Finding a house for your junior or senior year of college can be almost as stressful as figuring out what to wear on the weekends. So many options, too many people to please, and sometimes the best items have already been worn in. Not to mention, the average time to start looking for a house is in the fall of the year prior to when you want to move in. Luckily, in many cases, there’s that one friend/roommate of the group who already has about eight realtors on speed dial. Now that you’ve got the process underway and you’ve started to look at houses- what exactly do you look for? Let’s face it, most houses rented to college students aren’t exactly five-stars; but how do you know which houses just need a bit of elbow grease and a throw pillow, and which ones are just totally unfixable? Here is our Collegiette’s guide to finding your first college home that doesn’t require entering “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” before move-in day. Basically, you should look at this process logically. A “fixer-upper is a place that may not scream home when you walk in, but you know some tricks of the trade that will spruce the place up. A total dump on the other hand, is when you know the stained rugs and general “dirtiness” of the house is completely unfixable. When improving a new place, it is important to keep in mind exactly how much money and time will need to go into this “project” you have agreed to take on. Then decide if the possible outcome is even worth all the effort to begin with. Good luck house hunters!