Things on this page are fragmentary and immature notes/thoughts of the author. Please read with your own judgement!
Rent an Apartment
Fees
Utilities
-
Which utilities are included in the rent? Water, electric, trash, etc.
-
administration fee, application fee? I hate these fees.
-
Facing which direction?
-
South is probably the best, especially the sun room
-
Internet
- everyone claims their internet speed is fast
- TV cable is usually faster than phone cable
- ask for the name of internet supplier
- Century Link is very bad, slow, limited services
- Time Warner Cable is bad
Facilities
-
Garage (In states where the winter is long and fierce, it is better get a garage.)
-
Laundry (Some apartments do not have a laundry room which is not convenient.)
-
Gym
-
Trash (get clear about where the trash can is and how to dispose trash)
-
sink (make sure it works, try it!, some sink might be clogged)
-
disposal (make sure there is disposal in the kitchen, some kitchen especially in cities don't have one)
Appliances
-
microwave
-
Floor
- Generally higher floor is more quiet
- higher floor is safer (security, flood, etc) and ususally cleaner (less bugs, etc.)
Safety
-
Gated Community or Not
- Gated is safer though not convenient for driving
Furnitures
- Coffee table, some can adjust height and convenient to put a laptop on it when watching TV
Location
Quiet or Not
-
too close to noisy road?
-
too close to airport?
-
too close to a pulic facility?
-
big apartment? smaller is usually more quiet
-
higher level is usually more quiet
-
Is the house in or close to woods? If so, there might be many bugs especially in southern states.
-
If a house/apartment is too close to a highway/subway, it might be too noisy. From my experience, two blocks (vertical distance) from the subway is acceptable.
-
Close to restaurant, shoppings, gym or not
-
How old is the apartment?
Housing
-
whether it is a new house or not and facilitaties
-
radiation, etc., whether it is close to any high vol electric wires
-
whether it is close to a busy road, better not, if so, any stop signs
-
Safe or not, neighbours, etc.
Misc
- Never flush things except water down the sink. If you really have to flush things, use the toilet to flush it.
Shopping for Housing
Good Shopping Sites
Human Ergonomics
-
Seat Cushion
-
https://www.amazon.com/massage-seat-cushion/s?k=massage+seat+cushion
-
https://www.amazon.com/Seat-Cushion-Pillow-Office-Chair/dp/B07HD8B9SP?th=1
-
https://www.bestproductsreviews.com/butt-cushion?targetid=dsa-437115340933&matchtype=&device=c&campaignid=13697721320&creative=530350157976&adgroupid=132788019068&feeditemid=&loc_physical_ms=9033255&loc_interest_ms=&network=g&devicemodel=&placement=&keyword=$&target=&aceid=&adposition=&trackid=us_all_top_1_1&mId=407-132-4411&trackOld=true&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1tGUBhDXARIsAIJx01nWEMfZIYEZtIw0TXaHO5FEaPmVXiQqDfbk_YH47SRZLnanGjcOzMkaApuiEALw_wcB
-
Electronical
-
Backup Battery
-
https://generark.com/products/homepower2?variant=40210280808639
-
https://generark.com/products/homepower-one?currency=USD&variant=40698021281983&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjws8yUBhA1EiwAi_tpEa-AzzgC7m0ocrDpVZtxNP3mvhAHnx41iuCwhPCI1YzS_D8at6ebWhoCwRQQAvD_BwE
-
Pest & Animal Control
-
https://www.amazon.com/EcoClear-Products-620101-All-Natural-Non-Toxic/dp/B00RU6YHJW/ref=sr_1_22?dchild=1&keywords=rat+dehydration&qid=1626710097&sr=8-22
-
https://www.amazon.com/Eaton-704-AP-Anticoagulant-Flavor-rodenticide/dp/B07GBQKLWZ/ref=sr_1_35?dchild=1&keywords=rat+dehydration&qid=1626710097&sr=8-35
Kitchen & Bathroom
-
Adjustable Water Tap Extension
-
Deodorant Drain Core Toilet Bathroom Floor Drainer Inner Core Sewer Pest Control Silicone Anti-odor Artifact Water Seal No Smell
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256802372457960.html?ug_edm_item_id=3256802372457960&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21USD%21US%20%241.98%21US%20%241.54%21%21%21%21%21%40214120dd16536319322175611d6e12%21%21edm&edm_click_module=alg_products&tracelog=rowan&rowan_id1=aeug_edm_24677_1_en_US_2022-05-26&rowan_msg_id=6846biz_pay_after_purchase:0:0_571776534$fca08cf84c854af68a5e761db1358a29&ck=in_edm_other