A Picture Tells a Thousand Words
But they're not always true!
If you've used online tools to conduct an apartment search in the past, or are currently doing so in the hunt for your new home, then you may have noticed how apartments that seem bright and shiny in photos oftentimes turn out to be dark and glum in person. What's the deal?!
To avoid being taken in by clever photography and lighting, have a look at what floor the unit is on. If the unit number begins with a B (basement) or 1 (often the first floor), you're probably not going to find a sun-blasted apartment at the end of that rainbow. Keep in mind, some older buildings' floors correspond to the letter rather than the number (so apartment 1E could be a fifth-floor unit) – however, these represent a tiny percentage of apartments in the city.
So if you don't actually see some sky out the windows, or if the windows look bright but are blurred out, that may be a sign that it's a low-light apartment. Which is fine if that's your preference, but if it's not – and it surely isn't for most buyers – then this tip will save you time and potential disappointment. And if you're sending these listings to your agent to arrange appointments, it will save him or her the time of explaining why this unit probably isn't for you.
Remember, the better you are at focussing your search – and ruling out non-starters from the start – the more likely you are to find what you're really looking for!
