This is another step towards adulthood and getting your first apartment is a rite of passage. If you are a city dweller like me, you’ve seen your fair share of flats and lived in many of them, but for many people, this is their first time living alone, and they don’t really know what they should know and be aware of when it comes to looking at their first apartment. Renting your first apartment is an enormous cost; not only do you have a down payment, but you also have to have a couple of months’ worth of rent saved up. The search for an apartment is not easy, and this is where we come in. We are here to tell you the things you ought to consider and know prior to renting an apartment.

Location

For me, this is the most important thing to consider when you are apartment hunting; the location of your future home will be a major player in whether you rent an apartment or not. You need to consider the amenities that are near your apartment when you consider renting one. So you need to know whether the grocery store is within walking distance or even if your new apartment is near your workplace. You also wouldn’t like the hassle of taking a bus or public transport to go to your local grocery store, gym, or even a good restaurant. As a New York, I always search for an apartment near a good bodega. A long commute might seem fun the first couple of weeks, but your future self will curse your past self for this because this can ruin your day, especially if you are having a bad day. This could be my 13th reason why if I was having an awful day. So, yes, location is vital when you are apartment hunting.

Roommate

Roommate or no roommate that is the question. If you are starting out on your own and hunting for your first apartment, then I would recommend getting one with a roommate. This not only cuts down the cost of rent in half but also makes it less lonely to live in a new city. But, you need to know that having a roommate can be a hassle because you share the common areas like the kitchen and living room, and you need to be comfortable with that. Make sure that everyone signs up for the apartment lease and come together with your future roommates to come to an agreement on what you can and can’t do in the apartment. This is not a dictatorship, and this should be a democracy where everyone agrees and disagrees on what people can and can’t do in the apartment. You should be careful when choosing your roommates, and this is a big make or break in your living arrangements.

Long-term costs

When it comes to bills, it racks up pretty quickly when it comes to moving into a new apartment; not only do you have to have a couple of months’ rent saved up, but you also have to pay a downpayment. After moving into your new place, rent won’t be the only financial obligation that you’ll have to take care of, and according to studies, the cost of moving into a new place may include some of the following:

• Cell phone services
• Clothing
• Electricity
• Gas
• Groceries
• Internet and cable
• Water, sewer, and trash

These can fluctuate from month to month, and you have to budget each month to know how much you need to save for necessities and bills. This will impact whether you should rent a specific apartment or not because if you are making the bare minimum to only pay the apartment, you shouldn’t go for it. Because other bills will rack up, and this can put you in debt.

As a city dweller and full-fledged New Yorker, I don’t imagine a life anywhere else in the world, I grew up in the Bronx, and I’ve been staying in apartments since I was a kid. I don’t see myself living in a home with picket-fence in a quiet neighborhood. I need the busy sound of the city to work and even sleep at night. Sound off in the comments section below and tell us where your dream apartment would be.