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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What to Do When the Neighbors Call the Cops on Your Party

How to Handle the Cops When They Knock on Your Door, What Should You Do and What you Should Not!

Posted on November 23, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

Image from David Domingo via Flickr

So, you are throwing this awesome party, everybody’s having a blast and things are going great. But then things start going downhill as the neighbors called the cops on you. A cop’s at the door and you need to act. If you aren’t sensible about it, you could get a citation, the party would be over, people would get carded and what not. That’s not fun! So, what should you do, when the cop knocks on your door? How should you react so that you and your fellow partiers reduce damage?

Well, we are going to tell you. In reality, we spoke to Officer Kelly Aston from the State College Police Department in Pennsylvania about the very issue above and are going to tell you what she told us.

Always Cooperate

What we learned was that firstly the reason the police would show up is when there is a complaint or there is some sort of disorder and when this happens, the police have the authority to enter without a warrant. Residents of the house don’t have the right to not answer the door and the more cooperative you are going to be by opening the door, turning the music down and providing information, the more easier it is going to be on everybody. This is because the officers want to handle the issue properly and just move along to the next call. The less you cooperate and delay the officer, the more problematic it becomes. It is a misconception that if you turn off the music and hide, the cop will just go away. If you do choose to do that, you will get a citation. The officers will get lease information and will cite everybody on the lease as they won’t know whose party it was. Hence trying to hide will make sure you get the fine and make your roommates mad at you as well.

It is always better to open the door and cooperate with the cops as there is a good chance that you might get away with a warning. Officer Aston told us that many times the cops are on the fence on booking you and by cooperating you might get away with just a warning. This could happen when your party is not obscenely loud or if the person who called you in repeatedly calls in parties. These situations are “it depends” type of situations for the officers and the person who answers the door can either talk their way in or out of a citation very quickly. There are of course times when your party is too loud or you have a live band and there is no way you won’t get booked. If you are uncooperative over and above this, things can go downhill very quickly.

There is always this question of whether you can resume the party after the cops leave. That depends. If the cops gave you a warning, they might just tell you to turn down the volume and be quieter so as not to cause a disturbance. If this happens then it would be sensible not to get loud later and cause the cops to come back as there is very little chance that you will get away without being booked. If you were booked or got a citation, it is best to stop as the penalties for repeat offences could get severe.

Prevention is better than cure

Since numerous times neighbors are the ones that call in a disturbance, it is good to get to know them so that you have some empathy going. Officer Aston said that it is a good idea to go over to your neighbors place and let them know that you are going to have a party and give them a number you can be reached at so that they can call you in case your party is too much of a disturbance. This is because if they don’t have anybody to call, they will call the police. Also, don’t ask them to come over and tell you, nobody wants to get out of their beds at 3am and come over to tell you that your party is too loud. She recommends that you have somebody who is sober and can take steps to reduce the volume so that you eliminate contact with the police.

Be aware of local laws

Local governments sometimes have laws against music systems outdoors, open containers of alcohol and where you are allowed to have them, open burns (campfire or bonfires) etc. It is important to know about the ordinances passed by your local government and comply as flouting these rules will quickly draw attention.

You also need to know about occupancy limits (see zoning regulations in your city government’s website). You need to know code regulations and how many people can be allowed in your apartment. Most apartments only are allowed 50 people and fines for crossing the limit are expensive.

In the end, my advice would be to be sensible. Always cooperate with the police officers as your behavior could determine how much you are penalized and being sensible can save you a lot of trouble. Get to know thy neighbor! – being nice and keeping them informed will make it very difficult for them to call 911. Understand the local ordinances and comply as flouting them even unknowingly would be the easiest way to get into trouble quickly.

Also, of course if you have any questions you can post them here and we’ll answer them! We always love to hear from our readers!

