What's the most important thing to consider when you're apartment hunting? Price? Floor plan? Location? They're each crucial factors and should all be at the top of your list when shopping for a new space. But the difference between a good apartment and an oh-my-gosh-we're-never-moving-out apartment can also be the little things...
You've pictured yourself cooking in the kitchen, having mojitos on the patio and even figured out where the TV should go. But have you considered the spot where you'll be banging your head against the wall when your cell signal drops down to one bar? If you choose your apartment with the whole picture in mind, you're guaranteed to find a space that you can truly settle down in.
Once you've used your major criteria to narrow down the list to a few great spaces, you'll want something besides "a good feeling" to pick the one. So while you're out hunting, here are a few other things to keep in mind:
Does my carrier have strong cell service?
While you're touring the new building, glance at your cell phone periodically. Do you get a good signal in the living room? Bedroom? Laundry facilities? If your cell phone is your only phone, it's important that you get top-notch service everywhere in your new space. (If you forget to try this on your visit, refer to a site like Dead Cell Zones to review the service in the area.)
If you find a great unit with bad reception, it's not the end of the world. You can improve the reception in your future home with a signal booster, or use a Panasonic's Link-to-Cell, which lets you leave your cell in a room with strong reception while it rings one or more handsets throughout your whole space.
Who are the cable, satellite and internet providers?
Your geography usually dictates what cable and internet providers will be available to you. Do some research to figure out what options—if any—you have for service to your future home.
Is it the same one you currently use? Consider if you like the service and want to stay with them for the length of your new lease. Is it a different carrier? Check out reviews of their service and decide if you are OK with a switch. It might also be a costly choice if you have a contract with your current provider.
(Image: Shutterstock)
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Glad this isn't a problem for me... I have full service everywhere except the subway (even deep in my office building's sub-basement).
Finding and getting the apartment of your choice where I live is nearly impossible. You have to take what you can get and be ready to make compromises. I'd rather have a good space in the location I want at decent rent than hold out because I don't get good reception in my bathroom. If there was no reception in the whole place - sure, that would be an issue...
I get no service with my personal cell when Im on my couch, in my kitchen, or my front hall. So now i tend to use my work phone at home now!!
Also, the hallways in my building get poor service, which means the pizza man's interac machine sometimes doesnt work!!
It is funny that you might not think about this but my brother-in-law stayed with us for a month or so and had to step outside to make phone calls! I'd never had a problem and never considered it!
I never thought about TV services until we went on vacation and were stuck with Dish. After using it on vacation we will definitely check for our regular cable provider before signing on the dotted line.
We had problems with no wi-fi or cell phone there, too. But I don't think we'll ever permanently live that rural. Though there are a lot of Dish folks in our rural area so we will definitely be checking the next place we rent for all of the above.
in my last apartment, my cell signal was very low in almost every room and near most windows. when i moved into my current apartment, it definitely was something i made sure of.
When I was in University, we'd check reception for a certain radio station before signing on the dotted line. (Yay CFNY!)
Another thing to look into: sometimes cell companies will provide you with a signal booster. My brother got one, for free, when he was having problems with his cell reception...in downtown Chicago. Call them first---if that's the one thing holding you back from getting that perfect apartment, there's probably a workaround. (Plus, service is always improving---especially in locations where companies get a lot of complaints.)
Our excitement over renting an apartment where the walls are a foot and a half thick combination of brick and stone -- it used to be the rectory for a church -- was considerably dampened when we discovered that walls that are impervious to street noise are also apparently impervious to cell phone signals. I had to change carriers, but I've finally found a couple of non-dead spots... and I've learned to love the quiet!
I live in Santa Fe, where cell service is always tricky. If I want to use my cell at home I must be in the kitchen or by the front door. You get used to it. I have a land line so it's really not all that big a deal. And I LOVE my apartment.
We had to switch carriers after moving into our new house, but I am so glad we did. I hated AT&T.
I had/have very poor cell coverage in my townhouse. I set up a voice-over-IP phone through Google Voice that is linked with my cell number. Now, the phone rings in my house if it's also ringing on my cell (I live alone, so if I'm not there it doesn't matter that the phone is ringing), AND when I call out on that phone, it shows up as my cell number in the other person's ID.
We had to get a land line after we moved into our current apartment. It wasn't the cell phone provider that caused our signal issues, but the fact that our building is built like a bomb shelter. Everyone who lives in our building stands outside to talk on their cell phones. For us, it wasn't a deal breaker because apartments are hard to come by in our area, and location and other amenities were more important to us than cell phone reception.
"Do some research to figure out what options—if any—you have for service to your future home."
If we had done this first, we wouldn't be living where we're living. I hate Bigpond. I HATE it. They promised us ADSL then said, "Oh, yeah, we don't have any ports, try wireless that's incredibly expensive and gives you only FIFTEEN GIGABYTES A MONTH"... ugh! I wish we had looked for longer and kept Optus! Thank god it's only temporary!
Is it that big of a deal to be isolated to certain spots where you can use your phone? I remember when phones were connected to, you know, the wall.
Not saying I want to go back to the good old days, but some perspective never hurts. Some providers work better in certain areas, some phones work better than others, and coverage is continuously improving. It wouldn't be a dealbreaker for me unless the entire place got no coverage at all, since my mobile phone is my only phone.
I also love checking water pressure and how fast the hot water comes in the shower.