When making a decision to move, it is important to determine which is more important, the location or
the neighborhood. By location, we mean location in relation to some other important factor, such as job
or schools. No matter how attractive that new apartment complex may be, or how reasonable their rates,
the cost and inconvenience of a long commute each day may quickly cause you to change your mind. If you
have children that may need to walk home from school or ride a bus, location in relation to schools may
be more important as well. The type of schools near your location may be important as well. If you have a
child with special education needs that can only be provided by certain schools, you will want to focus on
that location. Another possibility would be for a single adult attending college. An apartment complex
located equidistant from work and school would be ideal.
Each of these options should be considered carefully. If the neighborhood is more important to you,
then you may be more interested in other factors. Some of these may include such things as convenient
playgrounds, other families in the area with school age children so that your children will have playmates,
and of course the crime rate within the neighborhood. At the very least, you should be concerned about the
security provisions that are available for any apartment complex you are considering. Often the importance
of a neighborhood depends heavily on whether or not you have children or plan to have children. However,
single individuals or young couples getting started might be interested in finding a neighborhood with
other people that fit their lifestyles. Other people may be looking for a quiet neighborhood with very
little through traffic or even limited access for through traffic.
Regardless of which option is more important to you, it is important that you ask the staff at any
apartment complex about those features that are most important for you. If you are most concerned with
location, then ask someone at any complex you are considering about the availability of those neighborhood
features within a given distance from the complex. If you are looking for a specific type of neighborhood
or community, then make a list of the features you would like to find in your future neighborhood. By
preparing a list of the things that are most important to you in deciding where to live, you will be able
to narrow your list of options to those complexes that come closest to satisfying your desires.
The best way to ensure that you get what you want is to inspect the property yourself. However,
when you are making a move across state or across country, that is often not an option. In this case,
try to locate a friend or relative in your new city who may be able to inspect the property for you.
Give this person your list of requirements and let them help by narrowing your options. If you are not
able to inspect the property or find someone else who can, then contact someone who works at the complex
and let them try to respond to your list of requirements.
