<p>I have no experience in this area, and I'm living at home right now, which is eating away at me because I'm finding myself telling people that I live in an apartment with my roommate when I'm in a social setting.</p>
<p>I know a couple of pretty nice, reserved people who I would ask to be roommates with me. The key is the price of the lease, which I need to be cheap because I'm poor. The second key is the environment, because I wouldn't want parties everyday or people smoking outside my door. I don't know where to start. Who has experience in this?</p>
<p>Your school probably has an office that has info on off-campus housing; that might be a good place to start. You can also check out Craig’s lit, or check bulletin boards around campus where someone is seeking a roomie or housemate.</p>
<p>If you are poor, why don’t you just stay at home?</p>
<p>There’s nothing to be embarrassed about if you are a college student trying to cut costs and living at home. Why do you feel the need to lie? Are most of the students at your school upper-middle-class kids whose parents can afford to pay their rent for an apartment? It would be far better for you to stay at home rent free than it would be for you to struggle to pay rent.</p>
<p>In any case, I have an apartment in New York. I found mine through the off-campus housing office, which gave me several listings for free. If you are poor you probably can’t use a brokerage, but Craigslist can be an excellent option - I know a lot of people in my city who found apartments using Craigslist. When you look at CL look not only at the “apts for rent” but also “roommate wanted” section. Also search Apartments.com and similar websites, and maybe look at Roommates.com too. </p>
<p>In New York the top 10 ways people found housing were:</p>
<p>1) Brokers (someone you pay to find you an apartment)
2) Word-of-mouth
3) Classifieds, including Craigslist
4) Walking around and looking for for rent signs
5) Housing office of their university or workplace
6) Apartment referral service (you pay a monthly fee and the website forwards you listings)
7) Finding a vacant apartment in the building they already live in
8) Going on the waiting list for affordable/subsidized/public housing in your city
9) Community groups
10) Printed apartment guides</p>
<p>There is no such a thing of a cheap and quiet apartment these days, unless you find a place that was converted into a loft that has a concrete construction.</p>
<p>Talk with your friends and see if any of them are interested in moving off campus with you.
Once you have your group set, then go to your college’s Housing Office and see if they have a list of off-campus apartments for rent. Visit the apartments. Narrow the list down to the best apartments you can reasonably afford.</p>
<p>You need to understand that rent will not be your only expense. You’ll have to pay for utilities, garbage removal, snow removal (if applicable), internet/cable, heat, and food.
If you are complaining now about being poor while living with your parents, I seriously doubt that you’ll be able to swing the cost of apartment living. </p>
<p>Whether you have to pay for garbage removal and heat varies by location - some apartments come with utilities included. In mine, I don’t pay for heat or water - I only pay for cooking gas, electricity, and my internet/cable.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, nysmile is right - rent is not the only thing you have to worry about. There’s also the issue of buying furniture - most apartments come unfurnished. Living at home might be best until you graduate.</p>
<p>in nyc especially manhattan a cheap apt isnt going to happen. even a studio is expensive. you might want to try brooklyn. It isnt far, and not all of brooklyn is the stereotypical ghetto you see on tv I grew up there. Park slope is a really nice area by prospect park, love it there! Marine park is also nice(used to live there). In general a decent apt in a decent area for a 1 bedrm will be about 1k a month. Maybe even less if you negotiate. Idk if thats within ur budget…if ur a student and dont have a steady job with a supportive income you may not be able to get an apt anywhere at all…even with a roomate. I know if I was in college living off a workstudy check(not saying that u are) even with a roomate I would not be able to get an apt anywhere…</p>
<p>I live in Iowa. The leases here are pretty reasonable, though I don’t know what the typical going rate is. I deliver newspaper, and that job pays me ~$500/month. On months that include Thanksgiving or Spring break, it would be different. But I think $500 is definitely enough to support my living expenses, along with utilities, food and stuff like that. Still, I want to save money.</p>
<p>
trust me. If you have parents that are as out of tune with the 21th century as mine, you are going to feel it. Every time I come home after hanging out or playing ultimate, I feel like going into a prison cell.</p>