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Save Money and Conserve Energy by Winterizing Your Home

How to Winterize Your Apartment

Posted on November 17, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

So times of the 70 degree days and gorgeous weather are over. Before I continue, for those of you who just thought “Oh, I live in Miami it’s beautiful here all year”, go ahead and smack yourself for me. For those of us who don’t have this luxury, winter is near and we can no longer enjoy leaving our heaters off all day. What does this mean for us? Higher power bills. For example, it’s estimated that turning your thermostat down during winter just by 1 degree can save you 3% on your power bill for the month (keep reading, there are more tips).

In our blog this week I want to discuss ways like this that can help save money by making a couple easy home improvements or changing a couple bad habits. I will also discuss a couple of myths that people have about saving energy in their homes.

Image from munir via Flickr

This image is already becoming a reality for some of us as winter begins to hit full force.

Wear socks and sweaters inside the house so you can turn down your thermostat just a bit.
As stated before, for every degree you drop your thermostat you can save 3% on your power bill for the month. Even if you only do this for an 8 hour period (let’s say when you sleep or go to work) you can still save 1% since 8 hours is 1/3 of the day. So by wearing a sweater, socks, etc. inside you won’t need to raise the thermostat as high.

Use your programmable thermostats!
A lot of apartments now days have programmable thermostats where you can set the temperature to different times during the day. If you have one of these, you can really be saving a lot of money by using it. For example, if you are gone all day to work, you can drop the thermostat drastically while you are gone. You can even set it to warm back up right before you arrive so you don’t have to come home to a cold house. This also can work for when you sleep, go out of town, etc.

Turn off your kitchen and bathroom fans
These fans can literally suck the hot air out of your home. They seem small, but they can do a lot of damage. Make sure after you are done using them you turn them off.

Have your furnace serviced
You can either do this by hiring a company to do it or sometimes your gas company may actually do this (but can charge a small fee). My advice is to at least check out how much, if any, this service could cost you.

Image from jcwpdx via Flickr

If you don’t enjoy playing in the snow as much as this guy, then we have some more tips for you to help keep yourself warm while not making your power bills go crazy.

Other than just changing your current habits, there are a couple products you can buy and install in your home that can help your energy consumption:

A humidifier
Moist air feels warmer, so you can use this while keeping your thermostat down a bit.

Caulk/Weather Stripping
Caulking your window or door frames can help keep the warm air in your home and save significantly on your power costs. Weather stripping can also do the same thing, but I don’t want to get too much out of my comfort zone. So I found a site that will help with what type to buy and how to install it. Here’s the link.

One tip if you are really sealing up your home, still “air it out” every once in a while.  A few different sources suggested this so the air doesn’t become muggy or just in case there are toxins in the air.

I wanted to focus on tips that can be easily done by changing your routine or just spending very little time/money, but there are obviously many ways to help with winter and your energy bills.  For that reason I have included a couple links below:

Cutting Home Heating Bills

Winter Energy Saving Tips

There are also many different myths about how to save electricity that may actually cost you more money. For example, some people think that turning off your heater while you are gone from home will hurt you because it will cost more money to heat your home back up. The truth is that maintaining your homes temperature is much more expensive than heating it back up after the temperature drops. So if you leave home for a while you can turn your thermostat off and then reheat it when you return. Just be careful if you are leaving home for a long period of time (like over a couple of days) that you don’t let your home get below about 50 degrees or bad things can happen such as pipes freezing or vinyl flooring tiles may begin to curl. I saw a few different temperatures ranging from 45 degrees to 60 degrees that you should at least keep your home at, but the general consensus seems to be about 50 degrees.

Another very common myth is that if you turn your thermostat up very high then your home will heat faster than if you just turn it to the temperature you want it to be. So if your house is really cold and you want to warm it up to 75 degrees, but you set it on 90 degrees to “warm it up quicker” it’s actually just a waste of energy. As I read, the thermostat isn’t a throttle and turning it higher or lower doesn’t make it work faster. You will just have to readjust it to make up for the extra change.

