7 Tips for Finding a Perfect Place to Live in a Big City

Table of Contents

1. Awesome Tips to Find the Perfect Place in the Big City[+]
   1. Make a Wants and Needs List
   2. Get Used to the Area
   3. Is the Space Well Maintained?
   4. Take Measurements
   5. Public Transport
   6. Noise and Privacy
   7. Nearby Schools

In the last few years, people’s approach to their homes has changed tremendously. People’s employment opportunities, for the most part, aren’t tied to their location anymore, and people now spend more time indoors than ever before.

If this situation has created a unique opportunity for you to move places, you’re not alone. But when the priorities have shifted as much as they have – and looking for a place in a big city was no joke, to begin with – how do you find your dream place? What things should you prioritize, what questions should you ask, and what should your deal breakers be? If you feel lost in your house-hunting journey, keep reading.

In this article, we’re going to give you some awesome tips to find the perfect place in the big city.

Awesome Tips to Find the Perfect Place in the Big City

Make a Wants and Needs List

Moving to a big city can often be overwhelming because of all the options available. It wouldn’t be unusual for you to find multiple homes of different kinds to rent in individual Denver neighborhoods, and it can be hard to stay focused.

If you don’t keep in mind what your wants and needs are, you can easily get dazzled by a nice place that’s out of your budget, or end up focusing on all the wrong things when making your final decision.

Get Used to the Area

There’s more to looking for a place than just the four walls you’re renting. When you move to a place, you’re stuck with everything that comes with it – the people who live next to you, the roads, the cafes and restaurants, and the transport.

Before you sign anything, try taking a walk around the area and see how safe you feel. This is especially important for anyone who would be living alone – do you feel safe walking around the area? How was your first impression of the people around you? Would it be easy for you to get groceries, and do you have access to a park nearby to walk your dog?

All of these things are important to consider when choosing your new place, and while it might help to get the opinion of other people living in the area, it’s best that you find out for yourself.

Is the Space Well Maintained?

When you go check your potential new place out, make sure to take note of how well it’s maintained. This will be an indicator of how your living condition is going to be when you move there, especially because your landlord will be responsible for any maintenance done on the building while you’re living there.

The last thing you want is for your heating or cooling systems to be down and for your landlord to be lazy about repairs, or for them to cause you any other issues.

You should also inquire about the last time there was any plumbing or regular maintenance done on your place – even if things are working fine right now, can you be sure they will keep doing so once you’ve moved in?

If you have a front or back yard, pay attention to how well-kept the plants and the grass is. All these things will give you a pretty good idea of how well taken care of the house is. In case there are things around the house that you’re not a fan of, ask if you would be allowed to change or fix them yourself once you’ve moved in.

Take Measurements

Furniture can and can’t be part of the deal whenever you move to a new place – if you’re looking around an apartment, ask what things will stay and what will go eventually when you move in.

You can search specifically for apartments that come fully furnished so you don’t have to move a lot of stuff, or you can move to an unfurnished apartment and bring your own stuff.

If you’re thinking about bringing in your own furniture, you need to measure the entrances and the room to see what will fit and what won’t. Depending on the sentimental value of your furniture, some of it not fitting into an area may or may not be a dealbreaker.

Public Transport

You might not be as used to getting out of the house as you once were, but public transport is a necessity when you’re living in a big city. Ideally, you need to have at least two bus or train stations near your home – one closer to you and another backup station in case you miss a bus or train.

This way, you will have a reliable way of getting around the city when you can’t walk to a place.

Noise and Privacy

Big cities tend to be noisy, especially in the bigger neighborhoods. It’s even worse if you live in an apartment building or on a street with a busy cafe or restaurant – without the right kind of walls and windows, things can get pretty noisy.

A lot of people prefer to live around these places and you might too – however, you might want to see how much privacy and how quiet you can get in your home.

This can be done by making sure the windows and walls are adequately soundproof, and that either there is or you’ll be allowed to put up the right kind of window coverings.

Nearby Schools

If you have any kids, the kind of schools you will have access to in your neighborhood is extremely important. In fact, this might even be on the “Needs” list for a majority of people, and it should be.

Even if you don’t have any kids right now but there’s a possibility you might have some in the future, you need to consider the schools in the area.

Conclusion

Looking for the perfect home can be a struggle, and you might need to compromise on a lot of things. This is why it’s important to decide what things are a dealbreaker for you and what aren’t early on in the journey, and only look at options that you know would be suitable for you.

If you end up compromising on the wrong things, it might cost you. For example – if you’re someone who falls ill easily and needs to stay warm in the winter, but you buy a place that doesn’t have the right kind of windows or proper insulation, you might be stuck having to pay extra for power because it will be harder to keep your place warm than it normally would be.

Thank you for reading!