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5 Essential Criteria to Consider When Choosing an Apartment

Actionable advice.

By Duane MckenziePublished 4 years ago 3 min read
5 Essential Criteria to Consider When Choosing an Apartment
Photo by Leohoho on Unsplash

When you want to buy an apartment you have to take into account several aspects, not just the price or the number of rooms.

Many of these details sometimes escape buyers who do not have much experience and thus may find that they have chosen a home that does not really suit them. Here are the top 5 criteria to consider before signing a purchase agreement.

Utilities and facilities offered

Especially in the case of a new block, which is not yet completed, you need to make sure that all utilities will work perfectly when you move.

Talk to the developer and check if there are any valid contracts for sewerage, drinking water, gas, electricity, sanitation and make sure that all of them are included in the final price, so that you do not have to pay extra for connection.

From the point of view of facilities, it would be good to be interested in the following aspects:

  1. Is there a free parking space or one for which you will have to pay?
  2. Do you have public transportation in the area?
  3. Do you have shops, pharmacies, clinics, parks, playgrounds nearby?
  4. Are there kindergartens, nurseries, schools, high schools nearby?
  5. Does the complex in which the block is located benefit from security?
  6. These questions are very important and you should not make any purchasing decisions before you can answer them all.

The layout

The area where the apartment is located is very important. You need to choose a home that is in a clean, quiet area, but also quite close to the city center and with quick access to transportation.

Ideally, there should be plenty of greenery, parks, trees to provide shade, and traffic to be as low as possible, so as to get rid of noise and pollution.

The Price

Certainly the price will be the decisive factor when making your choice. You know exactly what your budget is or the maximum amount of credit you can get, so be patient and look for offers that are in your pocket.

Don't rush to choose, you can even look for offers for a few months.

Compare ads from several real estate agencies and see what each one specializes in.

The condition of the apartment

If you want to buy an older apartment that has been inhabited before, you need to check carefully what condition it is in. This way you can figure out how much money you will need to invest later in renovating it.

If you are buying a new apartment, it is a good idea to make sure that you take it "turnkey" with all the finishing touches, so that you do not have to pay extra for the tiles, parquet and parquet.

The maintenance costs

One aspect that few buyers think about is the monthly bills they will have to pay for maintenance.

In an old, non-insulated building, maintenance costs will be higher, especially if you do not have your own boiler and have to pay for heat loss from the central heating system.

The advantage of a new block is that it will have its own thermal power plant and will theoretically be well insulated, if the developer has worked with quality materials and skilled workers. Therefore, it would be good to be interested in this aspect as well.

If you take into account all these important criteria, then you will surely find the most suitable apartment for your needs and budget.

What flat would you choose? One located in the middle of the city, or one placed in the suburbs?

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Duane Mckenzie

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