Moving Soon? Advice For First Time Renters

This is usually the time when if you go to MSU and want to live off campus you have to find a place, but keep these tips around even if you aren't a new renter. When you are a new renter, it can seem very cool but it's also kinda scary. If you don't do research, your first place may not be your favorite. To help you make sure your first place isn't a mess or something you don't want to live in, we put together these tips for first time renters to find the best place.

1. Budget! Yes make sure you have a budget and stick to it. If your budget is $600 a month, you might want to find a place that is $500-$550 so you can account for extra costs.
2. Know Your Living Situation - Are you going to live alone? Are you going to live with multiple people? These are things you need to know before you start looking cause it may open up more options for apartments or slim down your choices.
3. Find Your Needs - Make sure you know what you want first. Do you want to have your own bedroom, are you alright to share a bathroom with someone, or share a bedroom with someone? These are some of the questions you need answered before you sign a lease.
4. Take a Tour of the Place - Yes this a big one. Just because the pictures online make the place look good doesn't mean it actually is. Your own eyes will be a better judge.
5. Know What Utilities or Extra Costs Come With the Place - You will want to check on this before you sign the renter agreement, cause if the place comes with no utilities then you will have to adjust your budget.
6. Read Over the Renter Agreement - Make sure to read everything if you can because some agreements are multiple pages long. You don't want to sign something then not get what you wanted.
7. Ask Questions - This is more for when you get to tour the place and also when you are at the point of signing the lease. No question you ask will be stupid, trust me, the more questions you ask the better you will feel later.
8. Get Renters Insurance - This is important especially if you have a lot of stuff cause insurance will protect your stuff in case of fire or theft.
9. Walk Through The Place - This is also important as you will do the walk through with the apartment manager and you can find cracks, dings, or other things that might be wrong with the place and have it fixed before you move in. It will also help later when you move out to not be charged for something that isn't your fault.
10. Meet Your Neighbors - This can be done after you move in, but it's helpful especially in emergencies and also to ask them about issues with the place and management.

If you need more tips for first time renters, you can check some out here.