Spring Cleaning: Bedroom

What Can I Do to Have a Clean Bedroom?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by CazoodleBlogger

Whoever lives in this room needs to read our blog!

I hope that you enjoyed getting your bathroom in tip top shape. If you missed it, check it out here. Now I’m going to address an oft neglected room of the apartment: your bedroom. It’s the one room that guests don’t go into, your chest of drawers hasn’t actually had clothes you wear in it since 2009, and your closet looks like something from an episode of “Hoarders”. Don’t despair, reader; read on!

 

Supplies This isn’t really a cleaning step, but you need to make sure that you have all the cleaning supplies you need before you start. This way you won’t become distracted while cleaning. You will most likely need dusting supplies, trash bags, window wash, laundry hamper, a vacuum cleaner if your room is carpeted, and a broom and dustpan if your room isn’t.

Designate a box or two for donations. While you clean your room up, you are bound to run across some things that are still good but you don’t need anymore. Make sure they are clean, pack them up, and donate them.

Trash There are two types of trash in your bedroom: obvious trash (wrappers, bottles, old tissues), and “do I want to trash this yet” trash (do I really want to keep that magazine, should I get rid of this old pair of shoes, etc). Throw away the obvious trash first and worry about the other later. The “do I want to trash this yet” trash will take more time for you to go through it all.

Before you start anything else, grab a trash sack and purge your room of any trash that may have accumulated in it since the last time you cleaned. Make sure that you check under furniture as well. I always find rogue used tissues that didn’t make it to the trash can. Once I helped a friend move out of his apartment and we filled about two trash sacks full of Mountain Dew bottles while cleaning. Hopefully your room won’t be as bad.

The Clothes After you have removed the trash from your room, move on to your clothes. Start by sorting your clean and dirty clothes; in doubt, assume they are dirty. If you have a washer and dryer readily available, start a load while you keep cleaning; if not, stick them all in a laundry hamper to be taken to the wash.  Fold and put away or hang up your clean clothes. Don’t know how to fold your clothes properly? This link should help!

The Bed I like my bed made, my husband thinks it’s unnecessary. You are just going to get back in it that night, right? Well you don’t use that logic for your dirty dishes, do you? No, I didn’t think so. Having a nicely made bed makes your bedroom look nice and put together, so just do it. If you haven’t changed your sheets in a while, now is a great time to do that. If you only have one pair of sheets, stick them in the wash and then go buy another set. I’m kidding, you don’t have to immediately go out and buy some, but you definitely need to have a spare set. Don’t know how to make your bed you say? Let us help you out.

If you can draw pictures in your dust, it's time to clean your room.

Dust Clear off your hard surfaces as much as possible and give them a thorough dusting. I like to use a microfiber mitt to do this. Pay attention to nooks and crannies, books, and lamp shades. They need dusting, too!

If you have any wooden furniture, now is a great time to polish it up using a furniture polish. Also note whether or not dust has accumulated in the corners around the ceiling and around light fixtures and carefully dust them.

 

“A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place” This old phrase has a lot of meaning behind it, especially when it comes to making your room look neat and tidy. Decide where knick knacks and other items within your room need to go (and which ones need to go away) and put them there. Use crates and baskets to keep miscellaneous things organized, just make sure not to pack them to the brim, unless you’re planning on boxing them up for storage as this looks messy. If you run across things you don’t want anymore, decide whether or not they can be donated or thrown away. Remember, ‘less is more’ when it comes to things on your dressers and shelves.

This room has "less is more" mastered.

Floors If your floor is carpeted, sprinkle some baking soda over it, let it sit, then vacuum. This will help deodorize your room. Otherwise, sweep and dust mop the floor. I like to use the disposable dust mopping cloths. If your floor is wooden, you can polish it, but don’t use furniture polish as this will make it very slippery. Find something that is made for wood floors. Don’t forget to clean your baseboards as well!

 

There you have it: a clean bedroom! If you’re thinking, “Hey! What about the closet?”, don’t worry. I am going to address organizing your closet in a future blog. Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions and come back for the next exciting installment of Spring Cleaning!

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Spring Cleaning: Bathroom

How Can I Clean My Bathroom with Fewer Chemicals?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by CazoodleBlogger

I hope your tub doesn't look like this.

