Auston Woods Apartment Homes Blog

Many people are told when they are younger that renting is only for college graduates or people who cannot afford to buy.  Many parents hammer these ideas into their children and tell them that renting is equivalent to throwing money away every month.  Fortunately, today people are beginning to finally think for themselves and challenge these ideas.  Here are 4 reasons to pat yourself on the back for deciding to rent an apartment in Charlotte, NC home at an HHHunt Community!
 
1.  Renting can save money

At the very minimum you’ll be shelling out PITI for your home. That is:

1. Principal
2. Interest
3. Tax
4. Insurance

The PITI doesn’t include property maintenance like maintaining the yard, paint, plumbing, repairs, decorating, etc… When you rent an apartment in Charlotte at an HHHunt community, the monthly payment is almost always quite a bit less than the PITI in your area and there are no maintenance expenses!

2. Homeowners’ tax deductions are overstated

According to research quoted by MSN, “… half of homeowners don’t get a break, because even with mortgage interest and property taxes, their total deductions do not exceed the standard federal tax deduction ($11,900 for couples and $5,450 for singles)”.

For these folks, it’s like spending $100 to save $20. They’re better off saving the difference and investing it.   Even if there is a “break” on your taxes, you typically had to spend more than you would have spent to rent to get back that $20 for every $100 spent in interest payments.

3. Renting gives you flexibility

For the up and coming young professional, you’re better off renting and saving for a few years than to buy a small condo. Who knows how fast you will outgrow it?  When you own a home, you can’t always sell it when you need to sell it at the price you want to sell it for in order to accept a new employment opportunity.  If you have owned a home and don’t want the constant maintenance responsibility, renting gives you the opportunity to enjoy your weekends instead of completing that “to do” list.

4.  Our superb service teams!

Most apartment communities offer 24 hour emergency maintenance and technicians who are skilled in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.  At an HHHunt Community, our service teams take great pride in offering prompt and professional service to you.  Whether you need a light bulb changed or a new compressor for your AC unit, we are there to take care of you as fast and efficient as possible.  We are always a phone call or email away and most service requests are performed on the same day or within 24 hours!

A good apartment home staff can make the difference between an ordinary rental and a dream home. A very crucial part of the apartment-finding process is talking with the manager and office staff about the property. Most people don't realize what the manager does within an apartment home community.

A good manager and staff is one who has their resident's well-being and comfort in mind. When renting and you have a maintenance task; a stopped up toilet, a leaking sink, or your carpet needs to be re-stretched, the apartment home manager has to take care of it.
 
Before you commit to a place, talk with the on-site manager at Auston Wood Apartments and ask us some questions about our maintenance.

Ask questions and, when you tour Auston Woods, be sure to look over the general cleanliness. With our 9 foot ceilings, crown molding and various homes with sun rooms, we know you will love the floor plans, the property and the neighborhood. We are very proud of our exceptional customer service, and inviting lush landscape.
 
When you decide to live in an apartment home in the desired Charlotte area you need to know you've made the right choice about your living space. You need to know your interests are taken care of; that you won't be left stranded should there be a problem in your building or in the complex. When you find this type of satisfaction you will feel confident in making a lasting commitment and a pleasurable rental experience.

We all need a place to call home but even with the real estate downturn, many people continue to think that buying a home is a good investment and a way for them to build wealth. When times were good, this was not really the case for most people. Wherever you choose to live, make sure it’s for the right reasons. Owning a home can be rewarding. Renting an apartment home with Auston Woods can also be very rewarding. Don’t just take our word for it - check out this article on Yahoo Finance - Why Your Home is not the investment you think it is. In recent months, the housing market, interest rates and the economy have been the focus of many news stories and are key issues in the political arena. Consumers have been inundated for years with visions of the American Dream and why homeownership is a great investment.

As seen with the recent housing crisis, homeownership may not be right for everyone.

• If you bought in Rochester, N.Y., in 1980, you would have seen only a mediocre 4% annual growth for the next 25 years.
• If you bought in Dallas in 1986, as the oil boom went bust, your home wouldn’t have appreciated at all before 1998.

It is also important to look at the “net appreciation”. Most people do not subtract all of the interest paid to the banks, maintenance, decorating costs, closing costs, taxes, and insurance from the appreciation. In many cases, especially if you do not own your home for more than a few years, there is not true appreciation and in more and more cases, there is negative appreciation. Many do not realize the real financial and practical advantages HHHunt residents experience every year when they decide to rent an apartment home at one of our communities.

There are just a couple of points to consider and think about. Renting is a long term investment and very rewarding. Especially in the North Carolina area we are a respected and very diverse community. Be sure to take a look at our communities and our activities we have to offer. Our unique apartment homes at Auston Woods combine convenience, comfort, and technology for today’s lifestyle in our apartment homes. Our beautiful interiors are designed to optimize the way you live, work, and play. Contact us today to learn more about renting at Auston Woods, or feel free to stop in and take a tour of our community.

Apartments in Charlotte, NC

A number of rules you come across are golden, to be kept in mind always and never forgotten. These are useful and important trail markers to lead us and let us to stay always on the right track. Golden Rules exist to guide you, must be followed, to be used. So here are 5 golden rules to remember when renting an apartment.

1. Check out the community. The tried and tested reason behind carrying it out in this way is to check if there can be any safety issues. Keep in mind, iron bars on windows of the apartments or rental homes may be a red flag. Painted words or pictures on the neighborhood walls, walkways or apartment buildings are also a sign that it may not be a great neighborhood.
2. See whether the rental home is near public utility vehicles, bus or train station. You need to take into account this carefully whether you have a car or not. Bear in mind that it is best to ensure you can quickly get around the area even if you or other family members renting with you who don't have access to your own car.
3. Find out how good the schools are near the rental home or apartment you are looking at renting. The reason that this is very important is since the majority of the kids go to public schools run by the county. Kids will need to go to their school according to the jurisdiction of their residence. So prior to moving in, if you have kids of school age, it is advisable to check out how good the schools are for the apartment building. This could very well be one of the most significant deciding factor in choosing an apartment to rent.
4. Consider which utilities happen to be included in the rent. Numerous utilities to think are electricity, water, gas, heat, Internet, cable and phone. There are various ways of accomplishing this, such as and probably the easiest way is to check with the landlord or property manager. You may also want to confirm the details you get from the landlord by asking existing renters, or vice versa.

Review the rental agreement. The lease contract can include the rental amounts and terms, the rental deposit, damage deposit, length of stay, rules of conduct while living in the rental home, guest, pets and other house policies, termination requirement and many more. It is vital because it has all the right information about the rental home. And it is a written and signed contract that you can present to the court or other authorities in the event the management failed to abide by what you have agreed upon.