Tips for Choosing an Off-Campus Apartment

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Tips for Choosing an Off-Campus Apartment
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• For many people, everything about college is
  exciting from the academics to the social
  environment to the housing. Living on campus can
  be a whole new world for students, but there are
  some that crave or even need more.

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• For those students, living off campus provides
  the something more theyre looking for.
  However, not everyone knows how to choose the
  right student housing Waterloo offers.
  Fortunately, there are some tips that can help
  you narrow down your options.

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Create a Realistic Budget
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• No matter the purchase, your budget should always
  be a consideration. This is especially true for
  college students who are moving off campus and
  into their own apartment for the first time.
  Youll have to budget for more than just rent,
  which means youll have to decide if you want an
  inclusive or non-inclusive apartment. Inclusive
  simply means that your monthly utilities will be
  added into your rent, while non-inclusive means
  they wont.

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• Apartments that are inclusive are slightly more
  expensive, but certainly more convenient for
  students. Theyre slightly more expensive, but
  property management pays the hydro, Internet,
  cable, garbage collection, water and sewer bills.
  While youll be charged monthly, the fees will be
  nominal and never fluctuate, unlike normal
  utility fees.

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• Your monthly apartment budget should include room
  for groceries, laundry, clothing, school supplies
  and personal items or luxuries. If off-campus
  housing doesnt fully fit into your budget, you
  should consider living with a roommate(s) to
  reduce your expenses. Just keep in mind that
  off-campus living isnt necessarily more
  expensive than on-campus living.

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Calculate the Proximity to Your School and
Amenities
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• The proximity of your apartment to campus is
  important, because itll help you plan your
  transportation and time of commute. Besides that,
  you should be as close as possible to your campus
  library facilities and other resources. The
  proximity of your apartment to other amenities,
  such as laundromats, grocery stores, local
  libraries and more is also important.

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• Of course, your apartment will come with its own
  amenities, such as a gym facility, game room,
  lounges, outdoor entertainment space,
  biking/walking trails and maybe even a pool.
  Combining your community and apartment amenities
  should give you all you need at your fingertips.

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Consider the Benefits of a Furnished or
Unfurnished Apartment
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• Furnishing an apartment can be expensive, even
  for people who arent university students. Plus,
  apartments require more furniture than dorm
  rooms. This means youll have to come up with
  some cash to furnish your new space.

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• However, a furnished apartment could be the cure
  for this dilemma. Theyre slightly more expensive
  than unfurnished apartments, but they come with
  their own furniture and major appliances,
  including a washer and dryer.

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• If you want to personalize it, then you could
  simply decorate with your own accent pieces. On
  the other hand, unfurnished apartments are
  typically cheaper, can be decorated with the
  furniture you want and always come with major
  appliances, such as a refrigerator and stove.

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• If you cant afford to buy furniture, then you
  could rent it, especially if youre splitting the
  expenses with roommates.