As a college student, apartment shopping is a huge step toward personal independence. You’re excited about it, but you’re also not quite sure what you’re looking for. College apartments aren’t all that different from regular apartments. However, there are a few features that you’ll want to take into consideration.
Apartment Shopping List
- Convenience. How close is your apartment to campus? If money gets tight toward the end of the semester, walking to campus is one way you can save a lot of money.
- Price. Don’t go into more debt just to live in a fancy apartment. Instead, choose one that’s within your budget. Also, check out what’s included in that price. If the utilities are part of your rent, then you can expect to pay a little more up front, but it will work out in the long run.
- Security. This doesn’t mean that you have to live in an apartment with a doorman, where you have to have a key just to get in the front door. However, it does mean that you want to live in a place with a decent, solid door with a dead bolt. In addition, make sure you do a security check, by looking around the property to see if there is anything suspicious.
- Neighbors. You don’t have to go knocking on doors to meet the neighbors before you buy the place, but knowing that you have neighbors on hand that will notice if something goes drastically wrong can give both you and your parents a little peace of mind.
- Appliances. You don’t have to have the latest and greatest everything, but there are some features that will make your life a little bit easier. An apartment with a dishwasher might encourage you to do dishes before you have to name the things growing on them. Having a place to do your laundry in the apartment allows you to save quarters and finish the laundry on your own time.
- Inspection. Do a walk-through and check out the general condition of the apartment. Is everything generally well-maintained? If you’re in a college town, your landlord may not be replacing the carpet between every new set of renters. However, you do want to ensure that the faucets aren’t rusty, the locks are in good shape and the outlets all function.
Ready to get started? Get out there and go apartment shopping!
What’s on your apartment shopping list? Let us know about them in the comment section below.
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10 Comments. Leave new
This is very useful article regarding shopping in the apartment. when I get to a new apartment it is very important to have a shopping complex nearby,which provides security,convenience,less price,nearby
Thanks for the great article. I think finding the balance between price and convenience is the most important. It’s no good to save a little money if it’s inconveniently far away from campus, especially if you’re going to be heading back and forth more than once a day. And it’s great that you mentioned security and appliances, because that’s not always something one thinks about, but should.
The article is really helpful. I planned on for my higher studies and was worried about my stay at an unknown place and environment. This gave me some insight.
Very helpful. I would add some good paintings to to my list. It helps the place look better and feel confortable. When I moved to my first apartment it really helped to settle a relaxing mood for my apartment.
Convenience and price are top concerns but I think security is the most important to me. I’d suggest checking your local police stations website for crime statistics in the area of town your considering living in.
When I was shopping for my first apartment in college, my roommates and I made a spreadsheet of what each person was bringing – things like the couch, pots and pans, and coffee table. But what ended up being most important were things like cleaning supplies and toilet paper! Make sure you have a schedule of who will buy what, when.
These are some good tips to be able to search for apts. Happy hunting!
When I was shopping for my first apartment in college, it was really important for me to have a sense of community with my neighbors. I would go around the neighborhoods I was interested and checked community message boards. It eventually lead me a few community events that ended up really letting me get to know my neighbors.
This article was very helpful. I am currently thinking about what type of shopping I need to do when I rent my first apartment for going to college. I am really into check lists so I created one that included all the areas listed – so that it will be easier for me to find my first college rental. Finding an apartment is stressful and I find that some landlords do not like to rent to college students.
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