When you’re searching for a new apartment in Ames, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. You may find a beautiful apartment that quite possibly is your dream apartment, but it happens to be in Boone, only have one bathroom and cost $2,800 per month. That’s not what you were looking for, and that apartment probably is not right for you.

Location, location, location. This statement stands true when searching for an apartment as well. Would you rather be close to your classes or closer to the store? Are you willing to pay a little bit more to be within walking distance of campus, or are you okay taking Cyride to school everyday. These are questions that you’ll need to ask yourself when searching for apartments. Many people prefer to be closer to their school or work, while others prefer to be in a quieter neighborhood like the apartments in Somerset.

Another thing to consider is the size of your apartment. How many roommates will you have and how many rooms do you need? Hunziker property management has apartments and houses ranging in size from one-room efficiency studios to entire houses and duplexes.

When it comes to bedrooms, most people prefer to have their own room. Others, like dating couples and married people can live with one bedroom but also want to have one or two offices with storage. When it comes to bedrooms, find a website like Hunziker’s where you can filter the properties by the amount of rooms to filter out any ones that have too many or too few.

This same principle goes for bathrooms. Many older houses and apartments often only have one bathroom that acts as both a personal and guest bathroom. This often can become a struggle, especially when sharing that same bathroom with roommates who are all trying to get ready at the same time every morning. Keep this in mind when you’re searching for apartments in Ames, because otherwise it may cause uncomfortable situations in the months to come.

This one is important—only search for apartments that you can afford. Before your apartment search even begins, it’s important for you and your roommate(s) to decide on a budget and price range, so that you’re not stretched too thin for the next year. This also helps you prevent from looking at (and dreaming about) homes that you can’t afford. While we’d all love to live in a 5 bedroom home with a fenced in backyard, for many of us this dream is unfortunately a few years off.

People love their pets, and even here at Hunziker Property Management, our staff is full of cat and dog lovers. Just like us, you may have the need for special amenities while looking for an apartment to live in. Whether you need a handicap accessible unit, a pet friendly apartment, or a garage to store your car, bikes or camping gear in, you’ll want to find the perfect place to live. It’s best to plan ahead for these things too, for example if you and your boyfriend are planning on getting a pet in the next year, look for a pet friendly home this year. That way, your furry friend will be able to settle into your apartment, and you won’t need to move again next year.

The last important thing to check for when searching for apartments in Ames is when the start and end dates of your new lease are. Will you be able to get moved in before your new job or the semester starts? Do you have a job where you can’t be locked into a 12-month lease? These are all important questions to ask yourself before selecting an apartment and signing the lease. It would be a shame if you selected an apartment that you couldn’t move into until after the semester.