It’s officially October, and you know what that means: it’s leasing time. Starting now and continuing for approximately the next six months, our mailboxes and inboxes will be filled with messages from various property management companies who operate under the assumption that the more they stick their advertisements in our faces, the more likely we’ll be to sign with them. And they’re not necessarily wrong. All this pressure and stress to find the best apartment or house in the best location, at the best price is enough to drive anyone a little crazy. But for the freshmen who have just figured out how to do laundry, where to live and, more importantly, who to live with, just after two months of arriving on campus can seem like a straight up impossibility. So to all my baby Badgers, this message is for you.
A year ago this time I remember thinking to myself, “It literally took me fifteen minutes to select which shoes I wanted to wear this morning, how am I supposed to decide who I want to live with a year from now?” My fear of being left behind in the housing madness led me to sign much earlier than I should have done, a decision I later regretted.
I’ll save you the suspense and tell you that it all worked out just fine in the end. I ended up living in a nice place with a good location, and I’m sharing a room with a girl who last year became my best friend. But as they say, hindsight’s 20/20, and if I could go back, there are a few things I would do differently. Therefore, I feel it’s my duty to pay it forward and share with all you freshmen a few tips that might come in handy when searching for a place to live.
Sign Look Early—Going to open houses or scheduling property showings early on is a smart thing to do; signing a lease immediately after you see a place that you really like is not. You might feel pressure from management companies to sign as soon as possible before “it’s too late,” but remember: you’re the customer here. Make sure you’re getting what you want.
Have the “Budget Talk”—The fact is, the people you’re living with likely have different financial capabilities. It might be awkward and it’s certainly less fun to talk about than all the DIY projects you can’t wait to make for your future home, but you just have to rip off the Band-Aid and do it. Being on the same page for what you want to spend will make searching for a place that much easier.
Good things can come to those who wait—Let me tell you a brief story. The very next night after I signed my lease, my friend with whom I had signed the lease and I went out with a group of girls from our floor that we hadn’t really hung out with yet. And before you knew it, we were all best friends. These girls continue to be my best friends, but because of some pretty unfortunate timing, we don’t all get to live together. All I’m saying is it can’t hurt to take a deep breath, relax, and wait a bit until you sign that contract. Apartment complexes will be emailing you well into March letting you know of the openings they have, so if you’re not 100% sure of the people you want to live with, do yourself a favor and wait a bit.
This could be you.
Just remember that no matter where you end up or whom you end up with, at the end of the day you’re still living in Madison, Wisconsin. And that is something I would never want to change. Happy hunting Badgers!