Five Ways to Find the Best Student Housing

When you move to a new city to attend college for the first time, one of the first things you have to do is find student housing. Everyone want to find the perfect college living situation. However, you might not be lucky enough to have an inside source. Luckily, there are a few strategies you can use to find the best off-campus student housing in your area.

1. Check out the area around campus. Most likely, these areas are designed to be student-friendly. You want to be as close to campus as possible so that you can get there easily on those days when you oversleep or find yourself running late. If you can find a place that is close enough to campus to walk, you will be able to save a bunch of money on gas.
2. Look around the area you’re considering. What other places do you need to be close to? What things don’t you want to be close by? For example, you probably want to be in the delivery area for your favorite pizza chain, but unless you’re a party animal, you don’t want to be close to a bunch of night clubs or other places where all-night events are likely to take place.
3. Talk to current tenants of the building you’re considering. See what they liked and didn’t like about it. Is the landlord fair? Do they take care of problems in a timely manner? How does the landlord handle it if they are a few days late on the rent? The best time to do this is right at the end of the school year, when last year’s seniors are moving out.
4. Walk through an apartment in the complex you like the best. Does it seem to be fairly well taken care of? Are there any glaring problems that you think need to be addressed before you could move in? Make sure you note these things up front so that you know what you’re getting into: If they’re showing the apartment without fixing it up, you might not be interested in living there.
5. Determine whether or not it’s a safe neighborhood. Come by on the weekend. Are there kids playing outside? Neighbors walking around? Are the locks on the doors fairly secure, but not so excessive that you’re sure they are worried about keeping things out? Talk to your potential new neighbors. Let them know that you’re thinking about moving in and ask them what they think of the area.

College is an exciting journey and your first day in a college apartment is only part of that. Make the most of the experience and it will make your college experience much easier and enjoyable. Here are some other methods you can use to judge whether the apartment you’re considering is in the best location.

Make sure you consult with friends and family throughout the process. They have been through the experience of relocating to a new city and can help you make this decision.

Did we miss anything? Do you have some alternative ways of finding college housing? Let us know about them in the comment section below.