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For you, the question isn’t about renting vs. buying. It’s about whether you should stay where you are despite its problems, or gather up the money and energy to make another move. So how do you decide if it’s worth it to move, when you don’t absolutely have to?
Let’s say your current apartment is ok, but there are a few key, small problems that tend to annoy you on a regular basis. Noise from an alleyway? Poor plumbing? Maybe it’s environmental, like the light or wind coming into your apartment (or not coming in at all) from the wrong direction.
How to decide if it’s worth getting a new apartment
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The obvious thing to do is make some lists or charts and sort out (1) the current pros and cons of where you live and (2) the potential pros and cons of both packing up and moving but also of your new apartment itself (or the potential new apartment if you haven’t seen any yet).
Some other questions to consider:
1. How often do you find yourself getting annoyed or thinking about something you dislike about your current apartment? If it’s daily, then the apartment is likely wasting some of your time and energy whether you realize it or not. I’d move.
2. What type of problems are they? Can they be easily fixed by a janitor, or are they structural problems with the building or the location that won’t change no matter what? Or: are they larger problems that you are going to run into no matter what apartment you rent in your area? If so, maybe you need to consider a whole new neighborhood, or consider a different category of housing, like buying a condo or starter home.
3. Are you a picky person in general? Does your dissatisfaction with your apartment reflect your dissatisfaction with other areas of your life, too? Perhaps you need to spend some more time in your apartment to give it a chance. If it was okay for the first year, and now you want to move, are you just bored? On the other hand, if you’ve been there only one or two months and it is giving you a really hard time, it’s likely that the problems are significant enough that it is just the wrong apartment for you.
Thought Experiments To Help Make Your Decision
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- would you be happy with your apartment if you took it and transplanted it whole, to your favorite location?
- would you be happy living where you are if you just had a different apartment, but in the exact same spot?
- what does your life look like if you move and the new apartment feels worse?
- what does your life look like if you don’t move? will you still be unhappy?
If you do decide to move, make sure you have a list of the key problems with your old place, and be sure that your new place solves these problems. Also: have a list of the top three things you best liked about your old place, and try to find a new place that also has these qualities in it.
Apartment hunting can be a very quick and confusing process, especially if you’re moving when everyone else is, or you have a tight deadline, or if you haven’t done your research on your needs. So take the time now to get really clear on what you want and need. Once you’re in looking at places, you may not have much time and you’re likely to forget some of the key things you’re looking for.
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