So, it’s time to fly the proverbial coop. You may have been given marching orders by your parents, or you may have been accepted into a uni on the other side of the country. Shape up, ship out, the world of co-habitation awaits.
House(mates).
She’s your best friend. You’ve laughed together, you’ve cried together. You’re psychically in tune with her innermost thoughts and dreams. A housemate match made in heaven, no? Paradise – until it turns out she meows in her sleep, leaves her nail clippings on the kitchen bench, steals your boutique French blue vein cheese and is always late with rent (but you can spot her ‘til Tuesday, right?).
- Mull it over. Carefully. Living with friends is a real testament to the friendship – it’s the maker or breaker.
- Fret not, though. If the prospect of living with strangers makes you squirm in your cotton socks, then shacking up with friends does take the edge off the moving out process.
Realty Bites.
Housemates? Tick.
House? Non-tick.
This isn’t impossible, but do pay heed, my pretties; it’s a dog-eat-dog market out there. You’re competing against a whole world of other uni students, young professionals and even families. The rental market, especially in those hot spots of the inner city, is tighter than (insert your own uncouthness here).
So browse around, evaluate your options.
- Think about your budget.
- Think about transport (can you walk sprint to the train station in the morning?).
- Think about local amenities (service stations are smaller, more brightly lit supermarkets, open all night for your late night study snack needs).
- And think carefully about the house itself (the terms “fixer-upper”, “motivated seller” and “rustic” should be avoided like a plague of locusts with rabies).
Once you’ve found your dream home, it’s sadly more than a simple matter of filling out the application form (but make sure that you do this, and that you do it on time). A tight rental market means that people are willing to go to all kinds of unscrupulous lengths to secure themselves an abode. The best you can do is to look professional and organised –
- Write a cover letter.
- List references.
- Be early to inspections.
- Look presentable.
- Offer rent in advance, or if it comes to it (and you can afford it), extra rent. Just be warned, it can be a cut-throat world out there in real estate.
Realty Bites.
Housemates? Tick.
House? Non-tick.
This isn’t impossible, but do pay heed, my pretties; it’s a dog-eat-dog market out there. You’re competing against a whole world of other uni students, young professionals and even families. The rental market, especially in those hot spots of the inner city, is tighter than (insert your own uncouthness here).
So browse around, evaluate your options.
- Think about your budget.
- Think about transport (can you walk sprint to the train station in the morning?).
- Think about local amenities (service stations are smaller, more brightly lit supermarkets, open all night for your late night study snack needs).
- And think carefully about the house itself (the terms “fixer-upper”, “motivated seller” and “rustic” should be avoided like a plague of locusts with rabies).
Once you’ve found your dream home, it’s sadly more than a simple matter of filling out the application form (but make sure that you do this, and that you do it on time). A tight rental market means that people are willing to go to all kinds of unscrupulous lengths to secure themselves an abode. The best you can do is to look professional and organised –
- Write a cover letter.
- List references.
- Be early to inspections.
- Look presentable.
- Offer rent in advance, or if it comes to it (and you can afford it), extra rent. Just be warned, it can be a cut-throat world out there in real estate.
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