Well, the holidays are over. You have spent the last two months eating, drinking, and being merry; now you look forward to the snow melting, the trees blooming, and the birds chirping. It’s also time for you to give your apartment a thorough scrubbing to rid it of all the grime that’s accrued through the long winter months. The next several blogs that I write are going to be a miniseries on how to tackle your spring cleaning room by room all while using little to no chemical cleaners. Chemical free cleaning reduces the amount of chemicals that enter the environment and is safer for your pet or child.

Let’s face it, no one likes a dirty bathroom, and not many relish the idea of cleaning it. It can be a long, arduous process full of chemicals and elbow grease. However, I’ve researched and tested some budget friendly, chemical-free methods which will make cleaning your bathroom much more tolerable and cheaper. For many of the tips below, you will find that you will only need towels, water, baking soda, and vinegar. The reason why these products work is because baking soda acts as a mild abrasive to scrub away stains; and vinegar is acidic, which kills bacteria. When cleaning more delicate bathroom surfaces, test a small part to make sure that the baking soda won’t scratch it.

The Toilet Cleaning the toilet is usually one of the most dreaded bathroom cleaning chores. Sprinkle the baking soda in the toilet and then spray or sprinkle with vinegar. Let the mixture stand for a while as to penetrate stains, then scrub with a toilet brush. Once the bowl is clean, wipe the exterior of the toilet with the vinegar.

I do have to admit that I really like the disposable toilet wands for cleaning the bowl out, though.

The Sink and Countertops Your bathroom sink and countertops get a lot of use (think toothpaste, hairsprays, gels, creams, and soapy splashes) and their appearance and cleanliness can either make or break your bathroom’s overall look.

First off, take note of what type of countertop you have. If you have a cultured marble countertop and sink, avoid using any harsh, abrasive cleaners or steel wool as this could result in scratching. Make a sink cleaner out of 2 cups baking soda, ½ cup dish soap, 1 cup water, and ½ cup vinegar. This will make a lot so feel free to half the recipe. Spray this on, let sit if there’s a lot of grime, and then wipe off. Don’t forget to polish your fixtures! You can use toothpaste or baking soda paste for this then wipe it clean with a towel.

Don’t forget to clean under the sink or in any cabinets you may have! Now is a great time to go through and throw away any old or expired products that you may have lurking around.

Mirrors To have a streak-free mirror that the Evil Queen in Snow White would envy, just spritz your mirror down with water and wipe off with a dry, lint free towel. I have found that microfiber towels work great for this. If you find that your mirror needs a little more TLC for it to shine, mix equal parts water and vinegar, spray on, and then wipe away.

Chemical free cleaning means kids can help!

The Shower Ah, the shower. There is nothing like taking a nice, hot shower. There is also nothing like the dread that comes with cleaning it. It’s big, there are tons of bottles that you have to move before you can even start, and it’s always a lot dirtier than you would think. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

This is my least favorite part: unclogging the drain. I have never liked using chemical drain cleaners as I have found them ineffective. What does get the job done you say? A wire coat hanger and/or needle nose pliers. Start by straightening the coat hanger out (don’t forget to give yourself a handle on one end and give it a hook or another shape at the end that will grab onto the glop), then snake it down and dig the clog out. Make sure that you have a trash can nearby to dispose what you extract. Pliers work well when the clog is closer to the drain opening.

After you have unclogged the drain, take everything out of the shower and recycle any empty bottles. Use the baking soda paste to remove soap scum, hard water, and rust stains. Just be careful because the paste will be abrasive. Use vinegar to loosen and remove the mildew that accumulates in the corners. Spray it on, let it dry, spray again, and then wipe down. Don’t forget about your shower curtain! Wipe it down with the rest of the shower; you may have to take it off the hangers so you can scrub it. If all else fails, you may just want to buy a new one. They’re not that expensive.

If you notice that your shower head has a lot of hard water build up grab a gallon size plastic bag and a large twisty tie. Fill the bag with 1/3 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar. Submerge the shower head into the solution, tie it shut, and then let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight.

The Floor While you’re cleaning the rest of the bathroom, grab all your bath mats and dirty towels and stick them in the wash. By the time you’re done cleaning all the hard surfaces, they will be clean. Wait until you’re done cleaning everything else in the bathroom before you start on the floors. This way you won’t have to worry about getting them dirty while you clean other things.

Start by sweeping all of the large pieces of gunk that have accumulated on the floor, paying attention to nooks and crannies behind the toilet and doors. Then mop it down. I find that disposable mopping cloths work well. Since there are so many different types of flooring, I have found a good reference for do’s and don’ts with different flooring materials. You can check it out here. Also, don’t forget to clean the baseboards.

