How to Get the Scoop on Apartment Complexes Before You Move In

A few years ago, my husband (who was at that time my fiance) and I were in desperate need of an apartment home. I had just finished up graduate school in South Carolina and needed to move up to the northern Virginia area. He was living in a tiny studio apartment that was too close to the Capitol Beltway, otherwise known as Interstate 495. We needed to find a place that was bigger and more affordable than where my husband was living. My husband and I ended up moving to Fredericksburg, Virginia, a charming little town 50 miles from the DC area and 50 miles from Richmond, Virginia's state capital. I thought it would be the perfect place for me to start looking for a job. My husband could take the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) to work every day.

Because I was in South Carolina, I didn't have much input into where we ended up living. My husband simply went to another complex owned by his landlords and was allowed to transfer the lease. It seemed like such an easy and convenient process. What's more, the apartment he had chosen in my absence seemed like a nice, respectable place. If only we had known what we were getting into! When it comes to apartment living, exterior looks can be deceiving. And once you sign that lease, it can be hard to get out of it. That can mean being stuck in a terrible living situation for as long as the lease is in effect.

I'm writing this article because my husband and I didn't do our homework before we moved into our last apartment. I'm hoping to spare some of my readers the same experience we had.

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