When it comes to living situations here at Creighton University, out of sight means, largely, out of mind.
Besides an information session sponsored by Residence Life, there is not much information for students to navigate the streets of the Dirty Dave — being a resident on Davenport street, I say this with all due affection.
Creighton does not have enough rooms available for all the undergraduate students on campus, and there are plenty of students wanting to gain more independence from moving out of the residence halls.
For any student willing to take the plunge into off campus housing here are some tips and tricks on finding the right house and the right landlord.
* First and most importantly, figure out what you want. This is especially important when roommates are house hunting. You may never find the perfect house, but knowing what you want will provide more concrete criteria.
When my roommates and I looked for a house, we almost came to a stalemate because there were too many dimensions on which we judged the houses. Know what’s important and stick to it when viewing a house or discussing it with roommates.
* Second, you need to find houses. Word of mouth provides the most information about the house, unfiltered by the landlord. By asking friends or classmates who already live in the housing, you can learn more about the landlord and certain eccentricities of the house. I needed to be told resetting the dishwasher after each load required pounding on its door.
The Internet provides another resource for students. While Residence Life has “featured” property listing on their Web site, their service remains quite undeveloped. Only three housing options are posted. Until the university devotes more resources to this program, your best option may be craigslist or a similar social site.
* When judging the house, you are have observable features; but when judging the landlord, the situation becomes more difficult, especially because you may meet him or her only a few times before signing a lease. However, there are certain character traits the landlord may reveal.
Since you have to schedule meetings with the landlord, see if he or she is punctual and returns calls promptly. In addition, be skeptical if a landlord puts pressure on you to sign a lease without a second walk through or seems to know all the answer to your housing questions. The picture may be painted a little too neatly.
Finally, asking the previous tenants – away from the landlord’s ears – is the best way to get a better idea about the future housing option. Ask about response time to appliance breakdowns and general respect towards tenants.
* Know when to call it quits. You may never find the house with three bathrooms, closets in every bedroom, a lawn service, hardwood floors, a fireplace and affordable rent. If you do, that’s great, but the housing selection is about a series of compromises until find the most preferred end. The sooner one realizes this, the easier the process becomes.
There are other important steps like reviewing the lease and documenting pre-existing damages, which are must as well. Taking the plunge into off campus housing is a quite a bit more complicated than just taking a PIN to live in Opus or Davis, but it doesn’t have to be impossible.