Along with the changing weather comes the changing of tenants and college students trying to find their first apartments to live in and get out of the dorms. But it’s not so easy to locate and get picked for an apartment, so here are some friendly tips to get you accepted.
1. Pick your roommates. When beginning the search for you new apartment, know if you want to have roommates and then who you would be capable of living with for a year or so. Give this a lot of thought because once you sign that lease, there are few ways of undoing it.
2. Know how much you can spend. When starting your hunt for a home, know how much you and all your roommates are comfortable with spending. Also know that apartments do not come cheap and you will have to pay for what you want.
3. Check the Internet for local listings in your area. Most renters will put their advertisements on the Internet because that is where most viewers look. Check Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Google Search (just to get you started).
4. Expand your search beyond the Internet. Some listings get lost in the cyberspace and one way I did a search was to go for a walk. I walked along popular apartment streets and wrote down the phone numbers of available apartments. Your friends and coworkers can also be a great resource. Ask them if they like where they live or if they have heard of any openings around the city. The newspaper is old-fashioned but definitely reliable and something to look into also.
5. Know what you want vs. What you need. Know exactly what will make you happy and what you can live without because a lot of the extra luxuries will come with a price. Also, know how far you are willing to walk and ask about what kind of transportation is around the neighborhood. With any luck, there will be a bus stop one block down.
6. Once you find a place you like – Knock on doors. Find someone that is willing to let you look around the place. Maybe they can let you on a few tips and let you know if the manager is nice or a real pain.
7. Finally, Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You are not the first person to have no clue what you want or where to begin and finding someone that did this all before can be a real help. Ask the managers and tenants anything and everything you can think of because you’re going to want to be happy with where you are living for the next year or so.
Apartment and house hunting can be a very confusing and aggravating time for everyone but overall it will also be very rewarding. It’s just another part of the inevitable – growing up. And there aren’t too many things quite as satisfying. Just be sure you be happy with what you are getting because you are the one paying for it!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Iowa chapter.