Searching for apartments can be time-consuming and making the right decision can be difficult. To help you streamline this process, here are some recommendations to help you find the right apartment to rent.

Analyze Your Budget

One of the first things you will want to do in a smart apartment search is to evaluate your budget and personal finances. You may already have evaluated your budget with prior apartment searches and moves, but your income changes over time. You may get new bills, pay off old bills, and have additional financial obligations that you will want to consider before evaluating your rental limit. You might find that you have a bit of extra income now due to paying off a vehicle loan recently. 

It is a general rule to keep your rent to a little less than one-third of your income. Use this guide to help you look for affordable rent. Then, evaluate how much space you need. You might fall in love with a particular apartment community, but find their three-bedroom apartment is a bit expensive but a two-bedroom will work well with your needs. Evaluate how much space you really need, especially when rental rates are increasing in many areas.

Inspect the Unit

Whenever you are shopping for an apartment, you should always ask to see the actual unit you would be renting. This provides you the opportunity to see the interior of where you will be living and the type of natural sunlight and the interior appliances, finishes, and layout. A similar apartment may look slightly different and have different sun exposure than the actual unit you rent and can give you the wrong impression of its interior. 

As you take the time to walk through the apartment, take notice of how it smells to look for any odd or bad odors. If you smell the odor of moist soil, this can be an indication of mold growth inside the apartment. You can also sniff out any potential animal odors left behind in the flooring from past residents that have not been cleaned properly.

Walk through the rooms and take some time to look in cabinets for any water stains, dead cockroaches, or rodent droppings. Check the outlet with your phone charger cable to check that all the outlets are working. Look at your phone's reception to make sure you can get calls or use data in all rooms of the apartment. Then, you can also switch the water on in the sinks and tubs to make sure they work and there is sufficient water pressure for your needs.