Next time I’m going to Spring Clean the bedroom. Stay tuned for more cleaning tips! And let me know if you have any suggestions or tips!

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4th Quarter Results Are In!

How Have Rents Changed in Your Area?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by CazoodleBlogger

Image from hownowidesign via Flickr

After calculating the average rents for the fourth quarter of 2011, we noticed a slight increase of 1.25% since the fourth quarter of 2010.  We use year to year statistics to eliminate seasonality, since apartment prices seem to follow a trend throughout the year.  For analyzing cities and states, we also use only the changes since the fourth quarter of 2010 to the fourth quarter of 2011.

To gather the data, we analyze our database of available apartments from all over the country and group them into whatever geographical boundaries we want to look at.  So for the nation we just draw out all available apartments we had at the time and see how the averages have changed.  When looking at a state basis, we look at all available apartments that were located in that state.  The key is we only use available apartments, so you are getting what the price was of apartments in your area that you could have attempted to rent.  We use this information to show when the best times were to rent and then to gauge what the overall market is doing in your area.

When looking at specific regions of the USA, it seems as though the west coast has had the best market for renters.  As you can see, for the most part those states have actually decreased in rent.  The graph below indicates which states have increased or decreased in rent.  If a state is in green then the rent has decreased.  Orange means an increase of less than 5%, while a red state means an increase of greater than 5%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The states with the largest decrease in rent can be seen below:

 

 

 

 

 

The states with the largest increase in rent can be seen here:

 

 

 

 

 

When looking at rents on a city basis, the top 10 largest metros all had increases in rent.  However, the two largest cities, New York City and Los Angeles, has the two lowest increases.  The top ten metros are listed below with the lowest increases listed first:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I said before, we use our inventory of only available apartments for each city and state’s data, so this would be for apartments you could actually rent.  If you live in a city or state where rents have been going up, then jump on our site and make sure you grab the cheap ones while they’re still available!  We want to use our data to help you make the most educated decision.  If you want to know about rental trends specific to your city, just let us know.

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How to Get Your Apartment Subleased!

How Can I Get Out of Paying Rent When I'm Not Living at My Apartment?

Posted on January 4, 2012 by CazoodleBlogger

So you graduate college in December, but your lease isn’t up until May; you start your new job in Seattle next week but your lease in Boston doesn’t end for six more months. These are both perfect examples of why you need to consider subleasing your apartment. Subleasing is basically one tenant renting their apartment to another tenant with the landlord’s permission. This is something that happens a lot in college towns when students are away for summer or are only in need of a one semester apartment like stated above.

If you are stuck in a lease for an apartment you won’t be using, then you need to talk to your landlord about subleasing. You will need your landlord’s permission for this, since your lease probably states that you are the only person allowed to take residence in your apartment. So make sure you get your landlord’s permission first. This shouldn’t be a problem as long as the landlord knows who will be living there, and they can get them to fill out the appropriate forms. Also, don’t try to secretly have someone else live in your apartment. They could stiff you the rent and there’s no way to hold them to it, or it will be really awkward for them when the landlord shows up for a maintenance issue.

If you have received your landlord’s permission to sublease your apartment then there are a couple of things to keep in mind when picking someone to sublease. There are also a few places that may be able to help find someone to accept your lease.

The first thing you need to do is make sure whoever is taking your sublease is responsible because you may be liable for the damages that occur in the apartment, even if you are not living in it. For the most part you will be liable unless you can negotiate with your landlord or the future tenant. If you do this you may be able to clear yourself from all, or at least some, of the responsibility. Don’t be afraid to run a background check on the possible tenant or ask for references. You can find many different background check services online that have a variety of fees and specialties that can fit your needs. This is all dependent on who you are subleasing to. If you find a random person to sublease from you, then you should probably use a reputable background check company online to do the background search for you. However, if you sublease to a friend then you shouldn’t have to do the background check (unless they are like some of my friends, then double check them).

So if you are prepared to make sure that your future tenant is responsible, then where are you going to find the possible tenants? They won’t walk up to your door by themselves; you have to go get them!

