Finding an Apartment: Why Visiting Your Potential Apartment at Night is Beneficial

Finding an apartment is not as easy as driving up to a nice looking complex and signing a lease. An apartment is the place you will call home for at least a year, and as such you must make sure that the complex fits your lifestyle. Prior to signing a lease, it is always a good idea to visit the complex in the evening to check out its true nature. A nighttime visit can show you the true nature of the complex by providing you a glimpse into the other tenants, its atmosphere and parking situation.

The Other Tenants

Since the majority of individuals work outside the home, they probably will not be wandering around while you are checking out the apartment with the landlord or leasing agent. Instead, it will be in the evening when the other residents come home that you will be able to see and meet other tenants and question them about whether they like the complex.

The Evening Atmosphere

Apartment complexes change very much from day to night. After tenants have returned home is when the true atmosphere of a complex becomes visible. During a night visit you will be able to see whether the complex is loud or quiet, what the traffic is like when tenants come home and even how the sun hits the apartments as it sets. This last concern is particularly important if the complex does not provide window treatments or you are choosing between two different apartments.

Moreover, visiting the apartment in the evening will give you a true view of the complex. The whirlwind tour you received when inquiring into the apartment most likely

• was quite quick
• occurred in the daytime

Viewing the apartment at night will permit you to see all areas of the complex, including those you were not shown on your tour.

Parking

Another situation that you can check out by visiting the apartment in the evening is whether the complex has ample parking. After the other tenants come home at night the parking lot will be full and you may not be able to easily find parking near your apartment. This may change your feelings about the apartment because a difficult parking situation can be quite frustrating. Additionally, if you were debating about renting a parking space or a garage, visiting the complex at night may help you with that decision.

The Number and Size of Pets

At night, after they come home, tenants will also walk their pets. Visiting an apartment at nighttime will enable you to see the number of tenants that have pets and whether they pick up after these pets. A larger number of dogs for which tenants do not remove waste can make for a smelly and dirty apartment complex.

Similarly, you can see if the other tenants tend to have large sized or aggressive dogs. If you have a smaller pet or are afraid of dogs, this may be a deterrent to your choosing the apartment as your residence.