For Rent: The struggles and surprises of house hunting

If you’ve ever tried renting a house before, you know it’s not a small work,it is not beans. The stress alone can make you start asking yourself if you really need to move. You set out in the morning full of hope, only to come back in the evening tired, dusty, and questioning all the house choices for that day. We tell everyone we know, people at our work place, family and friends just so we get good response because, we all want that place we can call home. Somewhere peaceful, somewhere that feels like ours. The rent culture around here which is Lagos is a whole lot. Firstly,let's talk about this so called agent people. They make searching for houses so hectic and really expensive. They keep taking you to different places that don't meet your specification and they end up giving you a very alarming price for the house. I once heard of a story of a couple about to get married, so they started looking for a self contained apartment they told one agent what they wanted and the agent told them the price of the house they went to check it and they met the landlord of the apartment,the landlord ask the couples how much the agent called the price of the apartment,the landlord was so surprised because the agent told the couples a wrong price told them twice the amount the landlord called for him. When the landlord heard this, he told them the truth and then he reduced the price, he found out they were couples about to get married he reduced the initial price he gave the agent and rented the apartment to them at a very cheap price. In this case, I would say the landlord is actually a nice person, some landlord will just go back to the agent and tell the agent that they have to share the money.  _{image generated using AI} Secondly, let's talk about the state of these houses. For example, you want a two bedroom flat and then the agent takes you to a very tiny apartment that the combination of all the rooms in the two bedroom flat is just one average large sitting room and then they will still expect you to pay one high price for it. When house hunting we always have to look out for certain things and when we see them we shouldn't ignore them. Ask about the water situation because trust me you don't want to start fetching water everyday and everytime you need to use them. Infact check the water in the house, you can just enter the bathroom of the apartment open the tap and check the water to see if the water coming out is clean. Ask about how the area is during rainy season,you don't have to ask the landlord or agent because they might not tell you the truth,so just ask people living around the house so you don't move to the house and then when it is rainy season the roof starts leaking everywhere in the house starts leaking and then the room gets flooded,or the water running starts coming out as mud water, I've heard a lot of stories like that. Check out for light in the house as well,are they owing NEPA or not??? Most landlords or agent won't tell if there's an existing debt in the house so once you move in they just bring the bill to you and then you won't have a choice because you actually need light. One time I and my parents went to check a self contained apartment. We got to the house and it looked really nice from the outside so we entered the apartment we wanted to get and then I noticed that the bathroom window opened directly to the neighbour's kitchen and then I'm like as how,why would you even think of building it like that. Imagine bathing and then your neighbor starts boiling pepper and then the pepper smells enter your bathroom while you are in the shower? I told my parents and we laughed, we thanked the agent and we left. House hunting will always be stressful, but when you finally find that one place that feels like home,all the stress disappears. So it is better to just take your time while house hunting and ask the right questions. Don't rush a house because it is cheap,sometimes peace of mind is more expensive than the rent itself.