If you are looking for a new rental with a bit more space than the apartment or condo that you are currently renting, it is a very good time to consider looking at a single family residence as an option. Many of the homes that were distressed during the housing market meltdown 10 years ago were purchased by professional home management companies. They remodeled and upgraded the homes and put them on the rental market, making the rental price of single family homes quite competitive in many metropolitan markets.

Here are some other good reasons to look at moving to a rental home when you make your next move:

Amenities have been upgraded:

For many people, the first experience with rental homes is when they are in college. Many of the homes are pretty bare and contain fixtures, woodworking, and carpeting that is either industrial or a few decades out of style.

With a larger number of rental homes to choose from, construction companies have focused on creating living environments that people will want to remain in. It isn’t uncommon, therefore, to find granite countertops and state of the art gourmet cooktops along with the latest appliances and modern storage.

In addition, because yard upkeep often comes with the home, several management companies have created yard space that you can entertain in without having to do that much to maintain it.

Ownership is a possibility:

Blackstone’s Invitation Homes, a privately held company that has almost 50,000 homes for rent nationwide has mentioned that it is likely that they will begin to offer incentives for renters that are interested in home ownership to start saving to purchase the home that they are renting.

That type of arrangement is designed to appeal to people that may not be ready to purchase a home yet, but are on track to put a down payment down within a few years. The nice thing about exercising a rent-to-own option with Invitation Homes or any other firm is that if you have rented from them for a while, the time that you have spent in the home will help qualify you to purchase the home when you go to get financing.

In some cases, financing is even available through the company that you lease from.

Security arrangements can be better:

A lot has changed in personal security over the past 10 years. Advances in radar and sonic systems have allowed people to sense through your apartment walls to detect movement. For thieves, that has made it easier to tell when someone is not in their apartment. The problem is that because your apartment is not your physical space completely, you have limited options when it comes to putting in a security system that can ensure that your valuables are safe.

Worse, although private cameras are not allowed in apartment buildings when they are pointed at public areas, some renters have installed cameras that do point at public areas and have networked them on the internet. In some respects, they are using the ‘Internet of things’ to make their location useful for anyone with access to their network to watch your hallway or building grounds. This has led to an increase in the number of instances where other renters actively track people who live in a building that has cameras that are part of the network.

And although your owner may be oblivious to this, it certainly isn’t the same type of solid living environment in some neighborhoods that you thought it would be.

When you have your own home, you can protect it with security cameras. If someone in your neighborhood has a camera pointed at your home illegally, you can ask them to remove it or call the police so that they can talk to them and let them know that it is not legal for them to stake out your home.

Moving up to a larger place as part of your next move is an exciting time. Because there are now quite a few rental homes that can compete with rental apartments and condominiums, it makes sense to include them in your comparison planning. You will likely find that they now represent a historic opportunity.

If you have ever moved before, you know just how stressful the whole experience can be. Add in children, a long-distance move and a very short timeframe for packing and stress levels can skyrocket even more. Perhaps you have tried doing the packing before and have hired a rental truck for past moves. While a do-it-yourself mentality can work for some moves, consider these times when you should really invest in the peace of mind and ease that professional movers can bring.

When You Have Expensive Pieces
If you own expensive rugs, artwork or vintage pieces, you will definitely want to invest in professional movers. High-quality movers always offer some type of insurance and may offer increased insurance for these types of expensive pieces. Never agree to hire movers that do not offer insurance. If you are trying to trim costs, consider doing the majority of the move yourself, but hire specialty movers for certain pieces, such as a grand piano or an antique car.

When You Have Very Bulky or Heavy Furniture
No one enjoys lugging around enormously heavy leather couches, sectionals, king-size mattresses or sleeper sofas on a hot summer day, and they certainly do not want to be sliding down your icy sidewalk with them in the winter. Save yourself and your loved ones from the hassle of moving large households with heavy items by hiring professional movers. Professional movers have the equipment needed to move everything from enormous dressers to appliances with ease. Remember that you could be partially responsible if one of your friends or relatives were to injure themselves on your property.

When You Need a Period of Storage
If you need to get out of you home now but are not able to move into your new home for a few weeks or months, you will need to look into a storage unit for your belongings. While you may be able to find a storage unit yourself, professional movers will keep your stress to a minimum by storing your items securely for you in a full truck or storage pod until you are ready for delivery. This way, you will not have to worry about loading and unloading your belongings twice.

When You Are Moving Long-Distance
Long-distance moves can be fraught with problems, such as finding driving routes and understanding interstate laws for driving trucks and moving belongings. Even more problems crop up if you have a very large household and would need to take several trips back and forth in a rental truck. Sometimes, professional movers are actually friendlier to your budget in these cases than a do-it-yourself attitude would be. In addition, your moving company will get you in touch with local movers, such as Miami movers if you are moving to southern Florida, who will work with you at your new house.

When You Do Not Have the Time to Pack
Most professional movers offer packing services to those who need them. They can pack all, none or some of your belongings. If you do not have the ability to take time off work to pack or need to move within a tight timeframe, this can be a godsend. Simply set aside items that you do not want them to pack in the truck in one room. The movers will pack room by room, making it easy for you to unpack in your new home. In fact, they can even be paid to unpack for you if you need this service. If you do not have time to do all your packing but cannot budget packing for the entire house, consider setting aside items that are difficult to pack, such as fragile items, bulky items and pots and pans, for the movers.

Sometimes, you should not go through a move alone. With reputable professional movers by your side, you can be sure that your pieces will arrive without dents and that if they are ruined for some reason, you will be reimbursed. Moreover, knowing that you can have movers do as much or as little as you want can open up possibilities for you that may mesh with a stressful or hectic lifestyle.