Apartment Hunting with Your SO

Looking for an apartment is hard, but looking for an apartment for two is even harder. Twice the ideas, twice the stuff, twice the opinions. There are so many factors that play into finding your new home, so you need to figure out what is important to both of you before searching. Apartment Hunting with Your SO is hard, but I compiled a list of things to consider beforehand.

Things to Consider Before Apartment Hunting with Your SO

Agree on a budget. Have this conversation before you even start looking at apartments. Your budget is one of the major determining factors in your apartment search, and could make or break a place for you. It’s also going to be the best way to narrow down your options.

Who is coming with you? Kids? Pets? Most apartments in Dallas only allow 2 dogs, and very specific occupancy level, which can change your search. Apartments owned by larger entities could have stricter rules than privately owned and rented homes.

What are you bringing with you? Before you hunt for apartments, make note of your furniture, the size, and the space you’ll need to fit everything. It could be more cost-effective to get a larger place than replacing your furniture if it doesn’t fit. Additionally, apartments typically charge you “rent” for a washer and dryer. If you have one, they may reduce the rent total.

Location. Where do you want to live? This is something I wish we had decided before our search. We found some fantastic apartments but we were put off by the location and surrounding areas. It really changed my view of the apartments within our budget in different, more popular locations. Ultimately we chose between our top two based on location and where we felt most comfortable living (and walking the dogs)!

Amenities. What types of amenities are important to you? Before I moved to Dallas I had no idea all that apartment communities could offer. It seems like every apartment they put up has a bigger and better resort style pool, larger gyms with their own yoga studios/spin instructors, and personal trainers. We even looked at an apartment with an art studio and a hair salon in it! While none of these things are required, if you have them once it’s hard to leave them behind. Yes, I’m spoiled, but it also factors into what you pay. For us, no amenity was a make or break if the apartment didn’t have it, but it did help with deciding between places.

Layout/Floor Plan. After looking at our first round of apartments it became extremely clear that the layout of the apartment was going to be the number one factor that would tell us if we liked that apartment or not. 800 square feet can be a lot of space, but if it isn’t used well, it could feel like 500. So, keep an idea of what square footage you want in mind and determine whether the space is used well or not.

Side note, people would recommend more square feet since we have the dogs, but let’s be honest, my dogs will be right next to me no matter how much space we have!

Once you figure out your non negotiables, I recommend reaching out to an apartment locator to help you search! They do the hard work and send you a list of places to check out. We used Art from Dallas Rentals, and he stuck with us through all 15+ apartments we looked at (Thanks Art!). Every time we needed a new list he sent a new one back within 12 hours, which was amazing.

This post is not sponsored, and these are my truthful opinions, but I am receiving additional benefits from Dallas Rentals for posting on Instagram.

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Photos by Crystal Nicole Studios