Some people believe that using a space heater can lower your power bill, and the answer is – it depends on the type of energy that is being used, electric or gas, and how you combine them for overall heating. If you have central electric heating, then using small electric space heaters in rooms would decrease the bill. However, if you have central gas heating, using space heaters to heat rooms could end up increasing the bill, because the energy cost of electric heaters is more expensive than gas heaters. One way to potentially reduce your bills is to use the central heating mechanism to keep the temperature up to the minimal necessary levels and use space heaters for just the areas you spend time in. For example, if your roommates are out of town, you could turn down the central heating and use a space heater just for your room. You will need to consider factors such as the size of your room and house as space heaters are efficient only for smaller areas.

As always let us know if there is anything else as a renter you need help with (we’re not great at relationship advice though). We love to help our users!

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Renter’s Insurance Tips

What is Renter’s Insurance and Should I Get It?

Posted on November 9, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

Being a renter (and living around other renters most of the time), we all have had a friend or neighbor fall victim to theft of their property. In an even worse scenario, all their property could be damaged by a fire. What most people don’t realize is that as a renter your belongings are not insured by your landlord’s insurance on the home or apartment unit you rent. The good news is that there are ways to protect your goods that won’t cripple your wallet. I am of course talking about renter’s insurance (for those of you who just said “what the heck is that?” you better read the rest of this article).

Image by daddioy via flickr

Hopefully the people who lived in this building had renter’s insurance.

It definitely helps to have a basic understanding of what renter’s insurance is, so if you need to catch up I have a video and a link for you to get that info you need.

I have done a lot of research on renter’s insurance, the positives, the negatives, what it covers, what it doesn’t, etc. This all sounds great, but the answer to all of it is basically “it depends”. For that reason we brought in an agency representative from American Family Insurance, Kiel Abel, to answer a few questions and point us in the right direction.

In summary, renter’s insurance is a way to cover your personal belongings against a variety of events including theft, fire, lightning, etc. I want to start you off with the negatives of renter’s insurance (I’m a “bad news first” sort of guy). The truth is, as with any insurance, the only bad thing that can happen to you is nothing bad happening to you at all. By that I mean, if you don’t have a theft or fire, then yes you’ve paid your premiums but you haven’t had to use your coverage. Premiums are paid on a yearly basis with most companies and can range from about $100 ($8.33/month) to $300 ($25/month) for the average person. This of course depends on how much your coverage is for (we will get to that later). What you get with paying the premiums of a renter’s insurance policy is the ease of mind that if your home is broken into or catches fire you will be covered for your losses. Now we will tell you what a renter’s insurance policy covers and explain how to make sure you get the most out of your policy.

One tip Kiel gave us is to make sure you understand your coverage limits as you file for your policy. Companies have various limits to how much money they will cover for certain categories for goods. For example some may say a maximum of $1,000 to cover jewelry. For those of you thinking “I have at least $3,000 in jewelry” don’t worry. This is only for if you don’t have documentation proving the cost of the goods. If you just have pictures of a jewelry box, the insurers can’t determine the value of the jewelry, so this is when coverage limits come into play.

Kiel also wanted to stress if you are going to get renter’s insurance, save the receipts of your purchases so you can show the insurance company how much value was in your belongings. You can save your receipts in a fireproof box, document goods you don’t have receipts for, take pictures of your goods, etc. and put this all in your policy. This way your losses will be covered and you won’t lose out on possible coverage on some items.

Basically if you fulfill your responsibilities by documenting your goods, then renter’s insurance is a great thing to have. There are also many different things Kiel pointed out to me that renter’s insurance covers that I never would have thought would be, such as:
• If your goods are in your vehicle, it is broken into, and they are taken, renter’s insurance will cover your losses
• If you are traveling and your luggage is lost and not returned to you, renter’s insurance will cover your loses. As Kiel points out “renter’s insurance covers your belongings anywhere in the world”
• Renter’s insurance also covers you for personal liability to other such as if a pet bites someone or someone slips and is hurt on your property.

One last piece of advice from Kiel, if you have many goods that are of much value, or have friends over frequently, have pets, etc. at least speak with an insurance agent to see your different options of covering your personal items.

I was amazed at some of the things I learned while speaking to Kiel and I’m sure that many people out that can avoid complete loss of their items by just calling an agent and asking a few questions. Also, of course if you have any questions you can post them here and we’ll answer them! We always love to hear from our readers!

