An apartment can't be considered as an impulse purchase. This is why the buying decision process is usually quite long. There are people who look at various apartments for many months or even years before making up their mind. It makes sense to wait until you are happy with your future residence, as you are most probably going to pay for it for many years to come, possibly for your entire life.
When buying your flat, you need to consider which is your favorite area of the city. Maybe you want to be at walking distance from your work or the school of your children. Maybe you need silence and peace so that you can work or relax without disruptions. Maybe you want to be in the heart of the city, where people never sleep, and parties are the most common light activity. All these details are very important because they are going to raise or lower your quality of life after you are going to move to your new place.
Some people want to buy an apartment to rent it afterwards. This is a good way of investing your savings into something that's going to secure some passive income. When buying for this purpose, the considerations are different. You want to choose your apartment in a highly desirable area, with relatively high rental prices. You may need to pay more, but you have better chances to have your apartment occupied almost all year round, for many years. If you choose cheaper neighborhoods, it is possible to have problems in finding good tenants or in finding any tenants at all. Good and trustworthy people avoid bad neighborhoods, so it's not such a smart idea to go cheap when looking to invest in real estate properties.
Some people are committed to choosing their property in accordance with the Feng Shui principles. They are going to put together a detailed analysis of each property on their shortlist and compare it to their personal data. Ancient Chinese strongly believed in this system of choosing and decorating a home, and many modern people took these principles and made them guidelines for their lives. Whether Feng Shui works is a debatable question. However, if you are a believer, you should conduct your research before signing any purchasing agreement to avoid penalties or even the eventuality of needing to sell your newly bought property.
Last but not least, when seeking to buy real estate, the budget is very important, as you have what you have, and you need to get the best value for your available money. Starting from this estimated budget, you can work out which areas you can consider and which ones you can exclude from the very beginning. It's pointless to visit houses you can't afford, so don't fall into this temptation. Stick to your budget limits and try to find the best home properties in those areas you can afford. Eventually, you are going to find your dream home.