Choosing a suitable residence

When you settle on where to live, think beyond the exterior of the building, writes Gloria Haguma.

Goretti Namiiro, a boutique owner, says she chose the area she is living in today on basis of the rent, which she says was cheap. However, a few weeks later, she returned home to find her apartment practically empty.

“I had been robbed. I had not paid much attention to what the area was like and the rest. I simply jumped at the low budget offer,” she recalls.

It is common to forget the important things like security when looking for a place to settle, whether for rent or to build, your home.

Conrad Mwesigye, a broker based in Najjera, gives a few tips on what to look out for when choosing a place to stay;

• Reputation
Areas that are notorious for criminality, like theft, prostitution and the like would definitely not be the right place for a home. It would also not be convenient, especially for someone with a family to live in an area that has a busy night life, as this will not only be uncomfortable but may not be the right place for one to raise children.

• Proximity
Considering issues like traffic jam, it would be wise for someone to live in close proximity to their work place or school, so as to save time, especially during the morning hour rush.

• Your neighbours
One also needs to mind the kind of neighbourhood they are settling in especially if they have a family. You will need a place that is convenient for both you and your family. This is why the kind of neighbours you have is very important. For instance, it would be rather inconveniencing for a person with children to set up home in a hostel, surrounded with university students.

• The landscape of the area.
The nature of the land scape is also important because some areas may turn out to be inconveniencing depending on the varying seasonal changes. For instance, living in a valley may turn out to be hazardous especially during the rainy season.

• Availability of services
Services like markets, hospitals, and schools. One also needs to consider the availability of basic services to prevent inconvenience. For instance, if you have children, you will need somewhere that has schools, and hospitals.

There are also those aspects that one may consider unnecessary and yet they may also need to be given a second thought.

• The laundry services
This is very necessary for some one that is going to rent. Getting an apartment of house that has no laundry area may turn out to be inconveniencing especially if one has to use their bathroom and other parts of their house for laundry.

• The compound
One may need a suitable play area for their children, and so this needs to be paid much attention to, if the compound of the place they plan on renting is small, then they may fail to get suitable space or their kids to play.one may also need to plant a few flowers and trees and so that is why they need to pay much attention to the nature of the compound they choose to live in.

fullwoman@ug.nationmedia.com