Should You Use Airbnb for a Long-Term Rental?

January 17, 2020 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

When you’re getting away for a long weekend, Airbnb is arguably the most convenient way to book a reasonably priced place to stay, especially in areas lacking traditional hotels and motels. Many people see Airbnb as so convenient, in fact, that they’ve begun turning to the service for months-long stays that resemble traditional housing or…

Four Tips for Subletting Your Apartment

January 13, 2020 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

Imagine that you’re a college student living in an off-campus apartment on a year-long lease. This lease term is convenient for your fall and spring semesters, but what do you do if you’re not planning to be anywhere near campus for the summer? You’ve got to pay that three or four months of summer rent…

Why Are Mixed-Use Apartment Buildings Booming?

January 10, 2020 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

If you live in an urban or metropolitan area, you’ve likely noticed more luxury apartments popping up atop new storefronts, restaurants, and other non-residential spaces. These buildings are known as mixed-use developments, with some people referring to the residential portions of these developments as mixed-use apartment buildings. If you’re wondering why mixed-use apartment buildings are…

Why Moving With Debt Isn’t Right For Everyone

December 30, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

Rent payments tend to comprise a massive chunk of the average person’s budget. If you’re looking to move into your first apartment, your rent payments might feel like even more of a strain on your finances if you’re also paying off debts such as student loans, an auto loan, or credit card debt. Thus, if…

How To Prepare to Rent an Apartment in 2020

December 23, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

With the end of the year rapidly approaching, you might be wondering how your living situation could change next year. The start of a new year provides a great opportunity to review your expenses and establish your annual budget, and as you get to know your limits better, you might come to better understand how…

Should You Rent-to-Own or Just Rent? Pros and Cons

December 16, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

To some people eager to own their first apartment, it may seem like there’s no easy purchase option without putting down cash or getting a mortgage. Rent-to-own apartments offer a solution. At the end of an apartment rental lease, the tenant has the option to buy the apartment for a predetermined price fixed in the…

How To Prepare to Buy an Apartment in 2020

December 11, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

As 2019 winds down, you might be thinking about your living situation for 2020 (especially if your lease winds down sooner than later). If you’re a New Year’s resolution type, you might even be thinking about major life changes you can make not just for the next year, but for the start of a new…

What Is Co-Living?

November 25, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

You’ve heard of sharing an apartment with roommates – if you’re like many Americans, you’ve almost certainly done so at some point in your life. Now, get ready for what is gradually becoming a new setup for sharing apartments with other people: co-living. As you might have guessed from the fact that “co-living” is its…

What Is a Guarantor?

November 18, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

Even if you’re mentally ready to move into your first apartment, you might not be financially ready. In some parts of the country, it’s common practice for landlords to require that your yearly income be 40 times the monthly rent, limiting your available options (or forcing you to split your rent with roommates). That’s why…

Five Essential Subletter Etiquette Rules

November 15, 2019 | By Stella M AuthorMy First Apartment

If you’re subletting from someone, you’ll be living in an apartment that’s at once yours and very much not yours. You might be a bit worried about how you can properly feel at home while respecting the original tenant’s space. With these five essential rules for subletter etiquette rules, you should have no trouble comfortably…