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The Best Cities for Public Transportation

How Much Can I Really Save by Using Public Transportation?

Posted on November 2, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

We investigated living expenses by city in a past blog, and we included gas prices as a cost for someone living in a city. After we looked at our research we thought what about people who use public transportation? Which cities save people the most amount of money by offering transportation? We also wanted to see which cities have the most transportation hubs to make it more accessible for their population if you wanted to go the green friendly route of public transportation. In this week’s blog we investigate the cities that are best on your wallet when using public transportation and which are most easily accessible.

We found a data-set in The 2012 Statistical Abstract of the U.S. Census that shows the top 10 cities for saving money using public transportation. As you can see New York City tops the savings list with an average savings of $14,561 a year. The top 5 is finished off with Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also analyzed the data to see which cities have the most public transportation with respect to their population. Besides, what good is having cheap public transportation if you have to walk a long distance to use it or it’s too crowded?

We simplified the different modes of public transportation into two categories: Subways/Trams and Buses. When looking at the cities that have the least amount of people per subway/tram stop we found the following:

 

 

 

 

Image from Willamor Media via Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above is a tram car located just outside of Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD.

Obviously, subways and tram cars aren’t the only form of public transportation. Another main form used in cities is buses. A tram car or subway can help you travel greater distances quicker, but a bus makes more frequent stops and can help you arrive closer to your final destination. For this reason we also wanted to see which cities had the least amount of people per bus stop:

 

 

 

 

Minneapolis, MN seems to have the most available system of buses in the country with a bus stop for every 12.5 citizens (no official word yet on which half of the 13th citizen gets to use the stop). The other half of the “Twin Cities”, St. Paul, MN, comes in second with a bus stop for every 13.6 citizens. Baltimore, MD, Seattle, WA, and Kansas City, MO finish out the top 5 respectively.

As you can see Baltimore, MD, Seattle, WA, and Minneapolis, MN all make appearances on both of our top 5 lists leading us to believe that they are great for accessible public transportation.
By looking at our first table showing the monetary savings of a person using public transportation for a year you can see the impact that public transportation can have on your life financially. We all know the hurt that most American’s are in right now, so maybe using public transportation can help you out. If you aren’t as worried about the financial aspect of using public transportation but concerned with the time and accessibility of transportation then I hope our research has also helped you out.

As always, if you have any questions about public transportation that we haven’t covered, let us know!

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What Cities are Best for You?

Showing What Cities You Fit Best In

Posted on October 26, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

When trying to describe your likes or dislikes of a city, most people have a difficult time identifying exactly what it is they love about where they live. They identify with a city for various reasons, but more times than not it is because they are around people that they get along with. We decided that we would try and identify the cities that may be the best for you depending on what you are looking for. By using data we found in the most recent census, we wanted to take a different approach than most to identify the “Top 5” cities on a variety of different categories indicated below.

We first wanted to identify the cities that have the most amount of people in a given age bracket. Being around people of your own age sometimes can help because they more than likely will be going through the same phases of life you are. We decided to use 15-34 as the age bracket that would be best suited for college aged people and young professionals. We also used 35-54 as the age bracket for people who are looking to settle down a little more:

Young Cities: City (Highest % of residents between 15 and 34)

 

 

 

 

Middle aged cities: (Highest % of residents between 35 and 54)

 

 

 

 

For the most part if you are single, you probably like hanging around other singles. If you are married then you probably enjoy hanging around other couples (or your wife wants you hanging around other couples to stay out of trouble, but hey nobody’s judging here). Marital statuses of cities can have an effect on how much you have in common with your neighbors. For that purpose we put together the cities with the highest and lowest population of singles:

Most singles: City (% of singles)

 

 

 

 

Least singles: City (% of married couples)

 

 

 

 

Have you ever been in a conversation when people start talking about pre-colonial art and their favorite paintings? I don’t even understand half of the stuff I just said, so don’t worry if you’re confused too. The point is that people enjoy hanging out with people who are interested in the same things as them and are educated at the same level. For that purpose we found the most educated cities in the country:

