfy?
If a residence meets all of them, it should obviously
be your first choice. But it's rare for a residence
to be that perfect. Most of the time, you go through
a narrowing down process, which helps you throw out
the homes you shouldn't waste any time on.
- Making hard choices: Usually your priority list easily
narrows down the group to two or three that have some
but not all of what you want. Now come the hard choices.
Perhaps one residence doesn't comply with priority
number one and five on your list and another with
numbers two and four. That's when a little soul searching
is required. Why did you put the first priority on
the top of the list? Was it indispensable or simply
something you wanted but didn't absolutely need? You
need to decide what you're willing to give up, if
the residence has everything else you want.
REMAINING OBJECTIVE
Sometimes we throw out our priorities based on
our intuition. If a residence is extremely appealing
but is missing an essential requirement, you might decide
to go for it. Chances are if it feels right, it will
be fine. Before you sign the lease, however, step back
and try to be objective. Why do your instincts tell
you it's the best place? Do you like the landlord better
than any of the others? Remember that landlords are
on their best behavior when they first meet you. That
great landlord could turn into your worst nightmare
overnight after you sign the lease.
Is it some amenity that none of the others had? A
great view or a washer/dryer in the unit is enough
to make any renter lose his or her senses. You'll
want to be sure that the awesome club house is worth
parking three blocks away everyday.
Written by Leta Herman
Copyright 1998 Leta Herman
Distributed by Inman News Features |
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