So you decided it’s time huh?
You’re done with lack of privacy, parents telling you what to do, and rules to follow.
Time to do what you want when you want.
Time to have people over at whatever time you choose.
Time to be 100% independent.
You’re ready to move out and live on your own.
Congratulations.
You should be proud of yourself.
This is a huge step forward into becoming a man.
It says a lot about you.
There’s a different level of respect for those who no longer depend on their parents to take care of them.
And I’m going to guide you step-by-step on how to do it properly.
There were a lot of things I had no idea about before moving out alone.
I made a few mistakes.
But don’t worry, I got you covered.
I’ll make sure to go over everything I learned and make this process as comfortable as possible.
Living alone is something everyone must experience in their 20s.
A lot of people stay living at home well until their 30s.
It’s unacceptable.
While I’m not here to judge anyone, I honestly believe it’s a huge mistake.
Just like in the comedy Failure to Launch, people get complacent and never leave the house.
Since parents will NEVER treat you like an adult (always as a baby) there’s a good chance they won’t kick you out.
It’s YOUR responsibility to move out on your own.
And trust me when I tell you that there’s nothing like it.
The privacy and freedom is priceless!
You’ll get what I mean once you make the move.
Let’s go over the 5 steps you must follow in order to do it right.
Ready?
1) What can you afford?
Let me start off by saying this.
The LAST thing you want after moving out of your parent’s house is having to move back in.
Once you move out alone and experience the independence and freedom, you’ll never want to give that up.
So how do you prevent having to move back home?
Find a place you’re 100% sure you can afford.
Don’t move into a studio that’s $800 a month if you can’t afford $400 every two weeks.
You need to write down exactly how much money you earn.
Then calculate how much is leftover after paying bills.
(Read my article The Real Man’s Guide to Saving Money)
The safest way to make sure you always pay your rent on time is putting away half the money every time you get paid.
If you find that you don’t earn enough money to pay rent after paying bills, it’s time to make changes to your income.
You can either get a second job, seek a higher paying position, or start earning some side money online.
Download my book Mr. $100 to begin earning money on the internet.
Whatever it is you have to do in order to afford it, do it.
One of the main reasons people stay living at home is the luxury of not having to pay rent.
DON’T FOLLOW THIS ROUTE!
Be a man and get your own place.
It’ll go on to affect your life in many positive ways.
Trust me.
It’s for this same reason why a studio is the smarter choice over an apartment.
Studios usually have everything included. (Light, water, cable, and internet)
Not having to pay those bills saves you a TON of money every month.
This makes things much easier for you financially.
2) Find the studio
Now that you know what you can afford, it’s time to find a studio.
The most popular place to search is Craiglist.com.
In the housing section, simply click on “apts/housing”.
To the left, you’ll have the option of customizing your search.
You can put the zip code of where you’d like to live by more or less.
But even more important, you can put the maximum you’re willing to pay per month.
This goes back to the what we were just talking about on what you can afford.
Once you’ve customized your search, click on “Update search” and you’ll be presented all the available studios.
Take your time and look at many options.
Once you’ve found a place that looks like a good fit for you, it’s time to contact the landlord.
This is an important part of the process so pay close attention.
As soon as an ad for a studio is posted on Craigslist, people begin to call ALL DAY.
There are many people just like you searching for a place to live.
Therefore, you’ll want to make sure you STAND OUT from the rest.
Landlords who rent a studio are searching for two things.
A person who:
- Pays on time
- Is mature and won’t cause any problems
Knowing this, you’ll want to come across as this kind of person immediately so they consider you over everyone else.
Whenever I’d find a studio, I’d send an email/text message saying something like this:
“Hello. My name is Alexander Writer. I came across your ad for the studio and feel that it’s the perfect place for me. I work full-time and also go to school. Your studio is near both places which makes it incredibly convenient for me. I’m reliable and will never have a problem paying the rent on time. I’d love to come see the place. Please tell me a good time to either call or meet you in person.”
Best regards,
-Alex (333) 333-3333″
By doing the above, you stand out from the hundreds of people who call.