Start by letting all of your friends know you are looking for someone to sublease your apartment. When your friends know you are looking for somebody, they will more than likely be willing to help. You can get this done by simply updating your Facebook status, sending a few emails, or text your friends that live in the area. Even better, do all of them! After all each person you get to help gives you a better chance of getting it done.
The next thing you can do is post your sublease online. There are sites devoted to this such as sublease.com or you could also post this to a site such as Craigslist, Facebook, Ebay Classifieds, etc. Also, don’t forget to post this to your local newspapers or news sites if they feature a classified ads section. These will be the easiest way to reach a lot of people quickly.

If you aren’t having luck with your online ads, then think who in your area would be in need of “odd timed” housing. This means they need a place to stay for only a couple months or less than a year. Most of the time this will be college students, any large employer in your area, or possibly even recent high school graduates. There will be different options depending on your area, but think it out and know where these people will be in your town. Go post on college bulletin boards or the bulletin boards of the large employer in your area. It will take more time than online ads, but you will catch those who don’t live on their computers like some of us.

You may have to negotiate with the person taking the sublease and allow them to only pay a portion of the remaining rent. But as my grandpa always says, “it’s better to have somebody pay for some of your rent than have to pay for all of it yourself.” Ok so my grandpa never said that. It’s good advice though, and things always sound better when they come from a grandparent.

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Tips for Breaking a Lease

What Do I Need to Do to Get Out of My Lease?

Posted on December 29, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

So you’ve signed your lease and moved into your apartment, but now you need to move again. This can happen for many reasons: change in employment, getting married, family reasons, etc. But the thing is, it can happen to anyone. So if you have to break your lease early, what should you do? We are going to step you through the process of breaking your lease.

There are a few situations in which you can break a lease from your landlord legally such as if the landlord doesn’t fix a serious maintenance issue, a violent crime occurs on the property, or if the building is in violation of city health codes. If something similar has happened, do a little searching through your state’s laws for tenants. If the situation allows you to void the lease then you will need to contact your landlord to make them aware of your decision to break the lease. You will need to provide some proof of the situation. For example, if there was a violent crime, get a copy of the police report. A maintenance issue may need photos of the problem, dates and evidence of you notifying the owner of the issues. For maintenance you will also need to have given your landlord adequate time to fix the issue. If a landlord isn’t responsive or allowing you to break the lease in spite of being legally obligated to, look here for each state’s rights and contact info if you need help.

If your reason for breaking the lease is not similar to the ones above and you need to move because of work or personal reasons, you are going to have to take some additional steps.  The first thing you need to do is read your lease agreement to see what options you have. It is also crucial to contact the landlord immediately after knowing what options you have and working with him or her so that the process goes along smoothly.

If you are lucky, there could be clauses in your lease that allow you to break a lease by paying some sort of penalty or buying out the lease for a smaller portion than you owe.  If a “buy out” or penalty clause is not available, you may be able to negotiate one. Contacting your landlord early and working with him amiably would certainly earn you brownie points and give you a better chance of negotiating a deal that would work in your favor. This obviously is not as good a situation as having the penalty or buy-out clause, but it could end up saving you a lot of money. Especially if you play it well by keeping your landlord in the loop and negotiating well.

If your landlord is more like Adolf Hitler rather than Mother Theresa and doesn’t allow you to negotiate, you may have the option to sublease your apartment to someone else and have them pay off the remainder of the lease.  You will need to get permission from your landlord to do this, but landlords will be much more willing to allow a sublease than just reduce rent in a “buy out”.  You can also negotiate a lower rent with the person you sublease your apartment to and pay the difference to increase the chances of finding someone who will sublease, just make sure you get it in writing (we will be addressing how to sublease your apartment in an upcoming post).

In contrast to the situation above, your landlord may want you to move out early. This could be due to the sale of the property or some other reason. In case this happens, you will need to check your lease to see if there are clauses that allow the landlord to do so. If there is no clause in the lease that lets the landlord to end the lease, you could pursue legal action or negotiate for a buy out where the landlord would pay back the entire deposit and monies for the rent remaining to be paid.

You probably are thinking that it would be smart to understand the lease terms ahead of signing the lease rather than reading it just before you need to break the lease. Yes, that would be a smart thing to do, just like brushing your teeth before going to bed is. It also does not hurt to have an amiable landlord who you have a good relationship with rather than one that is similar to a prickly cactus. Do remember that subleasing is always an option in case negotiations break down.

Watch out for this space for a post on subleasing your apartment in the future. Thank you for reading and wish you a very happy new year.

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What Do I Need for My Rental Application?

