Whether you’re a Middler ready to say goodbye to your questionably stained dorm room carpet and prison-esque concrete walls or a transfer student looking for a space of your own, moving off-campus can be intimidating. You’ll need a bit of guidance before you can say goodbye to RAs disrupting your Beyonce sing-alongs and awkward elevator rides to the laundry room with that kid from your bio class.
1. Start looking for apartments early
A lot of property management companies require their current tenants to re-sign or forgo their next lease in December or January. Get a jumpstart on the other apartment-seeking students by confirming who you’re living with and what you’re all looking for in an off-campus spot. Try Northeastern’s Off-Campus Housing website to get started.
2. Determine what you want in your apartment
It’ll help you and your realtor if you have an idea of what part of Boston you want to live in. Is it Mission Hill (which can be a far walk, but it’s usually cheaper and more spacious)? Is it the Gainsborough/Symphony area where you can roll out of bed minutes before your 8:00 a.m. but might have to shell out more cash have a smaller apartment?
3. Be open and flexible
Now that you have more options to choose from than that last Dav apartment or living with random people in Douglass Park, you can find a place more suited to your liking. It’ll be impossible to find an apartment with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances for under $700 on the same block as Tom Brady (a girl can dream, right?). But you can most likely find a place with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances for under $1,200 as a guy named Tom!
4. Make a decision quickly!
Although it’s already a stressful time, it’s important to pick an apartment quickly. Your realtor may show you 12 places in a few hours and tell you to get back to him the next day, so make sure you take photos and videos of the apartments you see to keep them straight. Sit down with your roommates and parents and figure out which one is the best fit.
Happy hunting!