Congratulations! You are taking a big step. You are moving out on your own, whether that be from your family’s home or a dorm, and finding a place of your own (which comes with all different kinds of responsibilities). While finding an apartment can be a thrilling though grueling adventure, finding an apartment during COVID is a little bit different.
If you live in a different city than where you plan to live, it can be difficult because many locations are not open for tours to help limit the spread of disease. You are also probably unable to easily travel there because of travel restrictions during COVID. So what steps can you actually take to find yourself a place to live before the next semester? Read on to learn about finding an apartment during COVID.
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Do Ground Research
The first step you need to take when trying to find an apartment, in COVID times or not, is to do some ground research. This can be ground research on the cost of living in the city you are going to school in, which neighborhoods are the best for you to live in, if you need public transportation then what areas have access to that transportation, and more.
For example, figure out what amenities you would like and which you cannot live without. For some students, having an in-unit washer and dryer is imperative and they will not consider living in an apartment that does not offer that. For others, simply having on-location laundry facilities is enough.
Where do you fall? Knowing what you need in order to be comfortable and happy in a property is really important and can help you narrow down your search. Arming yourself with knowledge will help you with every other step that you need to take to find an apartment during COVID.
Set Yourself a Budget
Once you have done your ground research, the next step is to set yourself a budget. Many students have to be thrifty and find ways to make their dollars stretch and rent is definitely one of the most expensive things you pay for, during college and after.
Maybe that $900 a month rent for a one-bedroom in a four-bedroom apartment that you have to share does not seem like too much to pay when it is such a nice complex with so many amenities, but it might be more than you could afford. Perhaps you need to stretch your dollar a little bit more and settle for a $500 bedroom in a two-bedroom apartment with a few fewer amenities instead.
It is all about finding balance, knowing what you can afford, and knowing what elements are crucial to you in your housing search.
Search Online
The best place to go during this COVID pandemic when apartment hunting is… the internet! When it is hard to travel to visit the place you plan to move to or complexes are not open for you to tour, that is when you turn online. There are so many websites that congregate open apartment listings all in one place for you. These are convenient to use because they allow you to use filters to narrow down your search like the price of rent, the number of bedrooms, and even amenities.
If anyone has given you recommendations, you can check out the websites of those complexes. Most universities have off-campus student resources that you can check out (and it certainly never hurts to check out a place that your university is endorsing). There are usually Facebook groups or other similar forums either hosted by your university or made specifically for the area you are moving to that you can scour for open listings as well as honest reviews from people who have actually lived in those places.
Take Virtual Tours
Because of the limitations of COVID, many apartment complexes have caught up with the times and created virtual tours. This means you can either watch a video tour of the complex and the different floor plans or navigate a 3-D mockup of the apartments they have to offer to see what it looks like even if you cannot be there in person. Knowing exactly what something looks like can be really comforting and reassuring when you have to choose a place to live, especially when you cannot go and check it out in-person until you have already moved in (which feels a little bit too late). Take a virtual tour to make sure as best you can that this place is the right place for you!
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While it is still certainly more difficult to find an apartment during COVID than it otherwise would be, do not fret. It is still possible. Finding the apartment of your dreams can still happen. Just take these steps, modified for COVID, and you will be sure to find a home that will work for you.
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