While most people would agree that their lives are filled with both busy and chaotic days, there is one day in particular that takes the cake… not Christmas, not Valentine’s Day, not tax day, but move-in day- September 1st.

In Boston, 60% of apartment rentals get turned over on September 1st meaning that existing tenants move out and new tenants move in. While moving companies, storage facilities, truck rental companies, and other moving services are counting down the days until September 1st [and counting all of their money], you are most likely dreading the infamous “moving day.”

Finding an apartment can be hard enough, never mind moving in to one… but one step at a time. Watch Ishay Grinberg, CEO of Rental Beast, give his tips about what you need to know to search for an apartment.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/morning/searching-for-apartments-what-you-need-to-know-20110426

First find the apartment and then I can help you move in to it… not physically of course… but I can help through the power of the blog

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Paint this picture in your mind… You are sitting in a psychiatrist’s office and the doctor is playing the word association game with you, meaning that he will say a word and then you will say the first word that comes to your mind

For example:
Pancackes… syrup
Boston… Red Sox
Charlie Sheen… crazy
Rental agent… con artist

While we can all confirm that Charlie Sheen is crazy, I am here today to tell you that despite negative stereotypes, not all rental agents are “con artists.”

Many people feel that rental agents put a tremendous amount of pressure on someone looking to rent an apartment by saying things like “You have to sign the lease for this apartment today or it will be gone tomorrow.” This sales pressure can sometimes make renters feel as though they are being tricked in to signing a lease and are missing out on seeing better apartments; however, more often than not, this “pressure” is real and valid.

If you are being pressured to sign a lease for a studio apartment that is infested with roaches for $1500 a month, chances are that you are being scammed. But if you are looking at an good apartment that is well priced, chances are that you are not the only one looking at that apartment! Which means that if you don’t act fast it may actually be gone by tomorrow!

Underlying conclusion: Your rental agent is not always trying to trick you, he/she will help you get the apartment that you want. Let any preconceived notions about rental agents go. Think of them as a metaphoric key that will help you [literally] unlock the door to your new apartment

Moral of the story: Be smart and take the time to logically assess the sales situation. If it truly is the apartment of your dreams, it is probably the apartment of someone else’s dream too… so bring your pen, bring your check book, and bring your boxing gloves [just in case you have to fight it out for the apartment].

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I guess we will never know what came first- the chicken or the egg. But the question I can help you answer is what should come first- the apartment or the job.

As a college senior anxiously awaiting graduation day, and by anxious I mean slipping in to psychosis, I am currently going through the apartment/job dilemma like many of my peers. Do we choose a place to move, get the apartment, and buy stock in IKEA before we have a job? Or do we hold off and risk living in a cardboard origami box for our dream job in Tokyo?

I’m sorry to say that there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Each person has a different set of wants and needs that will be telling of what is the “right” decision to make. All I can do to help is share with you a rational way to make your choice…

Official Ranking System [Will be relevant soon I promise, keep reading]

1- Would prefer to live without it

2- Could live without it if I had to

3- Doesn’t affect my life

4- Would live with it if I could

5- Would prefer to live with it

Apartment

• People: Who lives in the place that you want to move to… Family? Friends? Boyfriend? Hanna the manicurist? Rank each person in the place you want to move with a score from 1-5.
• Familiarity: Did you live in this place before? Have you visited this place before; if so, what did you think of it? Even if you’ve never visited this place is it your dream location? Use these questions as a baseline to help you assign a ranking of 1-5.
• Atmosphere: What is important to you about the atmosphere of the place you want to move… Attractions? Public transportation? Diners? List all the things that are a part of the area you want to move to and rank each criterion 1-5.

Job

• Company: Do you have a specific company you want to work for? Is this company located only in one area? Is there a similar company you would want to work for somewhere else? Use these questions and more to help assign a ranking of 1-5.
• Growth: Is there potential for growth with this job? Do you want to grow in that company? Use these questions and more to rank from 1-5.

Feel free to add your own points under each section, but these are some things I would consider when thinking about an apartment or a job. After that, rank away and add. If you can’t add your points together then ignore this whole article and stay in school.

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If you are a college student either thinking about renting an apartment or already living in an apartment, then a “roommate” is something that you are most likely familiar with… but let’s refresh your knowledge about the concept of roommates shall we?

