With graduation just around the corner, many Milligan students will soon find themselves without Webb or The Village to call their home. For most students, their best bet after college is to rent instead of buying a home, but there’s a lot to consider when looking for the perfect rental.
Finding a place to stay is a stressful challenge for anyone, college student or otherwise, but with the right know-how, transitioning from res life to “real life” can be a breeze.
One of the first steps that is essential to finding an apartment is understanding what sort of budget you’re working with.
Professor Heather Vaccaro, who teaches personal finance at Milligan, encourages her students to spend less than 33 percent of their monthly income on rent. She also advocates for students to find a roommate to rent with after school, as it helps you both save money and gives you someone to help you adjust to post-college living.
“Make sure that you could afford the rent on your own if you have to,” Vaccaro warns. “If something happens and your roommate can’t pay their share anymore, you want to be sure you won’t get behind in rent payments.”
Once you have your budget, you can start to look for properties within your budget. Senior Brent Doolittle says one of the best ways to start looking for rentals is by asking family and close friends.
“They may have rental properties of their own,” he says, “and they may be willing to give you a better deal than someone you don’t know personally. After that, look at places online, like Zillow.”
When looking for homes, it can be very beneficial to create a list of features you’re looking for in a home.
While apartment searching, Doolittle and his roommates created a list of the things they were looking for the most in their rental properties, including things like parking space, proximity to shopping or work, and yard space. Doolittle says to check out what amenities certain properties offer.
“Some places are more expensive,” he says, “but they include things like lawn care or utilities, where other places may be cheaper but you have to pay for utilities and things like that on your own.”
Once you have a place you’re ready to call home, contact the owner or real estate office in charge of the property and fill out an application. This application will ask you questions about your experiences as a renter or homeowner. Once you have that turned in, most landlords will contact you within three days with a lease agreement. Once you carefully read over the lease agreement and sign it, the property is yours.
Big changes are always stressful, but they don’t have to be the end of the world.
With plenty of patience and planning, any college student can get started living on their own with minimal hassle, at least, until they realize they can’t rely on the caf for food anymore.