Highest educated: City (% with a bachelor’s degree)

 

 

 

 

Everybody likes living in a city with low crime rates (unless you’re Batman because then you’d be unemployed). For that reason we found the cities with the lowest crime rates so you know which cities you are safest in. We also added in the cities with the highest crime rates so you know what to avoid (or if you’re Batman then you know where to move to). What we did is find the amount of violent crimes per 100,000 people, which is a very standard way to evaluate crime rates:

Lowest Crime Rate: City (Violent Crimes per 100,000 people)

 

 

 

 

Highest Crime Rate: City (Violent Crimes per 100,000 people)

 

 

 

 

A few things you may have noticed from our research, if you see Irvine, CA in there a couple times that’s not an error. It is a very safe and booming community. I was skeptical that a city in Nevada was part of the most married cities, but then when I realized how easy it is to get married in Vegas I rethought that. I find it comical that Detroit is high in crime, but also high in single population. You might get mugged, but you may also get a date (bada ching!). If you have any questions about where your city lands, let us know!

We hope that these glimpses of cities help you in deciding what cities would be best for you, rather it be just for vacation or for your next home. If you’re looking for a new home, make sure to use Cazoodle’s Apartment Search for the most comprehensive set of listings.

Posted in Apartment Search | 2 Comments

Apartment Amenity Prices: Summing Up the Parts

What Do You Pay for Each of Your Amenities?

Posted on October 19, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

Have you ever lived in an apartment with a pool, but never used it? What about a really nice clubhouse with pool table, video games, air hockey, etc.? Could you have saved on your rent staying at a place without these luxuries? We were curious to see what those special amenities do to the price of your rent, so we decided to find out.

We took all the listings in our database across the country and matched them up according to their amenities to figure out what the price difference was for places that had these amenities. We did it by setting all other things equal in the apartments then only adding the amenity in question to see on average how much more in rent it costs. We looked at ten amenities and compared 115,449 apartments on average per amenity to come up with the numbers. We have described five amenities in detail and have the changes in rents per amenity in a table at the bottom of the blog.

So how much does it cost for a doorman to see you in and out of your place every day? About $46 extra a month ($552 a year) is what it will cost you. So depending on how much that man with a pretty hat means to you, you may want to think about cutting him loose.

Image courtesy of tswartz via Flickr

Ever looked at the prices of in ground pools? Save yourself the heart attack, they’re expensive. So if pools are expensive, then they must add a lot in the price of an apartment, right? Well we found that pools only add $19 extra a month. Unless you aren’t getting any use out of your pool, it’s not going to hurt your pocket book too much to keep it.

Image courtesy of johnmuk via Flickr

We wanted to have a little fun and see what pet is more expensive for you to have, a cat or dog? When it comes to your rent, a cat costs you on average $129 a month, but a dog only costs $19. That’s a difference of $1,320 a year! Looks like fluffy may have to make it on her own, right?

Image courtesy of b1ue5ky via Flickr

The most expensive amenity to have? A clubhouse. No, we aren’t talking about the playhouse you used to hide in from your parents. Normally clubhouses consist of a game room, lounge, large TVs, etc. A clubhouse will cost you about $371/month extra on average. That’s $3,804 a year! Our advice is that if you are looking for a clubhouse in you apartment, consider how much use you will get out of it and make sure you don’t overpay for it.

Photo courtesy of Gramophone Maryland via Flickr

We researched multiple amenities, but only highlighted a few above. The table below shows other amenities that we researched highlighted in blue:

We hope that these figures allow you to make more informed decisions during your apartment search, and also save you some cash!  As always we will try and do everything we can to make your search a little bit easier.   If there is something about your apartment search that is bugging you, let us know!  We’re here to help!

Posted in Apartment Search | 1 Comment

Tips on Landlord Relationships

How Do I Create a Good Relationship with My Landlord?

