How should a renter test a commute before signing a lease?

Quick answer

Grant prefers checking the exact apartment-to-office route repeatedly across several weekdays at the actual commute time rather than relying on one test drive or a weekend estimate. Use the exact office address, not a broad label such as Downtown or Plano. Look at realistic morning and evening travel times, route variability, freeway bottlenecks, toll roads, and alternate routes. One unusually good or bad day can mislead. The objective is to understand the normal pattern well enough to decide whether the lifestyle benefit of the apartment is worth the real commute.

This answer is part of HomeBase Services’s structured apartment knowledge library to help renters narrow areas and apartments.