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You are a new college graduate and have just landed your first real job. You’ll be moving to a large Metropolitan area and you’ll need to find a place to live in the new town. Looking at the Apartment Finder booklets, the Sunday paper and Craig’s List you find there are thousands of apartments available, across a 100 square mile area! You don’t know anyone there so you tell your colleagues at the new office you want to rent a two-bedroom apartment and ask their advice on location. Here’s what they say:
Suzie says “Drive around and look for “apartment for rent” signs and find something within your budget. Neighborhoods are all pretty much the same here.”
Jan says, “I live in River Estates and they have apartments for everyone’s budget.”
Bob says, “Any place is safe in the metro area if you just stay alert. Pick a location like I did near the shopping mall. It’s a longer drive but worth it”
How do you pick the right one? Here’s a decision tool I’ve used many times when I changed jobs and moved ourselves or our family members: Think Safety, Security, Proximity and Value, in that order.
- Safety: Avoid living in high crime areas even if it means you must drive further to work each day. Go to www.CrimeReports.com and check the crime statistics for the areas you are considering for apartments.
- Security: Only seriously consider apartment complexes (or apartments in houses) that are bright and well lit at night. If you’ll have a car, look for off – street parking in a secure area. (If without a car, look for easy, well-lit access to public transportation — wide, bright sidewalks for example)
- Proximity: If driving to work remember you’ll be doing that every workday so pick an area to live that has several routes available to and from work, preferably an interstate-sized highway and another major route. This gives you options when an accident blocks a route. And choose a location as close as possible to your work location (biking/walking distance would be ideal for many people). If you are moving with another person[1], and they will be working at a different site, to be fair try to pick a living location that requires each of you to drive roughly the same time to and from your work. And, of course, proximity to recreational areas, downtown restaurants and shopping areas will need to be factored into the decision. Then drive these routes at rush hour and/or the times you’ll be commuting. An open road at 3 PM can become a rolling parking lot at 5:30.
- Value: As the list of apartments being considered shrinks, you’ll think about value and amenities — What you’ll get for your money. A list of pros and cons will help you make the decision: number of bedrooms, baths, washer and dryer, fitness center, pool, proximity to work and other locations, monthly rent, length of lease, acceptance of pets, amenities fees, etc.
If several apartments are equally desirable, a tie breaker might be the direction (and the times) you’ll be driving to and from work. If working 9-5 you’ll want to drive generally westward in the morning and eastward in the evening, so the rising/setting sun is always at your back and not in your squinting eyes! All else being equal for nine-to-fivers, live east of where you’ll be working. Traffic congestion is often aggravating enough without the added stress of a sun-glare-induced headache twice daily, not to mention the ever-present risk of traffic accidents due to poor visibility (ask Los Angeles – dwellers about this)!
Who knew there was a preferred process for picking your new place?!?
[1] Agreeing on priorities for each of the four factors—and then adding a weight (importance, twice as important, three times as important), before looking at the first apartment or neighborhood, can prevent debates and arguments.
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