Signing a lease for your first apartment is one of those big milestones in life; it means a new level of freedom and one more step toward real adulthood. But along with this independence comes the challenge of actually finding an apartment in the first place. This is a daunting task, especially the first time around. As a first-time apartment hunter who took on the brunt of her group’s searching this year, I learned a lot. So, here are five things about apartment hunting that I figured out the hard way, so you don’t have to:
- Start Early
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I had no idea how difficult apartment hunting was going to be. Of course, I expected it to be time-consuming and entail some frustrating moments, but I quickly learned I had gotten more than I’d bargained for. Listings go up and down in the blink of an eye, websites aren’t accurate and nothing is certain until you’ve put pen to paper on that lease. Get around this mayhem by starting early and giving yourself a safety net if the first couple of tries don’t go exactly as planned. At UCLA, I’d recommend starting right at the beginning of winter quarter.
- The perfect apartment you created in your head simply does not exist
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As heartbreaking as it was for my five roommates and I to accept, that cozy apartment with massive windows, loads of natural light, a beautifully redone kitchen, ample bathroom space and three evenly sized double bedrooms does not exist. Let me burst your bubble, be the stick in your mud, rain on your parade and every other idiom you can conjure up. For your college budget and in a college town, all of those things just aren’t possible. But rest assured, there are still some great options out there! In fact, we just signed a lease on a place with the most gorgeous windows, natural light and central location. Prioritize what’s most important to your group and go from there. If you follow these tips, I promise your dream apartment is still out there (just slightly altered).
- You need to talk about money, and it’s ok if that’s awkward
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This was a conversation I wish my roommates and I had had before even starting to look for apartments. We’d tiptoed around it and got a vague sense of budget, but when it came time to make decisions, I was kicking myself for not insisting on the conversation. It’s impossible to find a place that everyone will be happy with, can afford and has all the amenities you need if you don’t talk about budgeting. This includes adjusting some people’s rent prices based on how many people will be sharing the room, the bathroom situation and overall square footage. For example, our apartment has a single, a double, and a triple. We’ve decided that the girls in the triple will pay the least and whoever is in the single will pay the most. Make sure everyone is on the same page about this kind of thing before signing a lease.
- Pictures online are Incredibly deceiving
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It’s important to know that nearly every photo you will see of an apartment online has been shot in 0.5. This means it will appear much bigger than it actually is. In addition, the photos are shot at optimal time of day for lighting, as well as having been edited to look even better. Never sign a lease without having at least one member of your group see the apartment in person. I don’t care how nice the photos look, don’t you dare skip the in person tour. Those photos are old, edited and more distorted than a Kardashian Instagram post.
- Be direct and firm in communications with landlords
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This was a pep talk my boyfriend actually had to give me. It went a little something like: “Ciara, you can’t be nice like you normally are. You don’t need to be mean, but you need to be firm. I know you’re a woman and that means that you’ve been socialized your entire life to be a people pleaser, but you can’t do that here. Don’t add any excessive thanks, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want, and use your big girl voice.” You can (and should) absolutely still be polite, but don’t forget that you’re the one in charge of this whole operation. Don’t settle for things you’re not happy with or let apartments go to other groups because you couldn’t commit. Compose yourself like an adult if you want to be treated like one. You’re a big girl, you’ve got this.
I know the apartment hunting process can be extremely discouraging, especially when it seems everyone is looking for an apartment and there simply aren’t enough to go around. But if you follow these tips and keep up the optimism, I know you’ll end up right where you’re supposed to be. Every apartment is what you decide to make of it!