You’ve already told the landlord so many things about you without them having to ask.
You also come across as a “decent person” with manners and professionalism.
Very important.
Plus the fact that you highlight you’re a busy person tells them that you won’t be lingering around the studio all day.
Even though you pay rent and have all the right to be in your studio 24 hours a day, a landlord would much rather someone who doesn’t spend their day at home watching TV or doing who knows what.
It’s the reality, my friend.
If sending a message isn’t an option, simply call and repeat the same thing over the phone.
Don’t just say “Hey, cool place. Can I move in?”
Convince them that you’re worth it.
3) Ask questions
When you arrive at the studio, present yourself in a professional manner.
Say “Hello. Nice to meet you” and say shake hands.
Once the landlord takes you to the studio, take a good look around.
The first thing you want check for is if it has its own AC.
While many studios usually have a window air conditioner unit, there’s many that don’t.
Keep in mind that a studio without its own AC won’t allow you to control the room temperature.
Where I live (Miami, FL), AC isn’t a luxury.
IT’S A NECESSITY.
It gets so hot out here that people go to the beach during winter.
Seriously.
If there’s no AC, ask how they’d feel about putting a window or portable unit.
Trust me that there will come a time when you will want to control the temperature.
And don’t think a ceiling fan is going to do the trick.
I made the huge mistake of moving into my first studio without access to the AC.
After complaining to the landlord about how hot it would get at night, we eventually agreed to put an AC in the room.
Problem fixed.
Next thing you want to look for is if there’s a door that leads to the landlords house.
This is important for many reasons.
The first is because if a door exist, it means that there’s a good chance you’ll get a lot of noise from the landlords side.
It’s like living in your parents house again all over again.
And guess what?
If you can hear them, they can hear you.
Sometimes the studio will have a door that’s sealed.
In other words, the bottom and side of the door has been covered with compound.
This helps a little with the noise.
However, the best and most private studios are those that have no door leading into the house.
The last thing you want to do is learn about your landlord and who else lives in the house.
Make sure they’re decent people who appear responsible and professional.
Don’t ask invasive questions but try to get an idea of what they do for a living.
If at this point you feel comfortable, its a good sign that you can move forward.
It’s now time to sign a lease.
Lets go over that.
4) Signing the lease
A lease is a contract which gives you rights to live in the studio until a specific date.
It provides peace of mind.
Every landlord is different.
Some rent out their studios on a month to month basis.
Other’s do six months or a year. (Better option)
A lease gives you security that it’s your place until the agreed upon date.
Make sure you get a copy of all the documents. (VERY IMPORTANT)
Once the end of the lease is approaching, you can talk to the landlord and ask if they plan on renewing.
Typically, they’ll let you know in advance.
But make sure you ask in case they don’t.
You’ll want sufficient time to find another place before having to move out.
Even if your landlord plans to renew the lease, you’ll still want to look for other studios.
Let me explain.
5) Finding a better place
There’s been many times in the past where I’d find a cheaper and bigger studio to move into.
This is why, unless you’re extremely comfortable and happy where you are, you should start searching to see if you find a better deal.
However, keep in mind one thing.
You’ll never know how you’re new landlords will be.
They might be great people who never bother you.
Or they might be the type of people who constantly make noise and are always doing some kind of work around the house.
It’s a gamble to move into a new place.
Just how your landlord takes a gamble on asking you to move not knowing what kind of person their new tenant will be like; you take a gamble moving into another studio.
But if you follow all the steps I covered in this article, you’ll minimize the chances of moving into an uncomfortable place.
Bonus
Eventually, you want to start moving towards buying your own place.
While home ownership isn’t something most people in their 20s consider, it’s always a better idea to own instead of renting.
Remember that when you “rent”, you throw money away.
While the privacy and freedom that living alone is priceless, you get a better deal when you actually own.
There are so many routes a homeowner can take.
You can eventually sell the house at a profit.
Or you can rent it out at a higher price than the mortgage and make money off it monthly as your mortgage goes getting paid off.
Beautiful.
Just something to think about.
Read my article on purchasing my first home here.
Talk soon,
-Alex
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