Ideal Miami apartment – how to find and reel in

“Sunny Florida, here I come!” We definitely support the decision and can tell you that you made the right call. But making the call is far from realizing it. Sure enough, you need to find the perfect Miami moving company, you need to pack your things and organize yourself. But first and most importantly – you need to find that ideal Miami apartment for your new life. And it is our sincerest advice that you go about finding an apartment to rent first and above all.

How to locate and rent out the ideal Miami apartment

There is more to Miami, Florida than just living in paradise. With world-class shopping, beautiful beaches, an energetic nightlife, diverse culture and interesting employment opportunities, there is truly something for everyone. Searching for a place to live is easy as having a Mojito on the beach. Apartments for rent in Miami are numerous and many different styles are available.

Beginner level of searching for the ideal Miami apartment

Bearing in mind how challenging it is to rent from a distance, we might be able to offer some insight. Yes, renting a place before approving it in person is considered a bad move most times. Even if you’ve got a friend renting it out for you, there are still risks to consider. So here is some useful beginner advice on how to best prepare for your search:

• Research Florida and Miami. You’ll need to know where your new life is, and what to expect. So investigate the aparments in the Magic City, the neighborhoods it offers and the overall tropic vibe. You can go online, ask friends or coworkers and then decide where best to look for your new residence.

  

• Reach out to local Miami real estate agencies. Uniquely suited as they are for this task, agencies can be of huge help. They can provide you with a list of places in accordance with the criteria you provide. Let them match your budget and preferences with the offers available. It’ll only make your decision a whole lot easier, and you save time in the process.
• Get to know tenant rights. You have certain rights and you need to be aware of them when renting an apartment. Otherwise, you risk being utterly abused by your landlord or whoever is vouching for the apartment you plan on renting.

Narrowing down your ideal Miami apartment choices

Now that you’ve got yourself a list of all potentially ideal Miami places, time to cut some from the list. First off, you’ll need to reach out to owners either via phone or email and do some investigative work. These would be some key criteria to look into when negotiating:

• Are you required to have a good credit history? Some landlords are unwilling to rent out unless you pass a credit check. This includes confirming your annual income and to confirm whether it matches the requirements. Based on this, you can also decide whether or not you need a co-signer for you ideal Miami apartment. This person would act as your safety net, vouching to cover rent in cases where you can’t.
• Are utilities included in the deal? It’s important to make sure that you won’t have to pay more for your bills than for the actual renting of a place. So check on the costs of cable, electricity, gas, trash removal and Internet before making your decision about moving to Florida.
• How much of a deposit would you need to pay when signing the lease? Most landlords will ask for a month’s rent value for deposit in case of any damages. You need to make sure that this will not be raised higher and that it will be refunded back to you in cases when you decide to leave.
• Any other minor details considering your way of life. You need to make sure whether you can decorate the apartment, bring in people or pets. It’s good to know whether there are quiet hours and how building maintenance is handled. If you are a driver, you need to check on the existence and cost of parking space. We understand it might be hard, but all of these questions are necessary.

Going the extra mile to secure the ideal Miami apartment

Up to this point, you’ve gathered enough information over the phone to narrow down your choices to several places. As we mentioned at the beginning, you need to see and feel before you make your final choice. Plan out a weekend trip to Florida to make the rounds on all of the apartments remaining on your wish list. Look on the sunny side, if nothing else you will have a day at the beach, so there is no loss. Now, here’s what you need to consider when evaluating apartments:

1. Explore the neighborhood and surrounding businesses. It is always desirable to have that 24-hour-open store and bar. But the neighborhood should also be calm and peaceful. In case you’re moving with a pet, you’ll be interested some parks or beaches nearby.
2. Inspect that ideal Miami apartment. Even though you might warm up to a condo, at first sight, there are still criteria to factor in. Make sure to inspect the installations, the overall set up of the windows, doors, and floors. As long as you’ll be paying for it, you ought to be aware of what you are getting your money’s worth.
3. Get acquainted with existing tenants. We know, it might be a bit uncomfortable, but you’ll be grateful to yourself for doing so. Who better than existing tenants to verify the character of the landlord. No need to go into details – all you need to know is whether they enjoy living here and how the overall building functions as a community.

Some additional tips to consider

Hopefully, you’ve set your mind on a place and are on your way to sign the lease. So here are some remaining tips when it comes to finalizing the deal. If you’ve made a good impression on the landlord, you have nothing to lose to try and negotiate the price. Honesty can get you far with the right people, even if you don’t manage to lower the rent today, the landlord might consider doing so after a trial period. Last but most important, take the time you need to read the lease agreement from top to bottom. Yes, it can be bothersome, but it can also save you a lot of potentially bad situations in the future.

There you have it – a set of guidelines leading to your ideal apartment. When you’re sitting in the beach and taking in that Florida scenery, think back on this moments and consider how hard it could have been. Best of luck!