For this weeks prompt I decided to discuss my criteria for “choosing a place to live while you attend college.” I graduate in the spring and I am planning to move out of state and attend either a graduate program or medical college. One of the first things I will need to figure out is where I am going to live.
Necessary Criteria
Affordability: I will have just earned my diploma and the costs associated with where I am going to live will be very important. Presently, I don’t know if I will have a job set up out of state before I move. If I am working, I will obviously be able to afford more, then if I am not. In addition, will my partner have a job lined up as well, or will he still be looking for work after we move? I need to take into consideration bills, student loans, necessary living expenses in general, etc. when deciding on how much I can afford.
Pet Friendly: I currently own a dog and chinchilla that I am not willing to give up for adoption. I would never be happy making that decision, so it is absolutely necessary that this place be pet friendly. If I could not find a place that would allow me to keep my pets, I would instead choose to stay at my current residence for the time being.
Internet: I realize this may seem like an odd necessity to include in this post, however, in Alaska I have had to turn down a lot of places because they did not have reliable access to the Internet or the Internet was too slow. My partner and I stream all of our TV shows and movies through Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. so we don’t have to pay the additional cable fees. Tack on Internet use between my partner and myself, fast and reliable Internet is completely necessary. We both spend a lot of time on the Internet working on assignments and papers, so reliable Internet is a must.
Neighborhood: The neighborhood is very important, as I want it to be both safe and pet accessible. I would research the neighborhood before deciding to move in, as I don’t want to jeopardize my own safety. There are neighborhoods that are prone to more break-ins then others, and I would obviously not want to live here. I would also want to get an idea of the neighbors, because I wouldn’t want to live next to people that are unnecessarily loud. I will still be in school so having a quiet study area at home will be absolutely necessary, in addition to being able to get a good night’s rest. I also want it to be pet accessible, so I am not struggling to find a place to walk my dog or a place for him to do his business.
Space: This is absolutely essential, as my partner and I would be moving together. We would need at least a two bedroom apartment as we both need our separate rooms. We have different class and work schedules, so we need our space when it comes to studying and school work. One of us is usually up while the other is asleep during the week. A one bedroom place would not work with our schedules.
Desirable Criteria
Appliances: When I move out of state, I don’t want to have to worry about purchasing appliances. I will expect any of the places I move into to have functioning appliances. I want to reduce the amount of money that I will be spending, and this is one of the key areas where I can do that. I expect a fully functional kitchen as I like to cook and bake often and a washer and dryer. I have lived without a dishwasher and a washer and dryer, and it is absolutely miserable. I would want to avoid this if affordability allowed me too.
Utilities: I am not sure how out of state utility costs compare to the costs here in Alaska, but I would prefer to pay less bills in the long run. In Alaska, I am not willing to pay for fuel as it is very expensive, so when I am searching for places to live here I would turn down any places that did not include fuel in utilities. In addition, I prefer to pay my landlords a concrete amount every month, so I would prefer for if not all at least most utilities to be included in rent. I would be willing to work with utilities if affordability allowed me too.
Location: When choosing a place, I would prefer for it to be close to where I am going to school and/or work. I have lived in North Pole in the past and I spent a lot of money on gas, especially in the winter. Location could save me gas money and time heading to and from school/work. I am willing to live thirty minutes away if affordability allows, but I don’t think I could live any further.
Parking/Garage: Here in Alaska I have had the luxury of having a garage. A garage has allowed me to save additional money in gas because I don’t have to warm my car up during the winter, and protection from the elements. If I lived somewhere that allowed me to have a garage, I would look more favorably towards that place. In addition, if I live in a busy city it would be important to have free parking near the residence. I wouldn’t want to pay for parking or be stuck searching for parking that may not be close to my residence, especially at night.
Landlords: The landlords is incredibly important for any residence. I would want to know if they are involved with their residents, or if they leave problems and concerns ignored. I have had the luxury of having landlords that will fix problems concerning the residence when presented with them. If my plumbing went out, I wouldn’t want to be stuck waiting for my landlords to do something for days. Having landlords that I can openly communicate with and trust would be very important.