Rental Application Check List and Ways to Address Popular Issues

Posted on December 21, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

A lot of times during the process of searching for the right apartment we forget that landlords are also searching for the right tenants. A lot of landlords want to know a little bit about you before they hand over the keys, and this is where the rental application comes in. In a competitive rental market, the difference between a good and bad application could cost you many opportunities at apartments you want. For this reason, we want to give you a few tips on rental applications and for the first time renters a heads up on what to expect from them.

If you haven’t filled out a rental application before, we are going to go over a few basics that most landlords will probably ask for on the application. In some areas being prepared for these applications and quick to turn them in could mean the difference in getting an apartment you want if many others are seeking the same place. Just in case you want to see an example, here is a sample lease from the National Association of Independent Landlords. Also, this article will not discuss the process of applying for Section 8 housing because it is a very different process and has many different steps.  Section 8 housing is payment by the government to private landlords to assist low-income households.

The basics include:

Social Security Number – this (along with your permission) will allow a landlord to access your credit history and check on how credible you are in making payments on time.

Driver’s License Number – this is so a landlord can do a criminal background check on you.

Reference info – a landlord may want references just to get a better understanding of who you are.

Past employers info – this will tell a landlord more about your character and what they can expect from you.

Past landlord’s info – again, this will tell the landlord more about your past and, more specifically, your rental past. How you act as a tenant is something that probably doesn’t change much through time.

Other things a landlord could ask for include: current place of employment, current monthly income, pay stub from current employer, current utility bill, and two forms of photo ID.

These are all legitimate requests from a landlord because it shows that you are a responsible individual and you can both pay rent and also take care of their property. On the other hand, there are things landlords aren’t allowed to ask you that violate your rights. Always remember a landlord can never ask you for your race, ancestry, national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, if you are disabled, or your age based on the Fair Housing Act of 1968. If you believe that you are being unlawfully discriminated against, you can file your complaint here.

If you are a student, a landlord can’t deny an apartment to you for this reason, but if you don’t have the appropriate income or past references you may still be denied. This will depend on where you are looking for housing. If you are on a college campus you probably won’t need to have the same amount of past references because many college students don’t have a past record of landlords or many employers.

Before you take off and go apartment hunting make sure you have these things in order. It will help you tremendously when it comes to staying organized and making the most of your time once you are out there looking.

So now that you have everything you need, we have some tips on how to make sure you are applying for the right places and know what landlords are expecting.

I have bad credit, should I fill in the form at all? How should I fill it in?
If you have bad credit, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to get denied. Most of the time a landlord will just want a larger deposit, maybe something like a 50% increase from the original deposit. If this doesn’t suit the landlord, possibly paying a couple months’ rent in advance could do the trick. Be open with your landlord about your situation. They will probably have questions about why your credit is low, but answer them honestly and show you have turned around financially. Trying to lie or hold information back will only come back to haunt you because it will probably just come up anyways.

I have low income, should I just put a high number? Will it ever be checked?
Most landlords are going to want to see that you have three times the rent in monthly income. If you are moving in with roommates, the landlord will most likely take each roommate individually when it comes to income, not combine everyone’s income and look at it that way. For this reason, make sure that all of your roommates are keeping up on their applications because a landlord won’t think that since one of you is responsible that everyone else is good to go.

I have a past rental problem? How should I proceed?
If you have had issues with past landlords and had to break a lease or are behind in current rent payments try and get them up to date before applying for your new place. Just with your credit check, if you have any problems in your past with employers or landlords be open about them with your new or prospective landlord. Odds are they will come out in your background check anyways, so if you explain them at least you come off as honest about the situation.

If your credit is in check and you have the correct income and references for an apartment, then you should be good to go. Just make sure you beat everyone else to applying before the apartment you want is rented out. If you have any other questions about the application or application process let us know!

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What to Ask Your Landlord Before Signing a Lease (Part 2)

Posted on December 16, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

Continuing from our previous blog post, we are going to discuss questions to ask your landlord that covers questions about the building and also questions about the landlord themselves.

Questions about Maintenance and Building

How do I file a maintenance service request?  It always seems that things go wrong when you are most busy, so if you already know that procedure of filing out a request you won’t have to spend time on this when it comes time to fill one out.

How long does a maintenance request normally take?  This can help give you an idea of how efficient the maintenance team is and decide if it should be a factor in choosing your apartment.

Is there anything tenant can do to make process easier/faster for maintenance team? You will want to make sure you make the maintenance team’s life as easy as possible when they are doing repairs for you, so if you need to clean up areas they will be working in or make a path for their work do so.

