Apartment hunting is easily one of life’s least pleasurable activities, so it is no wonder that every year, people all across the country and around the world sign leases that aren’t in their best interest. Once we find a place that’s tolerable, many of us can’t wait to get our John Hancock on a lease just so that we don’t have to look any more. Before you put pen to paper, here are a few essential tips you should keep in mind.

Not only will the amount of gas you use be determined by the length of your commute to and from work, but so will your insurance rates, and in case you haven’t noticed, they are going up just as fast as gas prices. Granted, if you work in an industrial or business park that isn’t near anything, you probably don’t want to live next door, but don’t forget to take your commute time into account before you sign a lease.

There is more to a good apartment than the square footage and rent price you get. Amenities can make a simple apartment feel like a place you want to stay at for years. Many top apartment complexes offer pools, workout centers and so much more. Don’t settle for a place that has nothing to offer but a place to sleep unless you’re certain that you won’t ever use it.

Finally, being able to clearly communicate with your rental manager or landlord is a big deal. Getting things fixed on time and other such things are important, so if you are having problems getting your point across in an interview, imagine what it will be like at 3 in the morning when you are having an emergency.

When it comes to renting that finding the perfect apartment, very few of us want a studio apartment, or an apartment that is essentially one room total. However, with the rising price of rent, many of us don’t have a choice and simply hope for the largest space possible to live in. Here are a few helpful tips for those folks who are living in a one room apartment.

Futons are a great way to save space since they double as a couch or sofa and a bed to sleep on. You can get the same versatility out of a sofa bed, however, most people would agree that a futon is much more comfortable to sleep on than a sofa bed. With a little extra padding thrown on for good measure, you can have quite the comfortable night sleep on a high end futon.

Don’t be afraid to store some of your belongings at a third party site since storage at your unit will be quite limited. It can be a bit of a hassle trucking belongings back and forth to a storage area, but as long as you keep, say, all of your winter clothes at one place and your summer clothes at another, you won’t have to make too many trips.

Finally, when decorating a one room apartment, concentrate on comfort and relaxation. This space, albeit a small one, is your refuge from the world and needs to convey a sense of relaxation and even luxury. Don’t skimp on furnishings if you can.

It is a struggle we all face when it comes time to hunt for a new place to live: how can we move into the nicest place possible but still be able to afford rent every month? We all have our own particular preferences when it comes to finding the perfect apartment: some of us want extra space while others want a swimming pool or a workout room. No matter what makes a great apartment to you, we all want as much as we can get for our dollar, so here are a few budget stretching tips we can all use to get the most out of our next move.

One of the great things about apartment living is how popular it is. Since every apartment complex that has vacancies has to compete against every other complex, many offer incentives that can lure you and other prospective renters to them. What many people don’t know is that incentives like a month’s free rent can actually be stretched out and used over the life of your lease, lowering your rent each and every month. Not every complex will do this, so make sure you check before you sign on the dotted line.

If you make below a certain amount of money each year, there are apartment complexes that you can apply to live in that others can’t, and often times, these complexes are quite nice. Contact your city or local housing office to find out the complexes in your area that qualify.

Even if you live in the best part of town and in one of the most exclusive apartment complexes in your area, you likely think about security on a fairly regular basis. If you are like most of us and live in a normal area, you think about security on a daily basis. Regardless of where you live, we all wonder if our locks and behaviors are enough to ward off the specter of crime. Here are a few common sense things you can do to ensure your personal safety.

Many of us come home at night from work to a dark apartment. You can help brighten things up a little by making sure that any outdoor lighting leading up to your apartment is always lit and on. If a bulb burns out, report it immediately. If it isn’t fixed right away, keep complaining until it is.

Some apartment complexes will allow you to install a second set of locks on your door as long as you give your landlord or rental office a copy of the key if they need to get into your place for an emergency. Short of that, many will let you install a chain if there already isn’t one installed.

Finally, if your door doesn’t have a peephole in it, some cities have ordinances requiring them. All you have to do is request that one be installed and your complex must comply in a certain period of time. Check the laws in your area to see if you qualify.

So, you’ve finally moved in the final box into your brand new apartment and you’re ready to start unpacking and settling in. Before you open that first box, you should take a look around and decide on a few big decorating decisions so you don’t have to move everything around twice. Here are some essential questions you should ask yourself before you get going.

First, take a few minutes and decide where you want to put the television. This may seem like a no-brainer at first, but you likely have more options than you think. The most common choice is a corner slant so that the screen faces out into the entire living room. This can be a good choice if you have room to waste, but most of us don’t. Cornering anything in your apartment wastes huge amounts of space, so try to avoid it at all costs. Also, make sure you take into account window glare before you plunk the television down in one particular area.

Next, try to imagine the foot traffic in your apartment and how difficult it will be for everyone to get around. You don’t want people having to stumble around to get to where they need to go, so make sure you take walking paths into consideration before you unpack.

Finally, if you live in a building made of concrete and not wood, you may not be able to pound nails in every wall, so make sure you have alternate methods of hanging pictures or other art from the walls instead of nails.