Planning to Live Off Campus with Others?

As an out-of-state college student, money has always been an issue. I have figured out that living off campus is a lot cheaper. When I say a lot, I mean 30% less than the original price. Anyway, this isn’t a story about living a cheap college life. It's for living off-campus while keeping all your limbs intact. You will think, "When should I start working on this?" It's smart to start immediately after the thought comes to your brain, you don't want to waste time. This will take up a lot of your time, trust me.

To Live Alone Or to Not Live Alone

Now when forming a group, it should be between 3-6 people. The maximum amount of personalities that anyone should have to deal with is 6. At this point you should have friends; your friends should have friends as well. Pick people that you feel comfortable around or at least has respect for housemates so there won't be any problems. Everyone should agree on the same price range. If you are looking for a house with huge rooms, wide windows, and crystal faucets, you should lower your wants. They might not be as affordable as everyone's needs. Gender is always a problem, make sure everyone is comfortable with living with the same or opposite gender. Here is a list of other things to discuss with your group:

1. Distance (Add the cost of transportation)
2. Who is bringing a car (Parking spaces may or may not be available)
3. Frat boys (They may lower your chances)
4. Pets (May be extra $$$)
5. Payment (Is someone expecting another to pay for them?)
6. It will probably take a total of two months. Yeah, people's lives will get in the way much more than you think.

Pricing... UGH!!

*These prices are based off experience, this won't be the same for everyone.

Now, this is for the first two months of house/apartment searching. Based on the number of people in your group, choose between a house or apartment. You will have better chances with a house if you have more than four people.

Let's say you have about 6 people, you should look for places that are $2,700- $3,000. So that's around $500 each, this would be an okay house. If you are lucky you might find a house that is cheaper. When I was going on a house hunt I found a place that's $1,700 (utilities not included) for 6 rooms! So don't be quick to go to the first place you find. When looking for places, don't forget to check for security deposits, down payments, and extra payments or pets. Most likely when you're looking for utilities it isn't included in the description. So don't be shy, the owners' information is on there for you to ask questions.

Delays

Someone has to transfer, get asked to rent with others, decide they don't want to spend money on a place they won't always be in, or everyone hates them and wants to kick them out. There will always be a delay when you're within arms reach of renting, just relax. You should have another three months to fix the problem. You have options for everything, eat some ice cream, and I'll tell you.

You have one less body, find someone else. Tell them the details and pray they say yes. If you want to kick someone out, talk to them. You must discuss any problems before you start renting; the last thing you want is for someone to leave in the middle of the year on a yearly-lease. If you're the person they want to kick out, discuss what's wrong. Most likely any personal problems are due to annoyance. Don't forget to decide on everything as a group, don't leave anyone out.

After getting through delays I suggest a group contract. Some rules so nobody messes with peoples' stuff. Also, there's an okay vibe when signing the lease. Everybody's name should be on the lease, yearly ID preferable.

Success

Hopefully, you didn't have to redo these steps more than two times. Rental is a stressful thing to do. The moment you move in you will feel relieved until the rent is due. Just enjoy the house and study hard. Don't forget to work out a grocery plan and trash turns. Always stay in contact with your housemates. Don't do anything that will get you kicked out.