aptsherpa

Ah, college dormitories—havens of hedonism, homework help (and distractions), and the inevitable hellish noises. Campus-area apartments for college students are filled with people you don’t know and who don’t want to know you, far enough from campus to discourage class attendance, and not guaranteed to be much quieter or cleaner than a dormitory. So which should you pick as a college student? Let’s explore in detail some drawbacks and benefits of both options.

Imagine: you come home to your apartment after a hard day’s work, ready to kick off your shoes and relax with a beer (or your beverage of choice) and put your feet up on the coffee table. But wait–what’s this? As your turning your key you notice that the door wasn’t locked. Weird–you must have just forgotten to lock it on the way out. You kick off those shoes, drop your briefcase, and head for the fridge. On your way there you notice that half the linoleum tiles are missing from your kitchen floor. Tools and linoleum dust are scattered around your kitchen counter, and your cat is interestedly licking the linoleum dust. "Get out of that!" you yell. The cat obediently jumps off the counter and trots away. You wonder if maintenance is still somewhere in the apartment. That would explain the unlocked door. "Ummm, hellooo?" you call several times, wandering around your apartment and peeping into various rooms for evidence of someone responsible for the destruction in your kitchen (maybe the cat did it–not likely, though). You feel like an intruder on your own home. After determining that no one is in the apartment with you, you look for a notice of entry from maintenance but there is nothing to be found. You call the apartment management and leave a message about the situation. Bewildered, you decide to sweep up the dust and move on with your life.

Finding an apartment can be an overwhelming task. Driving through town gazing at complex after complex the possibilities seem endless; but deciding how to go about finding the one that’s right for you can be tricky. On first glance an apartment can seem great, but it’s really important to scope them out before renting. Here are a few tips on how to get started looking for that perfect apartment.

You’ve found the perfect apartment, and you couldn’t be happier. After a week of inner debate, you’ve finally gotten over the fact that the rent is a little bit more than you had originally intended, but the apartment is the epitome of elegance and comfort, and you just have to have it. I mean, you can deal with spending a little less on groceries each month, can’t you? But read closer… a $500 pet deposit? Can you deal with giving Fluffy away? Hidden fees are a huge part of finding the right apartment. Fees differ between complexes, and it’s up to you to ask the management about what these fees are for, and by how much they’re going to deplete your shopping funds.

Your rent is steep and you want to alleviate the financial burden by letting someone sleep in the guest room or a corner of the living room. One of your roomies suddenly bailed or moved on to an exciting job opportunity in another state. Your or your roommate’s significant other is moving in (a big step!). Whatever the reason, you’re taking another big step—adding a roommate to the lease. What factors should you consider when doing so? How much might your landlord raise the rent? This article gives a brief overview of the options available when adding a roommate to the lease.

With all the apartments out there, finding one that’s ideal for you can be a daunting task. When you go apartment hunting, you usually have a few things in mind: abundant parking spaces, cheap apartment, big bedrooms, resort style pool; but what you might not notice is the sleazy man sitting on his balcony by the pool with binoculars. Being gawked at by Mr. Peepy might take the enjoyment out of your afternoon swim. It’s good to keep a look out for things that might suggest the apartment is not all it’s cracked up to be. Because once you move in, you’ll realize there is more to it than a lavish bedroom and sparkling jacuzzi. We’ve got a few warning signs to help keep you out of bad news apartments.

New Years Resolution: Organizing Your Life

It’s almost that time of year again. All year long you’ve been saying “Oh, I’ll do that next year,” and the time is finally upon us. And no, you can’t renege on your new years resolution to organize your apartment. Bet you wish you had only promised to visit your mother more often. Organizing can be difficult in a small apartment; sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be enough room to store everything. But with a few helpful organizing tips, you can really maximize your space, and rid yourself of unnecessary clutter in the New Year – you’ll have to deal with that pesky neighbor on your own.

Almost everyone has an apartment-dwelling pal or two. And whether your apartment-renting friends are young or old, male or female, liberal or Libertarian, they’ll always appreciate a unique gift that helps make apartment living easier. Such gifts can range from cheap to expensive, colorful to demure, and big to small, but they’re all focused on one thing: making apartment living easier.

Gardening paraphernalia can be a great gift idea. It’s usually relatively inexpensive, and can really brighten up the cold, cloudy winter season. There’s something refreshing about waking up, sliding into a warm fuzzy robe, and gazing out over your backyard covered in a myriad of bright colorful flowers. Oh wait… backyards are for people with houses, and your friend lives in a teeny tiny apartment. But, fear not, for there are many gardening gift ideas out there that will suit a quaint little apartment perfectly. Bigger doesn’t always mean better; at least not in the world of gardening.

The holidays loom with turkey legs, pilgrims, holly, and ho ho hos, but the spread on the table and the number of presents under the tree might be severely limited this year. Why? Because heating oil prices are expected to be at an all time high in the winter of 2005-2006, leading to a potential 30% increase in energy bills this winter. Other than denying little Tommy his coveted bicycle or action figure, or scarfing tofurkey (it’s just $50 for a Tofurky feast that feeds four! ) instead of a real bird, what might you do to save money in the coming months? We’ve got a bevy of tips for knocking down your heating bill by enough dollars to satisfy the kids—big and little—this winter season.