One thing I've realized most tenants dread is the quest of searching for a new place. This compulsory misadventure is so tasking that unless the condition of their current apartment is downright terrible, increase in rent or the land lord hands them a quit notice, most tenants will choose to stay put instead fighting this world war 3 in disguise of House searching.
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Other than the fact that it is extremely pocket demanding, the stress from agents who feel more entitled than the real owners and the chances of being scammed by impersonators is enough to deter/discourage people from relocating. Let's not even forget the real job itself of moving every property from one place to another, rearranging the place and getting acquainted to a new environment, all this and many more will definitely convince you to just manage until it becomes a necessity to relocate and if these happens there are s lot of things to look for to avoid being a victim of circumstances.
- If you are using an agent to search for a new place, I'll advise to be extremely cautious as in most cases these guys are not to be trusted and would go to any lengths to cheat. Sometimes they are not even affiliated to the place in anyway and after they've pocketed your money, they disappear like yesterday's news.
I almost experience a similar scenario while I was searching for a new place. I was introduced to an old man who told me he has been an agent with over 35 years working experience. He showed me a beautiful apartment and told me I need to hurry up to pay half of its rent worth else I'll loose it because they were also other people fighting to secure the place. I rushed to make withdrawals but this time I came with the full rent (agent fee included). I told him I did not want to pay the half again that he should get my receipt ready and bring the land lord so I can pay directly to him. He was just giving me stories trying to convince me that he wasn't here to cheat me. I stood my ground and in the end we both left without reaching any reasonable agreement.
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The next day I went back to check the place out and maybe see if I could get in touch with the landlord. Luckily for me I found him there supervising the house as it was being painted. I talked to him about the whole scenario that transpired yesterday and he told me that I should be grateful for not paying because the house had already been given out for rent about a month ago and he was just helping renovate it before the new tenants move in... Thank God I did not let my guard down because he was an old man.
- A place with good network reception: This might not seem like a big deal and most people don't even confirm until they move into a place where the only time they can even make a decent phone call would be the roof of the house and accessing the internet is on the same level as mission impossible. So watch for this as it is very important, we are in the internet era just imagine not being able to do any of the stuff you enjoy doing and it even gets worse if you work remotely.. check it out before moving in as this might save you a whole of stress.
- Proximity to the market or place of work : if it is possible to have both better but if you can't I'd advice it is atleast close to where you work as it will reduce the chances of going to work late by at least 70% unless punctuality is not something you can keep to. I can count how many times living directly behind the school I worked has saved me from being sanctioned for late coming. Sometimes I wake up extremely late so I rush through everything just to get there a minute early. So yeah this is important.
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Other factors include the area having decent roads, access to basic amenities like water, electricity, security etc. Before I move into any place, I go around asking the residents about the condition of their power supply and if it is suitable to my standards, I will definitely move into the place. This has saved me from countless heartbreaks in the past as I learnt this lesson from the mistakes of my cousin. Bro paid for rent in an area that was living in darkness for almost a year, he had to ditch the place 7 month later as the it did not seem like their condition was going to change anytime soon.
All these strategies are things I have kept close to me and are now normal whenever I seek moving into a new apartment. There are still more in my repertoire but the above happens to be the top on my list.. I believe if possible follow them, there's no way you can go wrong securing a good place .
Thanks for stopping by.