Scenario 1: Three 40something-year old men living together as roommates in Allston, Massachusetts = NOT NORMAL
Scenario 2: Three 20something-year old students living together as roommates in Allston, Massachusetts = NORMAL

For most college students, having roommates is a “normal college experience”. In my eyes, roommates serve three main purposes…
1. Help lower the cost of rent by diving expenses among “x” amount of people
2. Help transition from a nurtured family life to living on your “own” in the real-world
3. Be your friend, spider-killer, wingman, on-call nurse, personal electrician, fashion consultant, and overall life coach when needed

Most apartment renters would agree with me for two out of the three reasons that roommates exist. Can you guess which reason sometimes comes in to question?

If you guessed number one… you’re wrong. It is number three- the MacGyver role of a roommate. The main struggle of a college roommate is avoiding the struggle between friend versus foe.

Many times students will choose their roommate(s) from their existing pool of friends at school. This thought process makes sense, it does- I am not arguing that… but take a moment to think about these questions in relation to your soon-to-be or existing roommate:
1. Can you spend extended periods of time with him/her without wanting to commit violent actions against yourself or others?
2. Can you talk honestly with him/her without being hooked up to a lie detector test?
3. Can you trust your stuff is safe without protection by guard dogs and weaponry?
4. Can you share common household items with him/her without having to live in a plastic bubble like Jake Gyllenhaal in the 2001 movie classic Bubble Boy?
5. Can you handle him/her being with you during some of your worst moments and vice versa (i.e. vomiting in the toilet, starting a small kitchen fire, crying over the sight of a mouse)?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions you might want to reconsider this person as a roommate, or if this person is already your roommate- MOVE OUT.

Check in soon for tips about “How To Be a God-like Roommate”. Like our elementary school teachers always said “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” So maybe if your roommate is bad now… you are too? And if you become a good roommate, he/she will too?

And that concludes our first lesson in Roommate Philosophy 101.

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As a college student, you are faced with tough decisions each and every day. Should I order pizza or eat in the dining hall? Should I study for my exam tomorrow or go to the movies with friends? Should I stay pre-med or major in musical theater? But one decision that can be surprisingly simple is the decision to live off-campus.

Most schools do require you to live on-campus during your first year as a student, but after the second year breaking free from your prison cell… I mean from your dorm room… is a definite possibility. If you want to live off-campus and are not obligated to stay on-campus for academic reasons, then you should consider searching for an off-campus apartment.

Okay, so you are probably now thinking, “Hello, are you serious? The decision to move off-campus is not that easy.” This statement of course is code for “My parents will never let me”. But never fear, below is an example of a possible dialogue between you and your parents to explain to them your rational reasoning for moving off-campus.

Your parents: “Living off-campus is too expensive. I am not paying any more money than I have to.”

Your genius response: “Actually mom and dad, living off-campus can be cheaper than living in the dorms. Boston University can charge us anywhere from $10,570-15,400 a year to live on-campus, which is between $1,174-1,711 a month. I can find an apartment for as low as $700 a month and actually save you between $4,266-9,099 a year. With all that extra money that I’m saving you, you guys can go to Fiji like you’ve always wanted to!”

Moral of the Story: Do the math. Parents like when you come to them with quantifiable and complete information. When you can rationally explain to them that living off-campus will save them money, they will be crunching numbers in their calculators in disbelief.

Your parents: “You won’t be able to get anyone to sublet your apartment in the summer, and I am not paying for you to live in an apartment when you’re not even there.”

Your genius response: Don’t worry it will be very easy to find someone to sublet my apartment. Boston University has student discussion boards for summer subletting listings. So many students stay in Boston for the summer for either classes or internships, and they need a place to live. One of these students can live in my apartment, or maybe I can stay one summer in Boston. Getting an internship in the city would be a great resume builder to help me excel and grow both personally and professionally.”

Moral of the Story: Parents want to know that you think in advance about the consequences of future decisions, which in this case is finding someone to sublet your apartment. The fact that you have thought ahead about subletting means brownie points for you.

Your parents: “Moving off-campus is just a huge hassle in general. You don’t even understand how much work it is going to be to find a good apartment, move in, and then actually live on your own. You’ve never cooked, cleaned, or ran a household in your entire life.”

Your genius response: “I know it will be a lot of work but I am confident that I can handle it. Rental Beast is an awesome apartment rental company that can easily find me a place to live at the lowest cost possible. Then after I move in I will just have to learn how to cook and clean and care for an apartment. I won’t have a choice. I will have to learn how to do these things eventually and I am excited and ready to learn now.”

Moral of the Story: Parents want you to be responsible and living in your own apartment will require you to be responsible. Show that you are confident and excited to take on that responsibility. They will be so proud that their little baby is actually growing up.

Congratulations. You’ve just successfully won over your parents and are moving off-campus in to an apartment.

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The folks at Jib Jab have a knack for summaries.

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