My New Pad! Housing Options For New College Students
Posted on May 21, 2007
Filed Under College Life, Finance, Real Estate |
Houston Options For College Students
Student Housing. Where’s Lil Johnny gonna stay while at college?
These days, the modern college student has a wide range of choices where to live when away at college. It goes without saying that many of these options depends on the students or parents ability to pay.
Here is a quick rundown of the common options for Student Housing and their pro’s and con’s.
- Rent a dorm from the College - This is a popular choice amoung those heading off t college. Students typically rent during the college season and then return home during the Summer. Some colleges provide housing away from the campus, but a student who lives on campus will not have to depend on reliable transportation. Many colleges also have a meal plan available for onsite students plus furniture is provided in most cases. The cons - this can be costly! Here are some other things to consider about living in a dorm.
- Privacy - Hard to get, hard to keep!
- Shared bathrooms - Need I say more?
- Housecleaning - On the bright side, someone else cleans!
- Little monetary concerns - No rent to forget or utility payments
- Social life - You’ll most likely have one, whether you want it or not!
- Sublet a room at an offsite house or apartment - This type of student housing can be less costly initially than a dorm, but keep in mind that the transportation cost will increase. Also, students can find that they just don’t get a long with other students and may find their self in the stressful situation of having to move. Here a few other things to consider about an apartment.
- Privacy - a little better than a dorm
- Sleep as late as you want!
- Eat whenever you want!
- Clean it yourself
- Pay rent & utilities on time….or else it’s back to the dorm for you!
- Purchase or rent real estate in the College town - Some enterprising students and parents will go as far as buying a piece of real estate in the College town for their son/daughter to live at while in college and then sell after graduation. This can be a profitable way to provide housing for a Student, but only if market prices continue up and your Student doesn’t demolish the home! A few people I’ve known have bought duplexes and quad-plexes in college towns and rented out the extra space.
- Staying with family - If you’re fortunate enough to have family or friends living in the College town, it may be a prudent decision to make living arrangements with them. This can be the least expensive method of providing housing. However, make sure you get an agreement between all parties before undertaking this type of housing. You don’t want bad blood between Jr. and Aunt Bee because Aunt Bee assumed Jr. would be helping around the house in his spare time but she didn’t tell anyone else about these plans!
Finding a place to live while away at College isn’t normally all that hard. Finding a place that fits you needs AND your budget, now that can be hard!
Houston options for college students