Renting an apartment can be a daunting task for any new student. It’s the first of many important decisions to come and you have to consider every possibility in order to make the right decision. You may consider living on campus alongside the other students, but this presents its challenges so the best decision would be to rent an off-campus apartment.
They offer you a multitude of advantages while limiting disadvantages and you can consider this the very first step towards your future success. In order to choose the best apartment for yourself, you need to plan ahead of time and ask for help from other people who have rented apartments before. Let’s take a look at 5 tips that will help you choose an off-campus apartment and SharedEasy offers affordable student housing in NYC, visit this page to learn more.
Table of Contents
1. Explore different neighborhoods and communities
Moving somewhere new and living there for a couple of years can be quite terrifying if you don’t know what you are doing and have no connections with anyone else.
This is true for most of the first-year students who still don’t have a grasp on how the world works, so it’s a good idea to get out there and explore the city you’re staying in and keep notes in your head about the different neighborhoods and communities to figure out which one is the best for you to move into.
Having an idea of where you’re going to be staying and having people of the same age as you in the vicinity can greatly improve your mood and your performance. Walk around the city and see the neighborhoods for yourself, maybe some of them only accept elder residents while others only have young couples with their children which would make you feel like an outsider and in turn make you’re living there seem out of place.
2. Consider creating a full and perfect budget
Budgeting is an important part of any grown-up life and renting an apartment is no different. Before you take any action regarding your residency, consider any different possibility that will allow you to spend less as renting an apartment can be quite heavy on your monthly payment.
Think of all the fees, rent, deposits, and other expenses regarding food and transport before renting the apartment as you want to make the perfect decision as later on, you won’t have time to change your mind and find someplace new.
If you think you can’t manage it on your own, ask some friends to live with you and share a part of the rent with them as more people means spending less money. This is the most efficient way to live on your own and to also spend less money as you will have the company of your friends and they can share the bills with you.
3. Make Preparations Ahead Of Time And Plan Things In Your Calendar
We all know that student life is exciting and you can never repeat it or forget about it. By planning where your workplace is according to your apartment’s location and the campus where you have lessons, you can greatly limit the number of trips you need to take from your home to the campus to the workplace.
Mark every different location and make a schedule regarding your responsibilities.
Choosing your apartment based on these requirements can greatly help you make the right decision as you will have an apartment that is close to your campus and somewhat near your workplace within your budget. Keep in mind that every different event you have in mind should be also taken into consideration in order to guarantee to choose the perfect apartment for yourself.
4. Consider The Difference Between A Furnished And An Unfurnished Apartment
Apartments come in all different shapes and sizes and differentiating between them can be difficult. One of the first things you need to look out for is whether the apartment is furnished or not. In case the apartment is furnished, it means that there will be some extra cost to the amount of money it will cost for you to rent it whereas if it’s unfurnished, it means you won’t have to spend money at the moment, but later on it will be inevitable.
In case you decide to buy furniture for your apartment, it may even prove detrimental to your budget as the furniture will be more expensive than what the apartment was worth. Think of these options before making your choice.
5. Choose The Right Lease And Landlord Before You Seal The Deal
Are you spending your entire school year at this apartment or is it just a temporary measure to get an apartment to live in just for the time being? Choosing between a long-term lease and a short-term one can prove quite useful regarding the apartment you will be renting, so be sure to ask the landlord beforehand if the lease can be changed as some landlords may be reasonable while others may just not be flexible at all.
This is important because you don’t want to be spending any extra amount of money from what you are willing to pay. The type of landlord and lease you choose can help you focus on the important things, making your life somewhat stress-free and overall better.
Conclusion
Renting your first off-campus apartment is an important part of one’s life and you need to be sure that you have made the right decision. To help you with that there are a multitude of ways you can follow to get to the right decision. It should come as no surprise that you can ask for help in tough times and even change your mind if you don’t feel good about your decision. Just be sure you are on time.
