Living in an apartment can be challenging at times, but with a few simple tricks, you can make it a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying experience. Check out these tips on how you can enhance your lifestyle as an apartment dweller.
Choose your apartment carefully
Your choice of residence plays an important role in the quality of life you get. Research and get as much information as you can about an apartment before committing to it. Read reviews from past and present tenants, dig into the quality of the management, and get to know and survey the neighborhood. You might like the property but if the neighborhood is not a good match to your needs and preferences, you could end up stressed out and unhappy.
Know what you can change and what you can’t
Renting an apartment comes with restrictions that prevent you from making significant changes in the space. For instance, you can’t repaint the walls or change the carpeting. You can, however, do a few non-permanent upgrades and some customization, such as changing the showerhead, adding temporary shelving, and installing black-out curtains. Make the most of what you’re allowed to change to create your very own personal space.
Improve energy efficiency
The more energy-efficient your home, the lower your utility bills. While you probably cannot make any permanent change, there are still a number of things you can do to improve energy efficiency. These include switching to a programmable thermostat, reducing the number of light bulbs, switching to energy-efficient lighting, and others. It’s best to ask your landlord or property manager about what you can and cannot do, especially when permanent features are involved.
Plan the cleaning
You wouldn’t want to spend your entire weekend cleaning house. Create a schedule that will help you keep your apartment in order without taking up much of your free time. For example, you can have a rotating schedule for light chores and set aside a day in a month for time-consuming tasks instead of doing everything at the same time. This can free up your schedule for your personal interests while keeping your apartment consistently clean and tidy.
Have a good relationship with your landlord and neighbors
When you’re friendly with the neighbors and your landlord or property manager, you’ll feel more comfortable asking them for a few favors when you need to. Likewise, being a good tenant can make your landlord think twice about raising your rent or get them to be more responsive to your repair needs.
Deal with noise from the neighbors
Unfortunately, a noisy neighbor is something many apartment dwellers have to deal with. While you can talk to your neighbor or send them subtle messages to decrease the noise, letting your landlord or property manager deal with it may be more appropriate. Conversely, you also need to be mindful of the noise you may be making.
Make the most of the space
A typical apartment has limited space, particularly in highly urbanized areas. You can work your way around this with careful space planning. Consider space saving furniture, such as a day bed, a sofa or coffee table with hidden storage, a fold-down table, and others. Vertical storage is also a great space-saving solution.
Looking for the right apartment in DeKalb County? We can help. Call us at 404-321-0030 or send us an email at KarafotiasRealty(at)KarafotiasRealty(dotted)com.
