Seconded! When Akycha and CallunaV moved to Boston the second time, they found a fabulous apartment in Dorchester. When the landlords found out they didn't have a car, they refused to rent to them because, while their immediate street was all right, streets they would have to navigate to get to the T were not.
Depending on where you're looking, you might want to start reading the local crime reports/police briefs in the newspaper (that's how I've found out that we were insanely lucky not to buy a house in Fitchburg).
Also, look in nooks and crannies: the area between the fridge and counter, the kitchen drawers, the pantry, unswept corners. Keep an eye out for rodent droppings and/or dead bugs.
And think about laundry facilities -- if the only washer/dryer available is in a horrid wet filthy basement, and the rest of the apartment isn't completely fucking brilliant, then don't get the place. It will only make laundry even more of a chore than it already is.
Ask about the upstairs neighbors, if any (downstairs neighbors are, in general, less disruptive unless they set off the building fire alarms... repeatedly... over the course of a few days... not that I have any experience with this...)
Ask what the usual electricity and heating bills are like. Watch for windows that will accomodate your window AC -- or windows that *won't* (as in Lediva's apartment). Ask what kind of heat there is -- gas, oil, electric? Oil and gas are, I think, equally expensive right about now, but at least gas can't run out on you in the middle of a blizzard.
That's what I can think of off the top of my head. I'll post more as I can think of things.
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Date: May. 17th, 2008 02:46 pm (UTC)Depending on where you're looking, you might want to start reading the local crime reports/police briefs in the newspaper (that's how I've found out that we were insanely lucky not to buy a house in Fitchburg).
Also, look in nooks and crannies: the area between the fridge and counter, the kitchen drawers, the pantry, unswept corners. Keep an eye out for rodent droppings and/or dead bugs.
And think about laundry facilities -- if the only washer/dryer available is in a horrid wet filthy basement, and the rest of the apartment isn't completely fucking brilliant, then don't get the place. It will only make laundry even more of a chore than it already is.
Ask about the upstairs neighbors, if any (downstairs neighbors are, in general, less disruptive unless they set off the building fire alarms... repeatedly... over the course of a few days... not that I have any experience with this...)
Ask what the usual electricity and heating bills are like. Watch for windows that will accomodate your window AC -- or windows that *won't* (as in Lediva's apartment). Ask what kind of heat there is -- gas, oil, electric? Oil and gas are, I think, equally expensive right about now, but at least gas can't run out on you in the middle of a blizzard.
That's what I can think of off the top of my head. I'll post more as I can think of things.