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Your kid is moving to a new area, and you want to be sure he or she gets a good and affordable apartment. Well, there are a few ways you can help. The following guide should make it easy for you and your teen to find the perfect apartment.

Know the Budget

Firstly, you and your kid need to decide on a budget. A lot of folks start looking for apartments and go for the cheapest apartment available. This is not a great strategy because cheap apartments can come with issues you don’t want to deal with, such as pest infestations or mold. If you create a budget with your teen, you should be able to increase your choices so that you can include places you will be comfortable with as a parent. Try to account for the expenses your teen is going to deal with and how much he or she might make.

Look for Micro Places

Your teen doesn’t need much room, so it might be a good idea to look for micro apartments. Micro apartments are popular in big cities throughout the United States. You want to look for affordable apartments in Seattle or your particular locale that are considered micro apartments. These places should be able to fit most budgets without putting your teen in an area he or she wouldn’t want to be in. It might also be a good idea to let your child have a roommate if you think that’s more affordable. Sometimes students take on more than just one roommate to save on rent. Tell your teen to talk to a few people to find people that he or she can actually get along with.

Know the Deal Breakers

Finding an affordable place doesn’t mean your kid needs to sacrifice the essentials. One thing that might be important is a laundry facility. Things can get incredibly difficult if the closest laundromat is miles away from your kid’s place. You might also want to find out if the apartment has Wi-Fi, which could be helpful for a student. Some complexes also have security gates that allow entry with a code, while others have security cameras. Choose the kind of security measures you and your teen would be comfortable with.

Negotiate

Sometimes, landlords are willing to negotiate. A lot of people don’t negotiate the price, but you might be able to if you try. The reason a landlord might be willing to negotiate is if the place hasn’t been rented in a long time. If you notice a place has been sitting for some time, you might want to bring that up, and see if you can negotiate a better deal for your teen. Well, you might want to let your teen do this him or herself since your kid is taking the first major step towards independence.

Outskirts or New Development

Another good way to sniff out a deal for an apartment is to look for new developments or places that are just outside the city. If your kid doesn’t mind being far from school or work, then a place right outside the city might work and should be affordable. If not, you might want to look for new developments. Sometimes, these apartment complexes will offer good deals because they’re eager to fill their rooms up. If you notice that an apartment complex doesn’t have many reviews or you find out the place is newly built, then give this complex a shot.

Avoid Seasonal Moving Dates

Students tend to move during the summer or spring. Landlords know this and may spike up prices around that time. You want to avoid these times as much as possible. Try to have your kid move to a new place in the dead of winter or late fall. Most people don’t like to move during these times because the temperatures get pretty chilly or it might rain. Nobody likes to move and face these types of weather conditions, and that could mean finding apartment deals. If possible, a student could stay at home for a while, and move to a new place during the off seasons to get a deal.

Conclusion

Stick to these suggestions, and you should be able to find a great place for your teen at a reasonable price. Try to be patient because the right place is probably going to take some time to find, but all this work should be helpful in the end.