<p>First, I feel that she and I are WAY to young to hear/say those words, but here we are, only in October of her freshman year and she’s talking about housing for next year!</p>
<p>She and a few of her sorority sisters are looking at houses in the neighborhood close to Tut and sorority row. They want housing that’s convenient to campus and sorority houses. I know that safety is never guaranteed, but I do feel safer with her living way up in the Tut tower!</p>
<p>Does anyone have any experience with their child living in these types of neighborhoods? I am a worrier and I do worry about an obvious “house full of girls” being targeted. These girls drive around with their “letters” plastered all over their car and hang huge banners outside of these houses practically advertising for a home invasion!! My question is…are my worries justified? Anyone have/had any children living in houses? I think being the daughter of an FBI agent, who works in violent crimes, has ruined me!</p>
<p>SMBradshaw…I had to chuckle when I read that you had a dad in the FBI…my dad was a Chicago policman in violent crimes. I feel your pain! D is a freshman and she is not happy w/ me right now. I asked that she wait a year before moving into a ‘house’. Just feel that as a freshman she does not know what areas are safe, how to evaluate a house, landlords, have to deal with utilities, collecting rent from others, etc.</p>
<p>She is in a sorority, but since she is OOS it would be tough for her to find someplace else to go over Fall Break and Spring Break if she stays on campus. </p>
<p>Sooo since we do not have a housing scholarship and figured that getting housing on campus would be tough, we agreed on a apartment complex. When we came down for the Ole Miss game we looked at a few complexes that have been built in the past few years. She settled on the closest one to campus. She is going to live in East Edge next year. I like the idea of a graduated step up to living in a house. Let me tell you it made the alarm bells in my head stop ringing when we drove over to look at EE and saw that there is a police department building right next store! </p>
<p>Sure that this won’t stop crime, but it sure made me feel a bit better. ;)</p>
<p>Welcome to East Edge, busymom3! We were also happy with the relocation of the UAPD building as it was constructed between the School of Law and East Edge. Having them move in as neighbors also brought the new traffic light at Bryant and Jackson…hooray!</p>
<p>Our daughter is very happy with her choice to live at East Edge.</p>
<p>One word of warning…we were in the same boat when DD was a freshman. WE signed a lease at the beginning of November and then she ran for an office in her sorority and it required her to live in the house! We got a reprieve for Fall semester but then frantically had to find someone to sublet for Spring so make sure your girls are not running for officer positions that require them to live-in.</p>
<p>^^Good point, especially since I think the lease at EE might not allow subleasing. I’m not positive, but I think I remember that on the lease.</p>
<p>You know D did ask about that. She was not entirely clear on the answer, but it was along the lines of you don’t/can’t sublease, but EE does handle it for you if something happens. Sounds like one of those things where they want to vet the incoming renter. </p>
<p>Thanks Bamagirls! Good to hear that your D has had a positive experience. D is excited and hoping to get a 4 bedroom unit that is overlooking the pool. :-)</p>
<p>Ok I have to weigh in again…DD leased from Sterling Crimson which had the same type of thing…They said they would put a person in her room “IF” there was a match to the roommates and for $350! I know it’s a different company but just very careful and make sure you ask and get the policy in writing. Read the lease very carefully (DH is an attorney and her actually drew lines through items in the lease). They did end up finding a girl in the last hour of the last day but they really didn’t look or try very hard. I was calling them every day.<br>
The “housing for next year” talk starts up at this time every year. I know that housing contracts for the sororities are out and my DD’s had to be turned in by 10/31. If you hear the words that there won’t be anything to lease in the Spring…well that’s not entirely true…after signing the lease in Nov…there were LOTS of places available in April.<br>
The neighborhood by Tut is safe :). DD has several sorority sisters that live in houses there and have not had any trouble at all. Just like anything else they have to lock the doors and not hand out keys ect. It’s common sense stuff but sometimes they do forget…(sigh)</p>
<p>My son lives in an apartment that is right behind the parking lot of Tut. He can ride his bike to campus. It is literally a half a block from campus. It has been great. This is his second year there and I expect he will stay for his Senior year as well. We have had NO problems at all. It is safe and closer to most of his classes then when he was in honors housing the first year. Also, the apartment rents for only $500 per month so for $250 he has his own room and a kitchen, so we save on meals as well. I recommend that you look around and make sure you feel ok with the people that she is moving in with…But don’t worry too much. I was nervous as well, but looking back I am glad he did it.</p>
<p>Buzymom: I like the thought of graduating up to a “big girl house” during junior and senior years!</p>
<p>Alphimommy: Thanks for the encouragement that the neighborhood hasn’t had any problems. My fear is that there will ALWAYS be a door that is unlocked with 5 or 6 girls coming and going!</p>
<p>We will be in town for the A&M game, hopefully I can hold her off and we can look around at apartments. She was invited by a group to live at the Retreat but she thought they were too far off campus.</p>
<p>bassettmomma- What is the name of the complex where your son lives?</p>
<p>I love that price Bassettmomma! I will have her check those out!</p>
<p>Sorority members are often required to live in the house at least one year, and that year is usually the sophomore or second year of membership. You might want to check on that before signing a lease. Not that students have, in the past, tried to get out of that sorority obligation by claiming they’ve already signed a lease…</p>
<p>i would think that they would have more demand for living in the sorority house than they can accomodate, but i bet they do have a requirement.</p>
<p>with the live-in price for some of the new houses, it is not as attractive of an option, because it is pretty costly. more costly than any of the apartment and house rents i have seen posted here.</p>
<p>southlander…I too would caution parents to make sure your DD’s sorority doesn’t have a "live in "clause. I do know that most sororities at Bama do not have enough beds to sleep even 2/3 of a pledge class so from what I have been told most houses have not required girls to live in but again I would check.
Mike’s right…with the 4 new bigger houses there are more beds and the price has gone up. DD’s sorority is one of those houses and our bill will be close to $7000 a semester for her to live in. when we get to fall of 2013. We experience a rate hike this fall and then another bigger one this spring and the final one next fall.<br>
I will also share that it’s just my opinion but part of the “sorority” experience is “living in” and if it is cost effective for your DD then I would suggest she experience it for at least 1 of her 4 years.</p>
<p>I forgot the name of the complex but I will be there visiting this week so I can let you know. The leasing agency is owen and meredith I believe. It is on 7th avenue about a clock down. It was clean with new appliances when he moved in. Really great location and nice complex. Nothing fancy but nice enough. I think there are a lot of places close by. My son and his roomate almost got another apt on the same street as the stadium…but this one opened up and was a little nicer and obviously not as busy on game days…I would look around because on that side of campus there seems to be a good amount of choices. When I am there this week I will see if I can get you more information on the complex he is in.</p>