Apartment Guide 2021

After weeks of searching for a new place to live in Minneapolis, packing up and moving my stuff, and then planning on redecorating a new apartment, I am finally “home”. Long story short, after moving late last summer to a big city during a pandemic, I was backed into a corner with rent prices. I settled on a part of Minneapolis that I would soon become so fond of—sitting off of a busy city street and tucked away between a bustling downtown and a peaceful chain of lakes. When my apartment asked for my 60-day notice in May, I had been looking endlessly and had toured some places, but hadn’t set my heart on anything yet—everything in my proposed price range was much smaller, had little storage space, and were located in less than ideal neighborhoods. Here’s how I was busy weighing all of my options…

Location

Getting to know my way around the Twin Cities has been a huge transition after living in Indiana for so long. But almost a year in, I generally know the main streets and where all of the different neighborhoods are and what they entail. St. Louis Park is still close to the lakes, but definitely a little slower. North Loop is full of breweries and super cute coffee shops, but pretty expensive for the amount of square feet I’d be getting. Downtown holds so much and is the heart of everything in Minneapolis, but parking is an actual nightmare and super expensive. All that exploring made me realize that I don’t necessarily want to live in the middle of Downtown and how much I love living close enough to the lake to take my Sunday morning walks. Grounding myself near the water is something that I clung to after completely uprooting my life towards the end of last year and I was having a hard time letting that go. The real question was, what price was I willing to draw the line?

Pricing

In regards to pricing, here are my biggest questions: Are utilities and parking included? If not, what is the total rent with those prices factored in? Does that allow me to stay within my proposed budget? Always ask about leasing specials or if there are any concessions that they will throw in—extra storage space, parking, or security deposit. After renting so much, I know that apartments need me more than I need them, that’s the truth. I always know that I will eventually find a place, but if a company is desperate enough to lease, they’ll throw you a bone.

Amenities

My favorite thing to look at and tour when I’m on the apartment hunt. I’m sure I’m not alone in this one. I’m a sucker for a grand entryway, rooftop, pool, and gym with a studio attached. Okay, I know I can’t have everything, but a girl can dream… right? Aside from that my non-negotiables are in-unit laundry, air conditioning, and ample storage space. The first two aren’t really that big of an ask, but storage is definitely an issue in big city living.

Other

A few bonus questions to ask or take note of when viewing apartments. How far away am I and how long will it take me to get to work? How much time will traffic add during rush hour? Is there good security and will I feel safe coming into my building at night? What does a typical electric/water/internet bill look like in this area if it isn’t fixed or included in my rent? All good things to consider, in my opinion. And lastly, always try to negotiate pricing, you’d be surprised with how flexible some management can be with this. I negotiated my current unit down another $40 per month, by using other units/layouts as leverage.

So I notified my leasing manager that I would be out of my current unit at the end of July for sure, because I refused to pay that much for rent anymore. I did, however, tell them that I was open to seeing other available layouts in my building that were less expensive and crossing my fingers for a balcony to make my space feel a little more expansive. That week, I toured three other units in my building and when I walked into 405, I knew this was the one. The layout was more open, less narrow, had a huge balcony and was significantly cheaper... Definitely manifested this one. So it ended up that I only moved a floor down, which seemed just as treacherous during the process.

Then after moving, for the most taxing decisions: committing to color palettes, furnishing my balcony, and decorating a completely different layout. I’m still exhausted just thinking about it, really.

First, I started with the pieces and colors that I already owned—a lamp, a shower curtain, a chair, a basket… you get the picture—and then worked my way around them. I took colors and styles from these pieces to base my shopping off of. Then when I started buying, I didn’t commit to just one place to find the new things that I envisioned. I searched high and low at Goodwill, Wayfair, Facebook Marketplace... I was on the hunt for any and everything that looked like it fit my style and served a functional purpose in my new home. Let this be a lesson that you don’t need a ton of money, or for everything to come from the same place and match to create your own space. Something that I heard earlier this year that has stuck with me when I buy things for my home is, as long as it’s something that you love, everything will come together, because it is representative of you and how you live your life. I think it’s cool how our individual personalities shine through in our aesthetic. The bottom line is, whatever you love, make it your own.

More pictures of my apartment on instagram @abugslifeblog