We all dream that one day we will find a fantastic apartment that we will fall in love with at first sight. It is true that in reality there is no such thing as a perfect apartment and that it is always necessary to make a certain compromise. You will always come across something that is not perfect, but the sooner you realize that not everything has to be exactly as you imagined, the sooner you will find the ideal apartment.
#1 Choose a good part of town
Check if your apartment is located near shops, parks, schools, gyms and all other institutions and facilities that are personally important to you. You don’t need to look for an apartment close to work, because jobs change, and you still buy an apartment once or twice in your life. The only thing that matters when going to work is that you have access to public transportation.
#2 Check whether and how much noise bothers you
The level of noise we live with every day is more than too high. Therefore, make sure you buy an apartment in a part of the city where you will have a pleasant and quiet life. To see how noisy that apartment really is, be sure to visit it on a weekday afternoon to see how noisy it really is.
#3 Parking
If you have a car, you simply know how problematic it is to park in the city and how tiring it is to look for parking every day. Ask whether it is possible to buy a parking space, whether there is a free parking lot in the building where you can park, and whether a garage is sold with the apartment.
#4 Examine every part of the building in detail
Is your apartment in an old building? How much are maintenance costs? Is the building of good quality and were quality materials used for it? What is the quality of sound insulation between apartments? These are all questions that you must ask the seller or investor, in order to be sure that you will have a quality apartment that will hold its value and where you will be comfortable to live.
If you are buying an apartment in an old building, be sure to ask to see the basement, and if it is the top floor, ask to see the attic or even the roof terrace. Check whether the apartment has traces of moisture, leaks and leaks. If it is a new construction, ask the investor to provide you with a specification of the materials used for construction, and then consult an expert who can explain to you whether these materials are of good quality or not.
Also, beware of cosmetic renovations and check to see if maybe the drop ceilings are hiding some water and leak stains and if the new relief wall is in fact installed to cover up some larger cracks.
#5 Make sure you always have 20% down
If you buy the apartment in cash, then you don’t have to worry about the down payment and the mortgage.
But since most buyers buy an apartment through a mortgage loan, then we have to talk about participation. The participation is a minimum of 20% of the total price of the property. In addition to financially securing part of the apartment, participation is also an important indicator that you could and did save, that you are ready to commit to saving and that you are a serious buyer.
#6 Stay within budget
When you start looking for an apartment on the Domus real estate website, start by choosing a filter that will narrow your search. To get started, select a price range and view only those apartments that fit your budget. It is better to start with smaller and cheaper apartments and keep increasing the price, than to go the other way around. In that case, you will only look at those apartments that are way over your budget and you will feel some repulsion towards anything that is not so perfect.
#7 Keep some money in cash
We know that you are tempted to furnish the entire apartment, to buy everything new and to furnish the new apartment as per the catalog. However, we advise you to leave some money aside so that you can cover the costs of the move.
Of course you will need new furniture, but you can always start by buying the most important pieces like the couch and bed, and then move on to the rest.
#8 Renovations are expensive
If you are buying an older apartment, you will have to completely renovate it. And that renovation will cost a lot. In older apartments, you will probably have to change everything, from the floor to the installations and of course the carpentry. These works are expensive, but thanks to it you will have a beautiful home that you will really enjoy. Also, these works will increase the value of your apartment.
When renovating, it’s important to remember that it’s better to replace electrical and plumbing fixtures than to buy expensive designer furniture.
#9 Ignore current interior design
We have seen this scenario several times: buyers find an apartment, but are repulsed by the current interior, because they may not like too cold tones, bright colors or antique furniture. Usually then customers say that they don’t like the “energy” and that something just repels them. But it really shouldn’t be like that, because the seller will certainly bring out his furniture and things and you will have the opportunity to furnish everything from scratch.
It would be ideal to hire an architect who can draw a plan of your interior, but also look at the floor plan on our website and suggest what you can do in the apartment.
#10 Pay attention to the documentation
Thanks to our business model, we check the documentation for every apartment we put on the site. But you also need to check your creditworthiness and be ready to buy an apartment quickly. Our legal team will help draft pre-contracts and contracts and help you make the whole process run smoothly from start to finish.
