How much can you afford each month to pay rent? It's important to know before you start searching for a rental. There are different price ranges for rentals and the worst thing that you can do is fall in love with a place that you can’t afford. Be realistic with your budget and remember that rent is due at the beginning of the month.
Where is it that you want to live? Is there a specific side of Chico that you want to live? Or do you want to be near a certain landmark in Redding? Lucky for you there are several different options for great apartments in both Chico and Redding.
Knowing if you want to live by the mall, downtown, one of the colleges or be near your job will help refine your search and shorten the process. If you don’t have a preference, then start by driving around the town to see which neighborhoods look desirable to you.
It's important that you know how many bedrooms or bathrooms you need. Also, when you're looking at pictures or layouts of the rental properties, be mindful of the belongings you do have to ensure that you get the rental property that is the right size for you. It would be a bummer if you moved into a place and your brand new sectional couch doesn’t fit in the living room! Be aware of space that you need.
Make three lists of amenities: those that you need, those that you'd like to have and those that would be bonuses. Do you need a washer and dryer in the unit? Would you like to have ample parking? Would it be a bonus if your rental had updated appliances? Every complex is going to have something different to offer so knowing what you want will also help you find your best options.
Leases can be tricky and yes you should read every word of the lease agreement before you sign on the dotted line. There are fixed-term leases and periodic leases.
Periodic leases are also known as month-to-month leases. Do you want to make a long term commitment with a fixed-term lease or do you want the freedom of a month-to-month lease? It's common for fixed-term leases to give rental discounts because they know that you'll be there for longer than a month. But also keep in mind that if you break a leasing agreement there will be costly fines that will be part of your rental history!
Make a list of questions that you'd like to ask about each rental property. Do they accept pets? What units are currently available? Is water and trash included in rent? Don’t leave any stone un-turned. If you don’t know, always ask!
It's always great to look at different options to make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck. And we don’t want you to settle on the first rental property you see unless it meets everything on your lists. There are many rentals to choose from in Chico and Redding, so look at as many as you can to find the right one to call home.
Your apartment search doesn't have to be stressful! At Hignell Rentals, you have the ability to search by location, pricing, amount of bedrooms and more. Check out the Chico and Redding apartment search at Hignell Rentals by clicking below.