Tips to Help Choose the Right Rental Homes

Rental properties may feel like they exist in abundance, but rental properties that really suit you best are another story. If you’re looking through potential rental homes in Toronto, Ontario, in search of a new place to call your own, then consider these tips on choosing the right fit for you.

Cost vs. Income

This is the basic foundation for any financial decision that you make. How much income will you have to set aside to contribute to your living situation each month? In direct relation to that, what will your exact living situation be? Understand the numbers that you’re working with to help you carve out a practical range that you can afford, which will help narrow your search and keep you from making choices that aren’t properly suited to you.

Know Your Essential Features

What are certain traits of your rental home that you feel you cannot compromise on? Do you want to make sure you have a spare room to establish an in-home office space? Are you looking for a heavily windowed sunroom for growing plants in? Or perhaps you want a certain type of oven as a foundation for your kitchen? You and your partner should make a list of these essential features that you really want in your future home, and then you can work together with your realtor to identify properties that include these features in the rental property.

Map Your Day

As odd as this may seem in conjunction with choosing a rental home, it can really help you narrow down your choices. Where are you working? What about picking up the kids after school? What is the distance and realistic time it will take to travel from one point to another, rush hour traffic included? Creating this mental map can help you to evaluate and make a distinction of the location for you when planning your days.

Choose Your Style

Are you looking for a whole home with a decent amount of land, or would a duplex suffice? Is the townhouse or apartment lifestyle out of the question for you because of your family size, or would those locations be better because they’re closer to your work? Also, are you looking for a specific architectural or home design style, or are you open to different ideas? Do you want somewhere that’s already furnished, or would you prefer to provide your own furnishings? Once you decide these terms, it can help guide you into options better suited to your style and goals.

In the big picture of sifting through rental homes in Toronto, Ontario, the most important thing to keep in mind is what you want. Use these tips to narrow that definition and help you define for yourself the kind of rental home you’re really looking for. This will help you and your real estate agent have a much more productive and satisfying adventure in looking for and choosing the right rental property. The foundation of a happy household starts with several intangible factors, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to find the perfect rental home on top of all of those things.