Keep Costs Low While Living in an Apartment - A Tip from a Real Estate Agent
Are you currently looking for a new rental property; you might just be enticed by apartment living.
Fantastic locations, nearby amenities and facilities like gyms and pools can be incredibly enticing.
Of course, this is often offset by higher rental prices and, while apartment living has numerous benefits, it can be incredibly expensive.
Can you afford that style of living comfortably?
Keeping all living costs low is key to affording the enjoyable lifestyle that apartment living offers.
Follow a few of these frugal living tips, save and still enjoy all the benefits.
Save on Transport
One of the first areas where you can automatically save is on the cost of transport.
Look for an apartment in a central location with supermarkets, dining and entertainment nearby.
Friends will flock to see you instead of the other way around and you'll save on petrol, taxis and even buses if your new home is within walking distance to the amenities and work.
Consider engaging the services of a reputable real estate agent to assist you in finding your perfect apartment or a real estate buyer’s agent.
They have the time resources and training to be of great assistance to you, especially if you’re a person who is short on time.
Find an Affordable Apartment
This doesn't mean that you need to go for some dingy basement or converted garage, but more that you should be budgeting for find an apartment that properly suits your income and requirements.
Most financial advisors maintain that you should spend a quarter or less of your income on rent.
This means that, if your income is $4000 per month, you shouldn't be spending more than $1000 of that on rent.
Find a Roommate
If you're looking for an apartment as a single tenant, it might be wise to share the expense with a roommate.
Living with a roommate isn't for everybody, but if you find somebody that you can cohabitate with easily then you'll be saving a lot of money.
It'll help you save on rent and also on utilities.
Check with your real estate agent first though as some landlords do not allow tenants to sublet.
Furnish Affordably
The best way to furnish affordably is to get things for free.
Furniture from parents and family is always great, but you don't have to have a garage full of beds and coffee tables lying around.
Buying secondhand is another fantastic idea - online classifieds are the best place to start.
With hundreds of people practically giving away entire lounge suites, you'll be sure to find an affordable alternative to buying everything new.
Again your local real estate agent can be of assistance as he knows the area better than you so he should be able to direct you to a nearby second hand furniture dealer.
Online shopping for second hand goods is ok too, but be careful they are not stolen.
Learn to Cook
It's a valuable life skill and one that will save you plenty.
If you're living in a central apartment, you might be finding it hard to resist the temptation to eat out every night, but doing so will really pay off.
Apartment living is great. It's fun, easy and, despite the expense, top locations make it easy to save.
With a bit of planning it isn't difficult to make apartment living an affordable option.
Once again your real estate agent could direct you to the nearest cooking classes being held at some college as he would know what is going on in his area better than you.