Practical Steps When Looking for an Apartment in a Competitive University TownFurnished ApartmentsUpdated on Jan 8, 2015 View more like this | Visit BERKELEY, CA | Contact Enrica Clavito |
Whether you’re a student or just like the vibe of the area, there are many reasons why you might be considering looking for an apartment near UC Berkeley. College students want to live closer to their classes, university employees want to be in close proximity to work and others may just like the buzz of youthful vigor and its influence on the surrounding community. Whatever your reason for searching for apartments in the UC Berkeley area, there are several things that you should readily keep in mind. According to Harvy Yee of the Real Estate Global Network,
“It is vital that you start your apartment search as early as possible. Keep in mind, there are other students searching for apartments as well so you cannot afford to put it off and wait until the last minute.”
The truth is that finding an apartment in the Berkeley area can be very competitive so you need to be well prepared before your begin your search and have a plan for dealing with the competition you are bound to face.
Decide on the Right Type of Living Situation You Want
Once you know the exact type of living situation you want, you’ll find that your search will be much easier than you might have imagined. As a student, you might be considering a roommate situation in an effort to save funds, or you may prefer the quiet and solitude of having your own place. If the roommate route is the way you want to go, there are many sites online where students will be looking for someone to share their apartment expenses with. Always use extra care before you begin this route and check out your candidates carefully. Studying at university can be stressful enough as it is, finding that you have to spend the year with someone you’re not compatible with could be just enough to make your college year impossible. After you’ve decided on your ideal university living situation, create a plan for how to make it happen before you make your next step.
List Your Options
Your next step is to find several options for favorable rentals before you start to schedule a look-see. Having a list of possible options allows for you to have a few fall back choices just in case the competition is too fierce and you lose out on your first choice. Before you go to check out your choices in person though, you should check some of the review sites to see if previous tenants have found the living situation favorable. Their comments on these review sites can give you considerable insight into a location and whether or not it will work for your personal circumstances. If you’ve discovered your preferred choices have a number of negative reviews you might want to go back to step one to see if you can find better options.
The Walk Through
When you’re ready to walk through your particular apartment, always look beyond the obvious. If at all possible never make a decisions right on the spot but take pictures and later, in the privacy of your own home, you’ll be able to make a clearer and more practical decision on which unit is best. Often times we see one fabulous feature that distracts us from the myriad of negative things and we lose all sense of reason. To avoid that, taking photos of the apartment and then reviewing them later away from the distractions of the talking landlord, the busy neighbors, or a few impressive features and you'll be able to make a much wiser decision.
Taking photographs is also a very good way to establish the beginning condition of the apartment if you decide to move in. Human memories can be frail at times and having physical proof can help you get your deposit back at the end of the year if you decide not to renew your lease.
Consider the Location
You also want to take your location seriously. If you’re a student, getting to class on time will definitely be a priority and while many of the really cool apartment units may be a ways off the beaten path, if you don’t have a car you could be asking for more trouble than its worth. The fewer encumbrances you have to deal with the better success you’ll have with your classes. Consider the advice given at The Berkeley Lab,
“If you do not plan to buy a car, it may be convenient to live near the Berkeley Lab’s Shuttle Bus Routes. If safety is a concern, you can check out the crime statistics of each area within Berkeley or Oakland.”
If you’re expecting early morning classes, then you’ll have to calculate the amount of time you’ll have to commute to getting to class in order to arrive on time. And if you’re one of those that prefers to sleep in late, it may be a matter of “mind over mattress” when it comes to your punctuality.
Start Early
Because of the intense competition you want to make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to find your apartment, especially if you plan to live within walking distance of the campus. There are many factors that must be met in order to locate the right place for you. As the site Articles for Small Business explains,
“Beyond price, utilities are an important factor that can actually make the difference between a good and bad apartment. Even though you do not plan to buy it, your hard-earned money is still on the table, which means that you have to make the right choice, no matter why you need to rent the apartment.”
