It is that time of year again. Your lease is about to be up and you need a new place to stay. Take it from somebody who has lived in four different places in four years, you will want to start early. You will want to get a feel for different areas of Kennesaw as they are not all like West 22 and UClub. It will be a stressful time for you whether you want to admit it or not. You are making a significant change in your life and there is a lot to take into consideration when moving (most of which you won't think about until it is a little too late for you). Here are some of the things that you need to look out for and take into consideration when you are going through all of this.
When is your lease up?
This is a big one! You don't want to end up paying to live in two apartments for too long or end up homeless for a couple of days with all of your crap in 6 different places. Make sure you pay attention to when you have to be out of your apartment and when you are going to be moving into your new one.
What is your budget?
Please, please, please do NOT try and overextend yours or your parents budget just so you can live in the most extravagant apartment. There is no point in living somewhere that you really can't live because you are busting your ass to make enough money to sustain everything. I know money is not fun to talk about with your friends but neither is them hating you when you can't pay rent on time. Take into consideration how much the utilities will be ON TOP of the monthly rent.
How far do you want to be?
How far are you willing to be from campus? The highway? A grocery store? Your job? Set your limits and make sure they are clear. This may make your search a little harder but what's the point in some awesome apartment that puts you over an hour away from work without traffic? You know there will be days that you will wake up late so to avoid pushing yourself to the limits of making it, set how far from campus you can be. A happy medium for most people is about 5-10 minutes. That allows you to go a little more north- Acworth- and a little more south- Marietta- to avoid the Kennesaw prices.
What amenities are important to you?
Gate? Newly rennovated? 24-hour gym? Nice pool area? Guest parking? There are so many things for you to take into consideration when moving that you might not even think will matter, but they all do. Of course there are some things that you are going to have to sacrifice when moving out of student-housing but there are so many great things about not being in them either. There are so many apps and websites that allow you to check off what you want in an apartment around you, so please make sure to use one (or three like me).
Check out the area
With there being so many apartment complexes to live-in in Kennesaw make sure you check out what the complex is like. Don't just go in the middle of the day because everybody isn't home, go on a Friday after five when parents are home and kids are outside playing. Are there cars parked everywhere so there will never be a spot available? Are the children running wild without supervision and doing whatever they want? Have the grounds keepers come around and picked up the garbage on the ground? Cut the grass? Blown the walkways?
Plan your hunt days
Going to one or two apartments a day will do you NO good at all. Spend a couple of days looking into some places that you think will be good for you to move to and write down what you like about them and some questions for the leasing agents. I always would gather about ten complexes at a time, put them in a trip planner- you can choose where you want to start and finish and it will plan the best route for you so you don't have to guess, get a notebook so that you can write everything down, don't rely on the handouts that they will give you or your phone you will want everything infront of you when making a decision with your roommate(s), and most of all try and dress a little nicer than nike shorts and a t-shirt. I am not saying that you need to be in slacks and a blouse but let's face it you are 18-22 and the leasing agents are sceptical about leasing to us, so if you look a little more put together the more likely they are to take you seriously. Also, be prepared for a long day, have snacks and water, there is a lot of talking and walking.
Write EVERYTHING down
When are move-in days? What utilities are included in the rent? What do you need to have set up before move-in? How much is rent? Guest parking/parking decals? Special offers? Can you paint? Are pets allowed- if they are is it a one time payment or do you have pet rent? Lease terms? Who did you speak with? Where did you find the apartment? Everything you hear you won't remember and after your fourth apartment they will all blend together so having somewhere to keep everything together is great and with you actaully writing it down they are more than likely to take you a little more serious than if you are typing away on your phone.
Always find a referral
More often than not, you will know somebody living in the complex that you are looking into, so why not give them some money off of their rent? If you don't, find somebody in the complex and ask their name and if you can use them, and more often than not they will let you because again, who doesn't want $300 off of their rent. I have also found that this gives you a foot-in-the-door, especially if they are good tenants.
Think you decision over
With most complexes you have 24-48 hours to sign with the deal they are giving you. I never signed right away because even though they say that it is the best offer you will get 8-10 times if you go back or show more interest and tell them what another complex is offering you they will give you a better deal.
Call ahead of time
Don't be afraid to call ahead and set up a day/time to go in. It will show that you are putting a effort in and that you are serious about finding a place and not just poking around. And that way you don't sit around in the leasing office just waiting for somebody to show up.
