Apartment Searching: 4 Questions to Ask when Evaluating a Floorplan

Seeing an apartment for yourself should tell you a lot about the space, but there are definitely questions you will need to ask directly when apartment searching. When evaluating a floorplan, ask questions that will give strong indications of what your living experience will actually be like in the apartment. Look for answers on how you will be able to move, store and interact on the space.

1. How Far Are Bedrooms from Each Other and the General Living Space?

The answer to this question should give you an indication of the privacy and noise factors in the prospective apartment. Some apartments keep all the bedrooms in a separate hallway, away from the living room and kitchen. Other floorplans have bedrooms directly branching off the main living space. Ask this question to find out which camp the apartment falls in and decide how it fits in with your lifestyle. If you like your space and quiet, look for a floor plan with bedrooms separated from noisy areas and even separated amongst each other with closets or bathrooms. This will ensure the place you sleep is your own oasis.

2. Is There Enough Space to Walk Around?

A floorplan can look spacious when completely bare, but becomes a different beast when filled with furniture and your other belongings. Ask the landlord or management company if the space holds enough room for you and your roommates to walk through the hallways simultaneously. You won’t want to live in a space where you’ll have to stand flush against the wall so another person can get by you.

3. How Much Closet and Storage Space Is There?

Storage should be ample in every aspect of the apartment, from the kitchen cupboards, to utility closets, to bedrooms. If your kitchen is lacking a solid pantry space, you’ll have to bring in additional storage cubes, which will further reduce the free space in the room. Similarly, you can bring in a wardrobe to add closet space to your bedroom, but it will take up a sizable chunk of the floorplan. Ample closet space is especially important for shared living areas, as there are some items that you’ll want stowed away and out of eyesight, such as suitcases, vacuums, tools and winter clothing.

4. How Much Furniture Can the Living Space Accommodate?

This is how you’ll find out how much seating you can get into your living room and how many people you can crowd in the room to watch TV or the big game. The answer to this question will really determine the type of living and social experience you’ll have in the apartment. The bedrooms could be spacious and the home could have plenty of storage space, but if the living room can only hold one couch and all the roommates can’t comfortably sit in the room at the same time, this may not be the place for you. If you and your roommates plan on living separate lives, then a small living room might not be an obstacle, but sure to take stock of the social factor in your planned living situation and gauge how it matches with the living room size.