House hunting is not all that HGTV makes it out to be, especially here in the U-District. From 8-bedroom houses to 2-bedroom apartments to classic studios, the U-District offers them all. Finding the perfect place to live your college life can be tricky, though. Using a mix of personal experience and advice from friends, I have compiled some tips & tricks for your house hunting journey!
- Pick a location
North campus, West campus, on campus, off campus, on the ave, near Greek Row, across U-Village–there are so many locations to choose from! To narrow your choices, consider things like: are you willing to take the bus some mornings to class, do you prefer to be near the Quad, and do you want to be close to shopping and dining? In my house hunting search, me and my roommates knew we didn’t want to take the bus to class or to get back home, so we narrowed our choices down to places near campus.
- Apartment or House?
Now it’s time to decide: apartment or house? There’s a lot of benefits to both, so it really depends on your personal preferences. If you’re looking to live with more roommates, have more common area space, and maybe even a backyard, I’d say go for a house. There are plenty of houses listed on sites like Zillow around the U-District. If you’re looking for something smaller and cozier, I’d say check out some apartments. Most of the apartments in the area range from 1-6 bedrooms, so there’s really something for everyone!
- Tour
This is the fun part: touring! Once you reach out to the realtor or manager, you can set up a tour. During the tour, you’ll get to see the space in person and really envision how you will make it your own. Make sure to come prepared with questions about utilities, rent payments, and furnishing options, for example.
- Read your lease!
Once you find somewhere you love, it is time to sign your lease. Make sure to read your whole lease and get all your questions answered before you actually sign it.
House hunting doesn’t have to be so daunting and stressful! With the right questions, goals, and people, it will be a piece of cake. Happy house hunting!