While on-campus housing at Tufts is guaranteed for first and second-year undergraduates, juniors and seniors often embark on the journey of securing off-campus accommodation. The process is intricate, time-consuming and usually competitive as students seek apartments at a reasonable price point and location from campus.
The Daily spoke with juniors Chrystal Coleman, Jasmine Lewin and Michelle Zakaria who just signed a lease for their senior year.
ABOUT THE GROUP:
Coleman, Lewin and Zakaria sought to sign a lease on a new apartment for their senior year.
“We’ve had some problems with the landlord in the past,” Lewin, an applied mathematics and architectural studies student, said of the group’s current apartment. “We had some flooding in our kitchen, we had a lot of mice. … When we first moved in, too, it was trashed.”
Zakaria, a computer science student, added that prior tenants abandoned an old Invisalign and a box of pastries that was rotten in the refrigerator by move-in day.
The arrangement of groups also changed, as Zakaria, Coleman and Lewin will be living in a six bedroom apartment next year rather than a four person apartment.
THE WANTS:
As noted, the group searched for six bedrooms in total, but was indifferent about splitting those bedrooms among different units.
One hope in the house hunting process was to secure two bathrooms for six housemates.
“Already with the four person [house], one bathroom can sometimes be a little rough,” Lewin said.
Often most important, cost was a factor and the group had a budget in mind during their house hunting journey.
“This year, if we wanted to renew the lease, [our landlord] is increasing our rent and making us pay for water,” Coleman, a cognitive brain science and Spanish student, said.
“But, that still would be cheaper than the lease that we did sign,” Zakaria said.
Zakaria also noted that they wanted to avoid paying for laundry on top of high rents.
“We didn’t want to have to pay for laundry, because right now we don’t,” Zakaria said.
THE PROCESS:
While some groups feel strongly about avoiding brokers’ fees, this group has consistently used them.
“Both years we’ve had a broker,” Zakaria said.
Timing often plays a role in apartment hunting success, and Lewin noted that getting an early start made a big difference.
“Because we started looking so much earlier … we signed a lot more quickly than last year,” Lewin said.
Understanding how to put together a group of housemates was also easier this year. The questions of study abroad and whether to become an RA impacted the group’s junior year housing process, but the assurance that everyone involved would be living off campus for the entirety of senior year made things easier.
“The logistical nightmare of trying to figure out just how many rooms and spots we needed, and if we could fill those rooms and spots for semesters and the summer was kind of rough,” Coleman said. “This year was definitely just a lot easier, because no one’s going abroad senior year … [and] we knew who we were going to live with and who we wanted to live with.”
THE APARTMENTS:
The group toured six apartments in total during their quest for senior year housing.
Though there wasn’t a particular neighborhood the group toured most, the residential streets behind Carmichael Hall proved popular.
“It just ended up that a lot of the houses were back behind Carm,” Lewin said.
However, that location isn’t as ideal as the group’s current downhill apartment.
“Most of us take classes down[hill]. Right now we live next to SciTech, which is more convenient,” Zakaria said. She noted, though, that there were simply more available apartments on the other side of campus.
Being uphill rather than downhill was still better than being significantly far from campus.
“There were a couple [apartments] that did look really nice… they were just so far from campus, which made it kind of hard,” Lewin said.
THE FINAL DECISION:
After touring six apartments, the final decision ended up being relatively clear to the group.
“I think the one we ended up signing definitely stood out,” Lewin said.
Though it was pricier than the other apartments the group toured, its location and quality made it an attractive deal.
“The one we signed was right next to campus. And even though it was a little more expensive, it was really nice,” Lewin said.
Coleman said that a designated dining space and a cushioned window seat set the tone for the apartment.
“All the rooms had really nice lighting, and they were all decently sized,” Lewin added.
FINAL TAKEAWAYS:
The group shared again that they felt putting together a thoughtful group and doing so early was one of the most important elements of house hunting success.
Zakaria also noted that subletting can be a great option for anybody unsure of who they want to live with and what their plans are for the coming year.
“If you want to do a really specific group, you have to get on it early,” Zakaria said. “[But, if] you’re just going to sublet and live by yourself, you literally have until like April. There’s always someone looking for a subletter.”
Coleman also noted that strong communication between group members is key.
“We had issues [when] people had opinions and they just didn’t share them…” Coleman said, “Just be so upfront about [your opinions and say] ‘This is what I want, this is what I think.’”
The house hunting process ended in success for Coleman, Lewin and Zakaria. Stay tuned for another edition of The Hunt, coming soon to a newsstand near you!
