How To Find A Good Apartment

Buying or renting an apartment is an excellent choice for those who either cannot, or those who want to scale down and enjoy life a little more. While renting has its place in life, it should never be a long term solution.

Plus, if you are a busy person home ownership may cramp your style.

Making a real estate investment is a sound contribution to your future, and sometimes starting out a little slowly makes sense.

Finding an apartment first and a dream home later can make the transition from renting to home ownership a reality.

Or, buying an apartment at a later stage of your life instead of renting will keep your money working for you. Plus, apartment ownership comes with amenities such as a community pool and a fitness center. If you live alone this can be a great way to meet people with similar interests.


Do you care about the way your environment looks? Management companies do a great job in keeping the properties in top condition. They keep the interest of the owner foremost because every owner pays a maintenance fee to keep the grounds and the property in top shape.

A real estate agent based in Kuala Lumpur said before finding an apartment, you should study issues such as noise, ventilation, interior environment, natural light, safety and security, building management, hygiene and accessibility.

“To make sure you get the best value for your money talk to independent valuers and real estate agents. Don’t just rely on advise from developer or agents. This is very important is you are buying from a plan, so the value of the finished property will reflect what you pay for”.

Tips on finding a good apartment:

First organize the information yourself. Where have you lived over the last five years, where do you work, where do you like to move on to, and how much are you willing to pay?

You may want to get a credit report on yourself if you are concerned that credit blemishes may cause a problem during the leasing process.

Filter out 99% of other apartment complexes. The most important level of filtering is the location. Select the area you want to live in. If you are moving to an apartment from out of town, get help from someone in the area where you are moving to.

Set a realistic budget. Your cost of housing should nor exceed about 30 to 35% of your household income. This includes rent, electric, gas and water.

The next step in selecting an apartment is to find the unit type, unit size and amenities which are important to you. Consider the in-unit amenities and the project or community amenities.

Use an online property search or locator like www.iproperty.com.my to find and ideal venue on all available apartment in the city. This will help with your moving costs.

Limit the list of apartment which seem to be best fit - to perhaps five or eight apartment properties. Start calling the property owners to get up to date information on unit availability and the specials they are offering.

Specials can vary from floor plan to floor plan.

Calling the apartment owners before you visit will help you get the best deal.

Also ask for information on application fees, deposits and the first month rent.

Visit three to five properties which best fit your requirements. Ask detailed questions about issues that are most important to you.

That notes while you are the property. Confirm information on the deposits, first month’s rent, application fee, rental rates and unit amenities while you are visiting each property.

Also ask to see the unit they have available instead of just seeing the model unit.

After visiting the properties, review your notes and select the property that is best for you.

Ask if they can improve their last offer by reducing the deposit, waiving the application fee or reducing the rent.

Visit the property and negotiate the tenancy agreement which is a legal documents. Ask questions if you do not understand portions of the document. In most cases it is negotiable. If a term does not seem reasonable, change it.

Before accepting the apartment, walk through it with the agent or apartment manager.

Carefully inspect items such as carpet, vinyl tile, mirrors, switch plats, and the level of finish in the bathtub/shower and wall sockets.

If the apartment is not clean, ask the representative if they can clean up before moving in.

Also ask about what you need to do regarding cleaning the property to have your deposit returned.