Posted on October 12, 2011 by CazoodleBlogger

A couple weeks ago we wrote our blog titled The Truth about Renter’s Rights in which we discussed different options if your landlord is being unlawful to you. After some further discussion we wanted to also tell how you can avoid these situations all together. What better way to do that than to discuss this with a well-respected property management company from our area to get their point of view on how they remain in good graces with their tenants.

We discussed this topic with Collin Carlier, COO of Royse & Brinkmeyer here in Champaign, IL. Royse & Brinkmeyer is a property management company with a great reputation in our area, so we knew they could give you the best advice on how to create and maintain a good relationship with your landlord.

Luckily when we asked for advice to give to renters, Collin showed up

Image courtesy of laughlin via Flickr

Q: Since communication seems to be the most important factor in a good tenant/property management relationship, what are some of the keys to keeping an open communication line with your landlord? Basically what can a renter do to seem open to communication in the eyes of their landlord?

Collin: Great question. It’s a satisfying feeling when your relationship with your residents is based on being approachable and candid. One key that residents are usually surprised (and thrilled) about is learning that they have some control over how we communicate with each other. Our product is service and for those that prefer to handle their business in person we encourage residents to come in and interact with us and take advantage of how approachable we are. For folks that love knowing everything that is going on, we use an email service to announce projects, resident events, deadlines, property enhancements, etc… Heavy online users can also use our Portals to request service, pay rent, customize widgets, contact their manager and post messages to the property “wall” etc… For those that prefer to research and gather information on their own, we also provide a manual online that reveals detailed information about the mechanics behind their homes. We have the best residents in town and they tell us they really appreciate us contacting them on their preferred medium when possible.

Cazoodle: So if you are looking at new property management, check out how they communicate with their tenants. Check out their website to see if they have any internal communication for tenants like a forum or “wall”, or give them a call and ask how they handle maintenance requests, property enhancements, rent deadlines, etc. Try and identify which property management has the greatest range of communication with their tenants, or which place communicates in a way that is more comfortable for you.

Q: What is the most important thing to communicate between a landlord and property management during the application and lease signing process?

Collin: The expectations we have for each other. We say it on our website but it bears repeating while we sign leases: it doesn’t take much to make us happy and fulfill your lease: pay on time, keep your apartment and common areas clean, and do not disturb neighbors. Meanwhile, we promise to be responsive to your concerns, fix mechanical problems in a timely way, and provide you a clean well-kept property. Our owner said it best when describing the lease expectations this way: “I’ll promise to do right by you; You promise to do right by me. The rest of the lease is simply names, numbers, and dates.”

Cazoodle: Read your lease carefully and make sure that you are able to hold up to your end of the bargain. Check and see what sort of rights you have on maintenance requests, quiet hours, etc. If you treat your property management and neighbors with respect, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Q: If you are a prospective tenant, are there any places that can help you find high quality property management?

Collin: Yes! Go to the property and chat with the neighbors in person. Who better to shed light on what it’s like to live at a certain community?

Cazoodle: If you are moving a far distance away from where you currently live and can’t do this, try ApartmentRatings.com or Yelp.com. They will give you detailed reviews of most property managers in your area.  That being said, if you have the opportunity to actually discuss with current tenants that definitely seems to be the best way to get information about the possible property manager.

Q: Is there anything a renter can do to get on their property manager’s good side? You know like paint them a pretty picture; bring them an apple on the first move in day, etc.?

Collin: We’ve seen it all – no joke, people have baked us pies, sent Christmas cards, handed our staff gift certificates to restaurants at which they are employed. They love our Maintenance Technicians. They get as many compliments and nice cards as anyone.  The most nostalgic item I received is a badge from the Korean Army.  It came from an Assistant Professor who moved to Champaign from Seoul.

Cazoodle: Bloggers like gifts too, just so you all know that ;-)

I hope that these tips from an experienced property manager have helped you in how to create and maintain a healthy relationship with your manager. We want to give you the advice necessary to make your life as a renter a little bit easier. If there are other questions you have about renting let us know and we will blog about them.

Posted in Apartment Search | 1 Comment