Being an adult is hard. These are the times that I wish I could regress back to childhood, to the rip age of seven. My only worries would consist of what I was doing during recess, rushing to get my one thing of homework done before its one week due date, and racing to ballet practice on time for warm ups. Jeezs, life was just so ruff.

Now, in the peak of life, as I adventure into adulthood, I am faced with yet another obstacle: finding a place to live. For the past week, my mind has been swimming, or should I say drowning, with information overload. I feel like I am now at the point where all the information is clumping together, making one giant spitball that is hurtling towards my head, like a demented game of dodge ball. However, hold off on pulling your hair out and living in your car. I may not have a lot of experience house hunting, but there are a few things that you should keep in mind during your search.

1. Research, Research, Research Make sure you look at your options: spend a day just Google-ing places in the area, go to a housing fair, join the local Housing Facebook page (VT has one, check it out if you haven’t) ask your friends about their apartments! Make sure that you explore all your options before choosing, because this is a big decision. Even when finding a roommate, look for someone who would make a good roommate, not just friend. You don’t want to settle, unless its July and you move in August and are still looking for a place to live, then just settle.
2. Start Looking Now (Like Right Now) If you need an apartment by Fall 2017 and your ass hasn’t started looking, please start now. This will give you wiggle room to find a roommate, research different options of apartment, and breathe. Also, the longer you wait, the less options of apartment you have, so start looking soon, so you don’t have to live in a crack shack with some sketchy dude from Craigslist.
3. Write Shit Down Trust me, it’s a lot of information. What I do is I write a note card for each place I am looking at. Write down the important information first, like rent, utilities and location, and then jot down some other key observations like washer and dryer included, bus stop convenient, etc. This allows for easy side-by-side comparison and prevents information overload.
4. Its All in the Details Not only should you keep in mind the bigger picture, but also it’s the small things in an apartment you need to look out for. Things like roommate pet peeves, laundry options, closest space, cleanliness, location (location, location), and neighbors are just a few examples. Think about what you REALLY want in an apartment and things you can’t have. Write it down and stick to it
5. Set a budget Because you know you are shit out of luck when you are looking at 1000 dollar a month apartments when your budget is 500 dollars (this was me).
6. Don’t Stress, Relax Seriously. Don’t worry. You will find one person who is just as desperate as you are.