<p>Near my college, there are many, many apartment complexes; however many have their downsides such as pests, water damage, poor security, higher than desired crime rates, and poor management. Seeing this, I've turned to apartment complexes farther away, but as you get to the nicer ones the prices go up. I've told myself to not go higher than the monthly rate that I'd be paying on campus for the same set up, but I'm unsure if I need to be widening my net.</p>
<p>The rates for my college are no more than $900 monthly so I've used that as a maximum. But just the sound of paying $800 per month for a one bedroom or $600 per month for a two bed room is daunting. </p>
<p>Are these apartments prices normal? What price ranges did your kids find? You can't have it all, so what qualities did they pick for? Safety? Proximity? Reliability? Comfort?</p>
<p>Does your college have on campus apartments or suites for upperclassmen? Maybe that would be a good choice. Remember that off campus housing doesn’t include utilities, internet, etc. add those costs to your rent. In addition, most leases are for twelve months. School housing is for the academic year only. Some places do not allow sub letters.</p>
<p>My daughter will be off campus this coming year. The rent is $450 a month and that includes everything. The house has three floors and she will be sharing the middle apartment with three other girls. Her block and immediate neighborhood is entirely made up of college students. The landlord is easy to reach, very nice, and accommodating. The area is safe ( but I tell her not to walk alone at night), close to campus, and affordable. Does your college have an area where students tend to live when they move off campus, or are they scattered? </p>
<p>When we move her in I will test the fire alarms and give her a rope-type ladder to attach to her window. While this landlord is up to date with fire safety, I have heard horror stories over the years ( not at her school). </p>
<p>Yep! My kids went to college in places with expensive real estate. They paid upward of $800 a month for a bedroom in a place off campus. DD actually shared her bedroom. </p>
<p>Sorry, forgot to include the area. This is the Tampa Bay Area!</p>
<p>My school does have apartments for their upperclassmen. I would be able to get housing. I’m not crazy about their apartments. </p>
<p>I plan to live at the apartment year round. I would be fully moved in. This would be a place that I live for the next two or three years so something long term in desired. As for furniture, apartments that can be fully furnished are being looked at. </p>
<p>My school does have an area where most of the students live and those are where most of the problems are. Robberies, vandalisms, break-ins, shootings…Additionally, the landlords aren’t easy to get a hold of. There are problems with management and many students find themselves moving around year to year. This is the opposite of what I would like. I would like some place that is relatively safe and the apartments near campus don’t fit the mold from what I have seen. </p>
<p>It all depends upon what the market will bear. I have a friend who is paying what I think is an obscene amount for off campus housing at USC. But her DD transferred into the school, got no housing, they did not know the school, the area, the anything, and safety/convenience was a major priority, and they had to money to pay the premium prices. So they are. My one son wasn’t even paying a hundred a month for a house share in Buffalo (and that was too much for that …that wreck) and that is typical of that area. Plentiful choices of cheap housing in a big student ghetto area. That is something people should take into account, by the way, when evaluating costs at colleges. The first year costs are usually for a double dorm room but upperclass housing usually is more expensive as they tend to be suit and apt style, plus prices only go up as a rule. When you are looking at schools in cities like NYC, DC, Boston, you are going to have a tough time finding nearby housing that is affordable. In Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and other such cities, not so much. And it’s the thing to do at some schools, but not at other schools. </p>
<p>I was frankly against my kids moving off campus, but they did. They turned down very nice upper classmen housing to wage turf wars with crack dens, and I don’t think they saved me much money as they took what I gave them anyways, which was what the cost of room and board given by the school. By this time, I’ve thrown up my hands about the whole thing. My college son is in an apartment that is a long walk to campus, IMO–would have screamed bloody murder if I or the college put him there, and is living there this summer, working for less than he would be making here, and if he sublet the place for even half what he is paying this summer, he’d still come out way ahead financially, but live and learn. It’s beginning to sink in how much he’s subsidized when he lives at home as his bank account is dwindling instead of mounting as the summer is going by.</p>
<p>DS is going to be in a furnished campus apartment with 3 of his friends in the fall at Georgia Tech. Each one has their own bedroom (it includes all utilities.) the cost per person is $4,244 per semester. Which I think works out to about $950 a month… I don’t know if he could get anything any cheaper off campus. But it’s Atlanta and safety is my number one concern. If I were you I would stay on campus at least 1 more year so you can get a better idea of where the “safest” places to stay are.</p>
<p>My son is with a group of friends that are renting a house near campus. The house has a separate attached studio apartment which my son & roommate will share. His portion of the rent is $560/month. This is in San Luis Obispo, CA. All utilities are included in the rent. The kids only have to pay there portion of the house internet (and for there own food). I think this is reasonable for a shared room & all utilities included (and access to the main house). It would cost about $80 more per month to live on campus in a shared room (in a suite). </p>
