So, do you live in your own apartment or home?

What do you usually look for most when picking out a place to call home? I figured I'd ask because I've been looking around for places nearby that are affordable, but lately I haven't had much luck (the only places I've found were very low quality, were still pricey, and I didn't feel very safe there). Other places I found were way too expensive and I knew I would have trouble keeping up with the rent. Quite frankly, I'm a total newbie to the whole process and I'm not even sure how other people go about doing this.

So with that in mind, I'm curious as to how other people approach this and what kind of arrangements they have going.