Take a look at the cars in the yard or in the parking lot. If you see a few cars that are up on jacks, that look as if they haven’t run in years, or you don’t know how they possibly get from point a to point b, you might be looking at a low income housing area. If you find that there are no cars that are being worked on in the yard, and there are cars that look as if they are well taken care of, you are looking at a higher income apartment complex.
If you find that there are several toys, swing sets and such lying in the yard, or various bikes outside of doors in the area where you are considering living you can assume there are many children living in the neighborhood. Picnic tables, bikes and toys in the outside area are a sign of children about somewhere. If you have children you might like this area.
Take a ride by the apartment or house in the evening hours. If you find that the place is well lit, not lit, or that there are a number of people that are on the streets outside the apartments, you have to take into consideration why it is like this and if you like it. Sometimes we really forget to check out a living area in the evening hours when you are going to be spending the majority of your time in the house or apartment.
Finding a safe, well equipped and nice area that you can call home for a month or for years does take a little more investigation than finding out what the rent is. Make sure you feel comfortable about all aspects of the house or apartment before ever signing a lease so you feel like your house is really a home.
about this article.
 An agent doesnt always mean good....
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Comments by: Faye Masters
from UK Aug 10, 2006
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I read your article with interest, we have been renting for a while now and are currently being evicted from our house because the rent was not paid on time due to the fact that repairs are not being carried out on the property. When looking at our agreement again these repairs all come under GENERAL MAINTENANCE!!! This includes a new bath, plastering to walls that are crumbling, new windows as the old ones are falling apart and loads more. Trouble is because its in the agreement we have to pay for it, its a rip off. Also before we moved in we were told we could decorate due to the poor effort by the owner and the fact that a new heating system was put in only to leave big unpainted unwallpapered spaces in each room where the old was standing. Guess what now they want it all put back as it was in magnolia, but they didnt state that when we signed the tenency.
Be careful out there. this has all been done through an estate agent and they are out to screw us over!!!! |
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 Things to think about
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Comments by: J. Wilson
from TN Aug 11, 2005
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| You listed a few things that I really should consider before signing a lease and handing over my $550 security deposit for an unsecure place |
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