What is the most common maintenance request in the building?  If you are aware of this you can make sure to both do what you can to prevent this from happening and also be prepared for when the request is filed.

When was the last time the unit you are renting was remodeled?  Everybody likes when their appliances are new and have less wear and tear on them.

Do you make any changes/improvements to units between renters?  Make sure your unit is at least inspected and cleaned before you move into it. This will help you avoid losing part of your security deposit to issues that were not your fault.

Will maintenance enter apartment without giving notice?  Maintenance staff shouldn’t ever enter your apartment without a notice, so make sure that your property manager respects your privacy.

Is there any extra storage available?  If you are having trouble with storing things in your apartment, this may be a cheaper and easier method than taking out a storage unit that may be far away.

What internet/cable services are offered?  Make sure you know all of your options for these services. If you check out all of your options you may end up saving a lot of money for the same quality of service.

Questions about Property Management

How long have you been in business?  It’s always nice to know a company or landlord has been around for a while because it shows they are established and have experience in dealing with people.

Do you manage other properties?  More properties doesn’t mean anything bad because then they obviously have some success, but just so you know what the managers schedule and responsibilities are like.

Where can I submit complaints about staff if I have one?  Nobody wants to have to complain to their landlord, but if someone from their staff has been acting inappropriately then you may need to do this. It’s nice to know where this complaint needs to go before you go asking about it while you are angry with the employees.

Just as a piece of advice, you probably shouldn’t go directly down this list and ask your landlord every single question. That will be no fun for you or them. But definitely make sure you are aware of all of these possibilities and ask the questions that are relevant to your preferences.

I hope that this list helps when trying to decide which apartment is best for you. If you have any additional questions you think we should ask or any other questions about apartment hunting in general let us know!

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What to Ask Your Landlord Before Signing a Lease (Part 1)

What Are Some Things I Should Confirm with My Landlord Before Renting from Them?

Posted on December 14, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

Image from Jess and Colin via Flickr

We all know that sometimes searching for apartments can be a very stressful process, and there is a lot to consider when picking the right place for you. As exciting as it is to view apartments and decide on one that is your favorite, you need to double check that you have all of the information you need before making such a big decision. Nobody wants to be locked into a situation they aren’t happy with because of their lease.

Miscommunication between tenants and landlords happens all of the time, and the problem with this is that most of the time the tenant ends up being hurt by the misunderstanding. If you believe that your lease is automatically renewed at the end of the term, but the landlord rents your place to another future tenant there isn’t much you can do when it comes to keeping your apartment. If you rent a place that has a parking lot and expect a spot, but then realize you must pay for a spot and the next closest lot is a mile away again you may be in a tough situation. All of these situations can be avoided if you ask the appropriate questions of your landlord before signing a lease.

For that reason we searched and came up with a comprehensive list of questions to ask your landlord before you make the commitment to living with them. Some are pretty basic things that you may already know or may not apply to you, but others may save you from a sticky situation.

Questions about the Lease

What exactly is the lease term?  Is it a 1 year, 6 month, month by month lease?  Does it renew at the end of the term? If not, when do I need to sign for next term?

Are there any initial fees associated with the lease?  Sometimes there are additional fees other than just a deposit such as fees for keys, parking, etc.

Is there a “grace period” to signing the lease?  In some states, there is a grace period to signing a lease that allows you to terminate it without punishment for a certain amount of days. Check with your landlord also to see if they offer some sort of help in breaking the lease or a buyout clause.

Questions about the Apartment Community

Does management have community events for tenants?  Some property managers will have things like pool parties or cook outs for tenants. Check for these sorts of events, a lot of the time they give out cool prizes.

What facilities are located with the apartment? What are the hours for these facilities?  If the property features a gym and/or pool make sure to know the hours and rules before moving in and using them so they can be used to your fullest advantage.

Is there a way for residents to communicate with each other? (Such as an online forum or bulletin board)  There are a lot of reasons that communicating with your neighbors can be of benefit to you from help with things you need to just to get to know them so you feel more at home.

What is the most common complaint between current tenants?  Knowing this can help save you from moving into a place where you will not feel comfortable. If the biggest complaint is noise and you are a very studious individual or need to be able to focus at home, then this may not be the place for you.

Are there assigned parking spots for the apartment?  Nobody wants to park in their own lot and then come to find out they are in an assigned spot and be towed.

