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Renting Tips: 7 Factors to Consider When Selecting a House For Rent in Memphis, TN

Memphis is a great place to live, with its distinct culture, oversized beers, and wailing blues guitar. The average cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment in Memphis, Tennessee is about $988. This isn’t too bad compared to other cities like Boston, where rent prices are through the roof.

The new year presents the perfect opportunity to move into a new apartment. With so many Memphis houses for rent, you’ll be spoiled for choice. However, before pitching camp in a new apartment, it’s a good idea to get familiar with a few renting tips for a more comfortable stay.

In today’s post, we’ll be highlighting a few tips for renting a house and factors you need to consider before picking a rental house or apartment in Memphis.

1. The Location

The first thing to consider when picking a house for rent in Memphis is its location. You want a house that’s near your place of work or school. This makes it convenient to get to work or school on time.

However, if you’re more of an amenities person, you’ll want to settle for an apartment. Apartments in Memphis are generally closer to amenities like shopping malls, gyms, and bars. They’re also close to most campuses in Memphis, making them great for students.

Decide on a location you want to live in to help narrow down your options. It’s worth noting that every location has its upsides and downsides. Weigh the pros and cons of all different locations before making your final pick.

2. Space

Aside from the location, you also want to consider how much space is in the house. In Memphis, you can get anything from one-bedroom to four-bedroom houses for rent. But don’t let the number of rooms fool you.

Some Memphis houses for rent cramp as many bedrooms as they can into a tiny space. This means you won’t have as much space as you thought, despite the many bedrooms. That’s why we advise visiting the home to get a firm idea of how much space it has.

One thing to note is that houses generally tend to be more spacious than apartments. Plus, with a house, you also get a yard, which is great for barbecuing, or makes an excellent play area for your kids.

3. Privacy

Another crucial factor to consider before picking a house to rent is the amount of privacy you want. If you don’t want any nosy neighbors, you’re better off renting a house than an apartment. Keeping your affairs private in an apartment complex with shared amenities is almost impossible.

However, you can rent a home but still have zero privacy. If you have roommates with no respect for privacy, living a private life will remain a pipe dream. However, if privacy is your primary concern, consider renting out a home and picking the right roommates.

4. Cost

Let’s now address the elephant in the room, and that’s the rental cost. As mentioned above, rent prices in Memphis are reasonable, but they could go higher or lower, depending on the house.

Having roommates is a great way to cut down on how much you’ll spend on rent. Typically, the more roommates you have, the lower the rent you have to pay. However, most apartments have strict restrictions on how many people can live in an apartment.

That said, houses tend to allow more occupants than apartments. The only problem is that the rent will be higher than if you rented an apartment. However, with enough roommates, you can lower the cost quite significantly.

Leasing companies tend to update apartments more often than houses. That’s why rent on apartments keeps rising by the year. If you’re planning to rent an apartment in Memphis, you’d better move in ASAP before they make any extravagant improvements.

5. Parking

Another crucial factor to consider is whether the house has enough space for you to park your car. Look at whether the house has a garage where you can park your car. If it doesn’t, check if the driveway has enough space to fit your car.

If you have roommates, you’ll need enough space for you and your roommates. You’ll also need enough parking space for your guests when they come over. Be sure to look at the parking space the next time you’re scouting for property for rent.

Apartments come with their own parking space for their tenants. However, you’ll have to pay a fee for this parking space. The parking fee on top of the rent might be too much for some people.

6. Design

These days, people are getting more conscious about the design of their living spaces. If you’re a chic person, you’ll want an elegant home with manicured lawns and stylish interior decor. However, you’re likely to break the bank for such a home.

The good news is that you can rent a drab house and work your magic on it. That’s right, most rental houses allow you the freedom to fully express yourself. You can repaint the walls, install your own fixtures, and even plant flowers in the yard.

Apartments tend to have limited potential for creativity and design. In fact, most people stick to the initial design.

7. Maintenance 

Renting a home is a lot more complicated than just moving your stuff into the property. You also have to take care of the house and the yard. This means mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges, and ensuring the house remains clean and tidy.

If you’re not up to the task, you’re better off renting an apartment. That’s because, with apartments, the landlord is responsible for all maintenance activities. Alternatively, you can find a smaller house that doesn’t require much effort to maintain.

Renting Tips to Get You the Perfect Home

If you’re in the market for a rental house, keep the above renting tips in mind to find the best place for your budget. Explore your options to find a house or apartment worth calling your home.

For more informative content, check out the other posts on the site.