The sooner you start your search, the better your chances of finding an apartment that will meet all your needs and accommodate all your expectations. Once you have everything clearly in mind and know exactly how much you plan to spend you will be able to beat the competition and take a lot of the stress out of your search for an apartment near Berkeley.
“It is vital that you start your apartment search as early as possible. Keep in mind, there are other students searching for apartments as well so you cannot afford to put it off and wait until the last minute.”
The truth is that finding an apartment in the Berkeley area can be very competitive so you need to be well prepared before your begin your search and have a plan for dealing with the competition you are bound to face.
Decide on the Right Type of Living Situation You Want
Once you know the exact type of living situation you want, you’ll find that your search will be much easier than you might have imagined. As a student, you might be considering a roommate situation in an effort to save funds, or you may prefer the quiet and solitude of having your own place. If the roommate route is the way you want to go, there are many sites online where students will be looking for someone to share their apartment expenses with. Always use extra care before you begin this route and check out your candidates carefully. Studying at university can be stressful enough as it is, finding that you have to spend the year with someone you’re not compatible with could be just enough to make your college year impossible. After you’ve decided on your ideal university living situation, create a plan for how to make it happen before you make your next step.
List Your Options
Your next step is to find several options for favorable rentals before you start to schedule a look-see. Having a list of possible options allows for you to have a few fall back choices just in case the competition is too fierce and you lose out on your first choice. Before you go to check out your choices in person though, you should check some of the review sites to see if previous tenants have found the living situation favorable. Their comments on these review sites can give you considerable insight into a location and whether or not it will work for your personal circumstances. If you’ve discovered your preferred choices have a number of negative reviews you might want to go back to step one to see if you can find better options.
The Walk Through
When you’re ready to walk through your particular apartment, always look beyond the obvious. If at all possible never make a decisions right on the spot but take pictures and later, in the privacy of your own home, you’ll be able to make a clearer and more practical decision on which unit is best. Often times we see one fabulous feature that distracts us from the myriad of negative things and we lose all sense of reason. To avoid that, taking photos of the apartment and then reviewing them later away from the distractions of the talking landlord, the busy neighbors, or a few impressive features and you'll be able to make a much wiser decision.
Taking photographs is also a very good way to establish the beginning condition of the apartment if you decide to move in. Human memories can be frail at times and having physical proof can help you get your deposit back at the end of the year if you decide not to renew your lease.
Consider the Location
You also want to take your location seriously. If you’re a student, getting to class on time will definitely be a priority and while many of the really cool apartment units may be a ways off the beaten path, if you don’t have a car you could be asking for more trouble than its worth. The fewer encumbrances you have to deal with the better success you’ll have with your classes. Consider the advice given at The Berkeley Lab,
“If you do not plan to buy a car, it may be convenient to live near the Berkeley Lab’s Shuttle Bus Routes. If safety is a concern, you can check out the crime statistics of each area within Berkeley or Oakland.”
If you’re expecting early morning classes, then you’ll have to calculate the amount of time you’ll have to commute to getting to class in order to arrive on time. And if you’re one of those that prefers to sleep in late, it may be a matter of “mind over mattress” when it comes to your punctuality.
Start Early
Because of the intense competition you want to make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to find your apartment, especially if you plan to live within walking distance of the campus. There are many factors that must be met in order to locate the right place for you. As the site Articles for Small Business explains,
“Beyond price, utilities are an important factor that can actually make the difference between a good and bad apartment. Even though you do not plan to buy it, your hard-earned money is still on the table, which means that you have to make the right choice, no matter why you need to rent the apartment.”
The sooner you start your search, the better your chances of finding an apartment that will meet all your needs and accommodate all your expectations. Once you have everything clearly in mind and know exactly how much you plan to spend you will be able to beat the competition and take a lot of the stress out of your search for an apartment near Berkeley.
