How to Begin Your Housing Search

The first stage in the process is to think about roommates. Do you need/want a roommate, and if so who do you want to live with? Get in touch with possible candidates as soon as possible. It's important to start talking about your housing priorities early on with your potential housemates. They may have some of their own thoughts on where they want to live, which may be different than yours. Be sure to communicate about what your priorities, but be flexible, too. In my experience, having a good roommate is far more important to your quality of life than having the “perfect place”.

Next, start thinking about what you're looking for. Some questions to ask yourself before you begin:

• How close do you want to be to campus? Do you have to be within walking distance, biking distance, or are you willing to commute?
  
• Do you want your own room?
  
• Do you want to have pets? Do you want to live in a place where pets are allowed, or will dogs, cats, birds, and all the requisite sights, sounds and smells bother you?
  
• What is your price range? Keep in mind that rent does not always include utilities such as water, power, gas, etc.
  
• Do you need parking?
  
• How about Air Conditioning and other amenities?
  
• What other issues are important to you? What will make or break a housing deal?