February 23rd, 2018
By Jason Parr
A perspective from a student with real estate company experience!
Ever find yourself overwhelmed in the search for an apartment? Being a student at a large, national University, there are TONS of options for housing. With over 30,000 students on campus it is a hotspot for real estate professionals, and so you can be pretty picky when it comes to signing. The problem is knowing what to be picky about. I have a firsthand experience of living, working, and touring at different residential options on campus and have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. With all the different options, one way to simplify the process is creating a checklist for what you want in an apartment to help you to ask the right questions during tours. These are a few things that I love and want to see more:
- Fully Furnished Most of the people I talk to on campus are more than willing to dish out a little extra cash to have their furniture provided for several reasons. First of all, you are most likely going to be sleeping on a mattress on the floor if a bed frame isn’t provided, which is very unimpressive. Next, you are also saving the hassle of moving all your furniture in and out, and possibly preventing the need to rent a truck as you commute to campus for the year.
- Semester Long Leases This is something that is so desired yet so hard to find. What if you end up wanting to transfer but are stuck in a 12 month lease? Want to study abroad for a semester? It’s going to be hard to enjoy eating a croissant in front of the Eiffel Tower when you know you are sending multiple rent checks every month. The best part about semester long leases is that you can renew for the next semester if you really enjoyed the apartment and don’t want to leave! It’s a win-win for everyone.
- Study Lounges The whole point of going to college is to study…right? Having quiet spaces with strong Wi-Fi are essential, especially if your roommates scream while watching the Bachelor on weeknights. These lounges serve as a great meeting spot for group projects, too and save you time by not having to walk all the way to the library. Bonus points if the lounge has a fireplace.
- Courtyards While this is definitely not a necessity, it really makes for a great sense of community in an apartment. Offering grills, fire pits, and outside areas for residents to hang out during the warmer months is a really nice touch and will definitely be talked about. They are a great place to hang out on game days, and some buildings even allows residents to rent out common areas like courtyards for private parties!
- Apple TVs Offer Apple TVs and residents won’t even notice if you don’t offer cable. Having access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and pretty much everything else is all students are really looking for anyways. Being able to sync your phone up to the TV to play music is also a major plus.
If you happen to be looking for a long term rental, check out the rentals at http://jspproperties.com/
We would love to have you in your new home!
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