Can guests park here? If so, where?  This is a big help if you have friends coming from out of town. You will need to inform them of their parking options.

Questions about Rent and Other Payments

When is rent due?  Most places rent will be due at the first of the month, but there are always exceptions. Also, make sure your payment schedule fits well with when you are paid and how your income is disbursed.

How can I pay rent?  If your landlord only accepts checks and the offices are across town you may need to make sure you plan ahead to get rent paid on time.

Is there a grace period to being late?  Some landlords may give you a couple day window to get your rent into them. If they do this then great, but if not then make sure it is in on time to avoid penalties.

What is the penalty for being late on rent?  Find out what the penalty is for being late on rent, so if you are going to be late you can plan accordingly and pay off the fees as soon as possible.

Are any utilities included in the rent?  This may make the difference in which apartments fit into your budget. An apartment may be $50 more a month, but if utilities are included it will probably be cheaper in the long run.

Do I need to set the utilities up?  You don’t want to move into an apartment and then realize you have to wait a couple days for your electricity to be hooked up or wait weeks for the cable and internet provider to set up your services.

We will be finishing our blog on landlord questions tomorrow by touching on questions about your building and landlord themselves.  I hope these questions help, and you will hear from us soon.

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How to Have Fun While Staying in Your Apartment

Winter Tips on Having Fun Indoors

Posted on December 7, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

Photo from limonada via Flickr

Since winter is here and those days relaxing outside seem to be over, what are some ways you can still have fun but not have to battle the freezing temperatures? In summer there were cook outs, pool parties, and nights out on the town, but now with winter here sometimes it’s a battle to leave the house. For this reason we came up with a list of different things you can do along with your friends from the comfort of your apartment.

Dinner night

Even though it may sound simple and not like much of a night, cooking dinner for everyone and getting all your friends together is always a good time. Plus you’d be surprised how excited people get when you mix food and friends. So look up some recipes, make a menu, and get to cooking. It’s a great way to get everyone together, but not have to fight the winter conditions all over town. You can even make it easier on yourself by having everyone bring a dish, or add some competition to it and have a cook off.

If you want to spice up dinner night make it a themed dinner. Have everyone make dishes that are centered on a specific cuisine such as Mexican, Indian, Italian, etc. This takes a little more planning, but you can make the night a lot more entertaining with a theme.

Movie Night

It’s pretty difficult to find someone who doesn’t enjoy a good movie. And with things like OnDemand, Netfilx, etc. it’s easier than ever to have a movie night that everyone can enjoy because movies are instantly available to you. You can always spice things up and have quizzes over the movies after. You can find quizzes on movies here.

You can bring a few of our suggestions together by offering snacks or dinner that is complimentary to the movie you show. For example if you are showing a Harry Potter movie you can make butterbeer or snacks that are in the movie. If you were watching the Godfather, you could make Italian food to go along with it. If you are looking for different foods from movies you can check out geekychef.com for some suggestions.

Game Night

Photo from seanabrady via Flickr

With this many games, game night may never end.

Many people’s childhoods were filled with board games such as Sorry, Monopoly, Operation, etc. but most of us lose the desire to play these games as we get older. However, you’d be surprised how excited people get when these games are played again. It’s one of those things that we never really grow too old for. So invite some friends over, get out your old board games, and act like a kid again.

The ultimate of game nights would be a murder mystery dinner. This also includes our next entertainment option of a dinner party, along with playing a game. You would basically be playing the real life version of Clue. This involves a lot more effort than just putting out some board games, but also can be a lot more fun. If you are wondering about throwing a murder mystery dinner then check out host-party.com for some tips and ideas to make your party a success.

Themed Party

Just throwing the average house party can be fun, but to get people excited and change it up a little bit add a theme to it. There are tons of ideas you can use here. Pick a letter and make everyone dress up like something that starts with that letter. You can have everyone dress up like their favorite Saturday Night Live sketch. My personal favorite is ugly Christmas sweater parties, and with Christmas fast approaching the timing is perfect. If you’re having a little trouble thinking of a fun theme, this site should help you out.

If you want to add a little more excitement to the party you can also decorate according to your theme or include food and drinks that go along with it. For instance, if you have having an ugly Christmas sweater party you can add lots of Christmas decorations to your home. You could then make eggnog and Christmas cookies for it.