<p>Affordability is a big issue. If you absolutely cannot afford over a certain amount, you have to look for lower priced alternatives. That may mean less safe, dinghy, down right nasty places to live, room shares, further away. That’s just the way it works. My one son rented a terrible shack with the only positive attributes being that it was very close to campus and in a reasonably safe area. They had, I have no idea, how many kids living in that house over the two years, including some down and out kids who ran out of money. One of the roommates was a foreign student who was so flat broke that he had two roommates in his room paying his rent. No one seemed to care who paid for what as long as it got paid, and they’d all scramble to make those payments. </p>
<p>I remember one summer and semester, we had extras in our apartment who were jobless, parents had cut them off and the had no where to go. They got on their feet and paid when they did and for a while we were flush until they left for their own places to live rather than on our couches. So in a student community, there are often many ways to get by. I can tell you that a lot of foreign students are on tight budgets and will advertise for a room share.–used to see a lot of those signs. There are a lot of kids who are short on the money and so bargains can be found but they are not going to fit the traditional picture of living arrangements. necessarily.</p>
<p>Big question: 9 months or 12 months? If you have reason to live in a unit for 12 months (such as attending summer classes or an internship), then off-campus housing may come out ahead financially. If you will be going home or graduating after 9 months, on-campus housing may come out ahead. Be sure to also compare apples to oranges in regards to utility costs, cable, trash fees, etc. Usually on-campus housing is all-inclusive, while private housing often makes you pay all utilities separately and other extra fees. </p>
<p>Can you avoid having a car if you live on-campus vs. off-campus? Public transit fees can also add up quickly. There are tremendous savings from not having a car at campus, including insurance and repair savings.</p>
<p>Thank you guys for the consideration and supplying questions I should ask myself!</p>
<p>This would be for my third year of college. I already have my housing for this upcoming academic year. I have had suite style for my first year and will have another suite style this upcoming year, my second year. Next summer I am taking three summer classes all on campus. I figured after move out for Spring 2015 I would move in to the apartment and stay there. A 12 month lease was in mind. Moving off campus would reduce the number of move-ins and outs I would have to go through. </p>
<p>As for affordability, I’m unsure what I can afford. I have excess scholarship money each semester and figured that would go to rent and then my part time would go towards utilities and entertainment. $600, I feel, would be doable. $800 would be completely out of range. If need be, I would take out a loan to cover the expenses. If I was on campus I’d have to take out a loan for R&B anyways. Would taking out a loan for my apartment rent be bad?</p>
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Yeah… If I can’t pay up, I think I’d just settle for a four person apt. on campus or tag along with some friends in another apartment close to campus. My main concern is safety. </p>
<p>I’ll look into houses in the area I could rent. I haven’t heard much of people renting houses as of yet. </p>
<p>EDIT: I am keeping my car. The only cost I must worry about is gas, so my car is relatively inexpensive to keep. </p>
<p>My friend’s son went to Tampa FSU for law. He paid a premium of $800 to live right across from law school, so he didn’t have to drive to class. He found others, father away, for less $. Tampa is inexpensive compared to every city my son has lived in. Good luck with your search.</p>
<p>I’m only familiar with Michigan and Colorado - the two older boys-- one was $450 a month (2 bedroom each roommate paid $450 so $900 a month) with a balcony, second son found a similar deal $900 a month split in two with no balcony. S3 is in Michigan and it’s $2500 and furnished. 2 bedroom split between 4 guys with a balcony so alittle over $500 each per month. Both the older boys had to find their own furniture. S3 could have gone into an efficiency with no balcony for around $550 but wanted to have roommates. All three had/have in-unit laundry and the heat, water and garbage were included. They paid for electric. In Colorado they paid for their own internet, S3 has internet included. S1 and S2 had parking for there cars. S3 doesn’t have a car because it’s a hassle and doesn’t have a parking space. I didn’t want any of them living in a “student house” so I suppose they could have saved some money that way - I’m too worried about fires in the old houses. I remembered some of the firetraps my friends lived in during college and my oldest son had a friend who did have a fire in one of those old houses…not a good outcome. </p>
<p>Just drove past Tampa apts near USF today. In this climate it is not surprising there are pest problems et al. Also aware of crime near the Bruce B Downs Blvd area not too long ago. You will need to decide if you intend to drive to campus and pay parking or catch the local bus/walk. You should have plenty of time to figure this out this fall when all of the students are back. </p>
<p>In my day UW-Madison had student slums not too far from one end of campus and some private places on the opposite end. In son’s day recently there were decent places close to campus buildings that weren’t built in my day as well as more luxurious accommodations.</p>
<p>As above. Location, location, location. None of us can tell you what you find acceptable as far as location, amenities et al- even when we live close by. I do not recommend a house, even if management needs to cut grass et al. </p>
<p>OP: you’re fortunate that your car/transport options aren’t much of an additional burden. For other thread readers, know that car maintenance, parking fees (and tickets) as well as gas & insurance – aren’t always budgeted in my our students. It’s worth pointing out to them…</p>
If I can’t pay up, I think I’d just settle for a four person apt. on campus or tag along with some friends in another apartment close to campus. My main concern is safety. </p>