If you’re a college student, living in the dorms is likely a very real part of your life. After all, living in a dorm is very often considered to be part of having the true college experience. However, you might ultimately decide, especially in your later college years, that you are ready to move on from dorm living and student housing in general. In fact, this is the case for most older college students, as recent data suggests that up to 87% of all students do NOT live on campus, at least according to the data gathered in the year of 2016.
Fortunately, off campus housing in the form of student rentals and even more typical apartment rentals are widely available in most parts of the company. And many students are excited to experience the increase in freedoms that come with this off campus housing. But when making the switch from living in various student housing options to living in off campus housing, there are a number of things that will need to be taken into consideration.
For one thing, you’ll want a one year lease for your off campus housing and not likely anything longer. After all, up to one third of all renters, students and beyond, will move to a new apartment each and every year. There are a number of reasons for this. For one thing, increasing rent prices can make staying in the same spot for a number of years more and more difficult, especially as a student or in early post grad life. You also don’t want to get stuck in one place after graduating, as many people will be more than willing to take job opportunities in other parts of the country. Having only a one year lease for whatever off campus housing you might have decided upon certainly makes it easier to move, should the right opportunities present themselves.
You’ll also want to find off campus housing that meets your spacial needs. After all, there are plenty of apartments currently available – with up to 43 million of them already occupied by people of all different backgrounds. Finding the right apartment for you is likely to take some time. You’ll want to carefully inspect each apartment you consider, touring the place in person and ensuring that it meets your needs. Having the right number of bedrooms is one important factor, as most people will need to find off campus housing with roommates, as most college students cannot yet afford to have their very own apartment.
Cost is another factor. If you’re looking near a school, off campus housing is likely to be relatively cheap, at least in comparison to what other housing options in the area or directly outside of it cost. Such real estate is in high demand, however, and many students might find themselves needing to look elsewhere to find housing. Fortunately, living with a roommate can drastically reduce overall costs of living, especially if you live with multiple roommates.
And living with a roommate and thus splitting the cost of off campus housing can make it easier to get a better place, one that is worth paying a little bit more for. For instance, access to public transportation systems can be essential for students living in city environments, as such students are considerably less likely to have a car – or to have any place to park one in an affordable and safe way or place, for that matter. But apartments and various kinds of off campus housing that are close to these forms of public transportation are also likely to be more expensive than the off campus housing that is found further away. Therefore, paying more for housing close to systems of public transportation can be more than worth it at the end of the day, no doubt about it. But a roommate might be necessary to make such off campus housing even a possibility in the first place.
Looking for your first apartment, your first experience with off campus housing, can be a hugely exciting thing. It’s a transitional period in life, one that brings you one step closer to true adulthood. However, some considerations will need to be made.