Winter can be a bit of a bummer for some people because it’s a lot more difficult to get people out of the house and having fun. So for that reason, bring the fun home with you! Use our suggestions to get your creative juices flowing and have a night that you and your friends all can enjoy. Just make sure you don’t get too rowdy and get the police called on you, but if you do check out our blog on how to behave if the police are called on your party.  If you have any other winter questions or questions about your apartment let us know! We enjoy helping our users!

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How Can I Decorate My Apartment for Christmas?

Quick and Easy Decorating Tips for Your Apartment

Posted on November 30, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

With the holidays fast approaching, it’s about time to start decorating your apartment or home. If most of you are like me, you’ve never really had this responsibility before because your parents normally go out and get the decorations and all you had to do was help put them up (depending on how good of an excuse you had to get out of it). Now that we are renting and living on our own, we don’t really have the same luxury of just having decorations picked out for us. It’s hard to even know where to start because you don’t want your home to look bare, but you also don’t want it to look like Santa threw up all over your living room.

We are going to focus on the interior of the home because being a renter most of us don’t have yards and it is much easier to get a festive feel while going easy on your wallet by decorating your interior. I want to make a check list of different areas of your home that you can decorate and different items that can be used to get the job done.

A Tree

Image from Killrbeez via Flickr

Living in an apartment means you probably don’t have much space, so you may have to rule out a large full sized tree. However, any department store also has smaller trees that range from trees that go on top of tables or other counter space to trees that stand on the ground but are only a few feet tall. A tree is definitely the centerpiece of decorating though, and the good news is there is a right sized tree for everyone. If you are fortunate enough to have the room for a large tree, decorating it can be difficult. It looks simple, but before you know it you will have a very cluttered or bare tree. So for you first timers, or those just looking for some tips, we also have some tips on decorating your tree from HGTV here.

Seating

Image from Chris Campbell via Flickr

 

You can place some Christmas blankets or throws on your couches and chairs to add a holiday feel without taking up too much space. There are also Christmas throw pillows you can place around your home to indiscreetly add some holiday feel.

 

 

Floors

Image from Glo K 2006 via Flickr

 

A rug like this can really help your decorations feel complete (even if you don’t have a dog to sit on it).  Instead of your normal welcome mat, you can replace it with a Christmas themed mat. This is another great way to add to the holiday atmosphere without taking up space.

 

 

Windows

Image from Mr. Ducke via Flickr

 

If you are wanting to add lights to your home, but not sure how much you want to do or where you should put them, try adding lights just to the border of your windows. This is a great way to add lights, but not overwhelm your house. You can also add window clings to the window itself and this takes up virtually no space.

 

 

Doors

Image from The Rocketeer via Flickr

 

Of course, the most traditionally way to decorate a door is a wreath. It’s a great way to add flare, but not take up space. As for the lighting problem, adding lights to your door frames is another way to add light, but not take over the room.

 

 

Countertops and Tabletops

Image from ~Merete via Flickr

 

Here is the tough part to decorate, but not take up space. Other than just putting holiday place mats or table clothes on everything you can also add a Christmas themed center piece by placing ornaments inside a stand or clear vase. The key is to use up space that you already had occupied with other things (such as a centerpiece, picture frames, etc.).

 

“Wildcard” Decorations

Everybody has a tree, lights, etc. but to really make your decorations stand out you need some sort of creative decoration that you can claim your own. I like to call it the “wildcard” decoration because it should be something nobody would expect. So, how do you come up with this decoration? Well, the best way I have found is by looking through other funny ideas and adding your own feel to them. For this reason I found a couple articles that show us some different creative ideas.

- Creative light displays can add some humor to your decorations. Huffington Post’s article on funny Christmas displays has some great inspiration.

- The online merchant CafePress has a whole category with thousands of funny ornaments that can add a bit of flare to your decorations.

- My personal favorite, ugly Christmas sweaters.  This article should get your creative juices flowing and help you out to start making your own.  Nothing cheers up a room like a truly hideous Christmas sweater.

Just as a precaution, if you have any decorations that may be a problem with your landlord (such as things hanging off of balconies, decorations that are visible in common areas, extreme lighting or candles) make sure you double check with them before purchasing and putting them up.  It would be a shame to spend money on decorations and then not be able to display them or get a fine for it.

I hope these simple tips help you create a holiday atmosphere that is noticeable but also tasteful.  By going down the list and seeing where you can add flare, but not take up space you will keep your home cheerful but also not get in the way of your everyday life.  If you have any other holiday related questions, let us know!  We are always here to help!

 

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