6 Must-Have Amenities in Your New Apartment

Looking for a new apartment? Make sure to ask about these six must-have amenities!

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1. Washer and dryer

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to haul my laundry down the street to the laundromat every week. Having a washer and dryer in your apartment, or at least in the building, will save you a great deal of time, money, and effort.

If the washing machines are located within your building, getting your clothes back to your apartment will be that much easier. And if the washer and dryer already come with your own apartment unit, that’s even more convenient. Ultimately, you won’t have to spend an extra 15 minutes trekking in and out of your building, while carrying a giant load of clothes each time.

2. Dishwasher

Even if you’ll be living on your own, a dishwasher is certainly convenient. With your busy schedule, you may not have the time or energy to be standing at the sink, painstakingly washing and drying all the dishes you left piled up over the week.

A dishwasher will help you get the little things done more efficiently so you can have time to focus on other, more important things — and have clean plates too.

3. Parking

If you live in a crowded city, you can easily envision this scene: cars in bumper to bumper traffic, sporadic honking, and — inevitably — no place to park your car on the street. You’re desperate and all you want to do is go home and unwind after a long day, not spend half an hour circling your neighborhood for a parking spot.

The good news is, you can avoid this stressful scenario by hunting for an apartment complex with private parking, such as a lot or a garage. Having your own, designated parking space will not only alleviate any parking-related anxieties you may have, but it will also afford you some peace and security about where you’re leaving your car.

Of course, the general safety of any neighborhood varies for everyone, but it’s always nice to know exactly where your car is and that it’s not being disturbed.

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4. Cooling and heating system

One of, if not the, most important aspects of having your own apartment is your personal comfort. Make sure you scout out a place that has both air conditioning and heating.

For some of you, living without air conditioning isn’t such a big deal, especially if you’ve done it before and fared well — which is totally fine! However, speaking from the experience of living in a dorm for two years without air conditioning, surviving the hotter months during the academic year (mostly the end of August/beginning of September and May) was quite brutal. Sometimes, fans just aren’t enough. If you’re the kind of person who needs air conditioning to survive in the summer, make sure a cooling system comes with the apartment.

On that note, it’s also important to check that your new place has a heating system. During the winter when the temperature dips well below 20 degrees, you’ll be inside your cozy, heated apartment and congratulate yourself for making such a wise decision.

5. Storage space

With all the stuff you own, you’re sure to need an adequate space to store everything. When looking for an apartment, check for closet and storage space to ensure that there is enough room for all of your belongings. Appropriate spaces within the unit may include closets, mostly for your clothes and miscellaneous things. It’s a bonus if the apartment building has a basement or some sort of storage facility where residents can keep some of their larger items.

6. Fitness center

Perhaps this isn’t for everyone, but for those of you who go to the gym on a regular basis, a fitness center is a necessary component. Having a gym right in the convenience of your own apartment building may motivate you to go routinely, as you won’t have to make the trip to a local gym that’s farther away.

Additionally, as a building resident, you may be able to pay a relatively inexpensive fee to use the fitness center, as opposed to the amount of money you’d shell out at a local gym membership.