How to Help Your Child Find Their First Apartment or House

As a father, watching your child grow up and go to college or start a job after high school can be difficult and emotional. However, just as you have helped your children make decisions as they have grown up, you can also help your children once they are ready to leave the nest and live out on their own. Whether it be after high school, during college, or after college, you can surely help your child through the process of finding their first apartment or home in a number of ways.

Finding a Place to Live

First comes finding an apartment or house. Utilizing the internet to search for properties is common, with 44% of buyers looking online for their dream home. Apartment searching can also be done online. Many websites offer filters to help narrow down the search to the number of bedrooms and bathrooms needed, location, and price. These are some of the basic aspects of finding an apartment or home that must be figured out beforehand. While you may find a nice apartment in a perfect location, being able to afford that apartment is what really matters down the road. Helping your child make sure their finances are in check before the hunt begins will ensure they find a property they can both afford and enjoy.

While finding an apartment or house online can be the first step, taking a look in person is what can seal the deal. Make sure your child understands the safety precautions they should take when looking at a property. Bringing a companion, whether it be you, a friend, a significant other, or another family member is important. This will let the landlord or real estate agent know that your child will not be swindled. When looking at a property for the first time, you should look at the neighborhood it is located in, the parking situation, the floor it is located on, the size of the property itself, and its overall cleanliness. These factors are important to consider when finding your child a place to live because you want them to feel both safe and clean.

Moving In

After finding a property and determining a move-in date comes preparing to move in. You can help your child find new or used furniture, kitchen appliances, kitchen and bathroom necessities and supplies, cleaning products, and decorations. It is important to teach your child about living expenses and to make sure they understand how costly all of these items can be added up.

Move-in day can be a bit messy. Be sure your child inspects the property through and through before physically moving anything in. You don’t want your child to be held responsible for anything left behind that a landlord was supposed to take care of or was supposed to clean or fix. Once this is done, moving in can begin.

Move-in day will most likely be hard for you. It’s hard to watch your child grow up and leave the home you provided for them for so long, but making this day fun is also very possible. Offer help moving in furniture, organizing supplies, and help hanging up decorations. A surprise housewarming gift would be a nice touch, too.

Keeping it Clean

Whether your child is 18, 25, clean, or messy, it is important to make sure your child understands all of the basic cleaning procedures that come with renting or owning an entire property. It’s not just sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming anymore. In fact, it only takes 48 hours for mold to develop and spread. Make sure your child is aware that dusting, air filtration, and cleaning up after yourself daily will help keep animals and pests away as well as protect the home from collecting dust mites and musty odors.

Other responsibilities your child will need to be aware of in their new apartment or house is when their trash is going to be collected if that is their chosen method of garbage removal from their property. Did you know that four pounds of trash is generated by the average person every day? Sounds pretty gross, especially if your child has roommates. Be sure your child understands how important cleaning dishes right away and taking out the trash are when it comes to the smell of the home as well as keeping away what animals or pests those smells will attract. You certainly don’t want your child living with mice.

Helping your child through this sometimes messy step in their adult life is hard, but helping them through the process will surely make you feel better about your child’s safety and well-being as a new renter or homeowner. Make sure your child knows they can call you anytime with questions or concerns about anything in their new home. While you won’t be there, you can certainly be the person they seek advice from. As a father, your expertise in cleaning or fixing things will surely be needed more often than you think.