Finding Your Home Away From Home
Written by Madison Corley & Lani Pieper, Photography by Arturo Rodriguez, Design by Lindsey Rogers, Media by Kayla Rudy
When it comes to finding your home away from home, it is essential to lease an apartment that is comfortable, convenient, and checks all your boxes. The question is, where do you start when it comes to apartment leasing? Fortunately, we have a few tips that will make this process a bit less stressful and confusing. Let’s get into it.
Think realistically.
It is easy to get caught up in finding a Pinterest-worthy apartment. High ceilings and open floor plans are all the rage. However, before you begin apartment hunting, think about how much for rent and utilities you can afford. There are different variables that each apartment complex has when it comes to rates, like included or separate utilities, as well as amenities. When factoring in monthly expenses like food and gas, we suggest sticking to a fixed budget.
Consider your lifestyle.
When looking for a place to live, it is important to find a place that fits your lifestyle. Think about what you are wanting out of an apartment and the complex before you start looking to lease. If you are living with roommates, make sure you are accommodating to their needs as well as your own. Some things to think about are the loudness or silence of the environment, accessibility to a bus route, an onsite gym, and furnished living options.
Have your questions in mind.
Our advice: have some premeditated questions before you tour the complex and take note of their answers. When touring apartments, it’s easy to leave a tour having more questions than answers. Plan a list of questions to ask the leasing agent when you attend your in-person or virtual tours to better enable the decision-making process. We recommend asking about the average cost of utilities, cost of pet rent, amount of available parking and visitor parking, how fast maintenance responds to requests, if there are any available onsite security measures, and how fast the internet connection is.
Looking for a safe place.
Whether you are renting with roommates or on your own, it is critical to find an apartment that makes you feel comfortable. There is no price when it comes to your security and it makes a huge difference coming home to an apartment where you feel comfortable. Easing anxiety when it comes to security can be accomplished by ensuring there are onsite security officers, security systems in-unit, and having an abundance of lights around the parking lots and complex.
Apartment Recommendations from A-Line:
Here are some apartment recommendations we have for the Bryan/College Station area.
Park West Apartments — close to campus, accessible to bus routes (Hullabaloo, 34), student-living, furnished
The Junction — recommended for roommates, great amenities and clubhouse for studying and lounging, furnished, complex on a bus route (Century Tree, 40)
Gateway Apartments — furnished, near a busy route (Cotton Bowl, 36), updated amenities