20 Things To Keep In Mind While Hunting For Your First Off Campus Apartment

After living for a year in a cramped, musty dormitory, the prospect of having your own apartment feels more like preparing to move into a palace.  Think of all the freedom you’ll have, all the space, all the privacy!  You start hoarding townhouse brochures and online shopping for sectional sofas like there’s no tomorrow, counting down the days until you’re settled in your new home.  It can’t come soon enough.

This is the time of year when people start looking for next year’s living situation, so start shopping around now!  I know touring your potential first apartment is really exciting, but try not to get tricked by fresh paint jobs and a pretty model unit.  To get a good deal on a quality place to live, you have to keep all these things in mind.

1. Can you really afford it?  Or can you just barely afford it?

If you pick the apartment at the very top of your price range, you might find yourself struggling to get the rent on time when unexpected expenses crop up.  Pick an apartment that you feel comfortable you can afford and you’ll save yourself so much trouble later on.

2. Who’s going to room with you?

Make sure you’ve got a roommate picked out before you decide on the two bedroom place.  Otherwise, you’ll be searching for a roommate later.  As time goes on, the pool of desirable people to sublet is going to get smaller and smaller.  If you wind up with no roommate at all, guess who’s going to have to pay for the full price of the apartment.  You.

3. Is this potential roommate someone you can count on?

Is this a person you can rely on to have the rent on time every month?  Can you trust them not to trash the place or go through your stuff while you’re gone?  If not, you might want to reconsider.

4. Believe it or not, big rooms and high ceilings might be a major drawback.

The more spacious the apartment the better, right?  Wrong.  If you have to pay for utilities in addition to rent, heating and cooling that place is going to be super expensive.  Everything is a give-and-take when you’re looking for apartments, so just consider this factor.

5. If you live here, how do you plan on getting to and from campus?

Is it close enough to walk?  Is there a bus that’s convenient?  If you’re going to rely on your own car, that’s extra money you’re going to spend on gas and various parking permits.