6 Things to Consider When Finding a New Place

I’ve been mentioning this for a few weeks now. I’m in a process of finding a new place to live in starting April. Yes it’s a few months out but it’s never too soon to start debating on what you want to go to next. For me that means moving into an apartment of my own with my dog Pixie. So I thought it would be a good idea to go over all the things you need to considering when finding a new place.

1. What is your cost of living? This is a combination of what your salary is and what you need to pay off your bills without struggling in the process. Because the last thing you want to do is make yourself so house broke that you can’t do anything or run out of money the second one paycheck comes in.
2. How is the traffic in the area? Depending where you live, traffic can be drastically different. When I moved from Maple Grove, MN to Plymouth, MN it was closer to work mile-wise but a longer commute due to traffic in the area. And if you don’t want a long commute it’s something to really take into considering when closing where to live.
3. What’s the climate? I have lived in states where there are four seasons all of my life. The mass majority of the time spent in Minnesota where winters can be brutal so I want to make sure that wherever I go has indoor parking as I know I personally don’t like sitting in my frozen car trying to warm it up and scrapping the ice off my windshield as it adds another 30+ minutes to my already 60 minute commute to work. And considering weather makes the commute longer on days with rain or snow, it’s not something I personally want to deal with.
4. How much does food cost? Different stores price food differently. At a Cubs Food I could get Macaroni and Cheese for $5 while at Walmart or Target I could get it for $3 depending on the deals. So it’s a good idea to pop into several stores in the area to check out prices as it adds up considering you’re always going to be needing to go in there to get stuff.
5. What are the schools like? Now I’m not a parent and don’t plan to be for a while. But if you’re planning on getting a dream house or live there for a long time, those plans can change. So knowing where the schools are nearby as well as how “good” they are and their cost can be a major deal.
6. What is the neighborhood like? Is it busy where you can’t walk across the street? Is there a lot of crime happening around the neighborhood like theft or murder? These are all questions you need to ask prior to moving into a place. When I moved to where I’m at currently, I didn’t check out the walking trails other than I knew there was one. But if I had just walked it once, I would’ve known there are literally no lights along the entire path making walks in the winter impossible since it’s dark the second I get home. And I’m not going for a walk in the woods in the pitch black. Sorry Pixie. So the next place I move to needs to have either a dog park so Pixie can exercise or light paths/sidewalks we can use.