WHAT TO CONSIDER
DURING YOUR APARTMENT SEARCH

At Aggieland Apartment Finders in Bryan and College Station, we understand that moving is often stressful. Not only do you have to find the right place and pay rent, but you also have to schedule your move, rearrange your possessions, learn more about your new neighborhood, and maybe even find a roommate to make your new place a little more affordable. There are many things to do, and it can feel like you have to manage them all at once.

Luckily, our team can help you find the right apartment for your needs and take some of the load off your shoulders. We are experienced with helping people find their place, and we use that experience to make the process much easier for you.

Read on to discover some of the things you need to consider before renting a house or apartment in Bryan or College Station. If you have questions about finding the right place or the process of moving, then contact our team! Aggieland Apartment Finders is here to assist with your move.

Analyze Your Needs

Prior to moving or renting a new place, you will first want to take a good, long look at your needs. The most crucial part of any apartment or house search is finding the place that accommodates your needs in the most effective way.

Below, we have listed some common needs that our team tries to accommodate for potential renters. While this list is not exhaustive, it is an excellent place to begin.

Proximity to Work, School, or Other Significant Places

Nobody likes long commutes to work or school, so the proximity to these key places is crucial to consider when searching for your next place. How far is the drive from the place you are considering to your work? Can you walk to class, take the AggieSpirit, or ride your bike? If you have children, then you will also want to consider how close the nearest elementary school is.

By taking some time to find a place that is close to the areas where you spend most of your time, you will look out for your future needs. This step can help you save on gas money, cut down on the stress and frustration involved with your commute, and find a neighborhood suited to your particular needs.

What is the best way to determine how close your potential new home is to the locations you travel to the most? Google Maps is extremely helpful in this step of the process, and practicing driving or walking routes to see if there is anything else you need to know about the area can be beneficial. Our team can also assist you with determining the proximity of your new place to areas that are important to you. We pride ourselves on helping people get to know the area so that they can get the most out of living in Bryan or College Station.

Number of Rooms

Do you know how many bedrooms the apartment or house you are looking for needs to have? This is probably the single most important consideration to make when looking for any living space, because you will want a place that has enough room for you to thrive. Thankfully, Bryan and College Station have all sorts of housing options, so you can find a commodious living space no matter your needs.

If you are a single college student looking to save money on living expenses, then a flat or an apartment with a single bedroom might be a suitable choice. In contrast, several students rooming together may wish to rent a place with multiple bedrooms and possibly even multiple common living areas. For families, an apartment with two to four bedrooms or a house of similar size is often ideal.

The number of rooms you need will largely depend on the makeup of your household. Think about how much space everyone will need, as well as how much time they can spend with one another. Set yourself up for success and get a place with sufficient space.

Number of Bathrooms

The number of bathrooms you need will have a substantial impact on your housing search. Once again, if you are a renter living alone, or even a small family, then an apartment or house with a single bathroom can be sufficient. In contrast, roommates should plan on finding a place with enough bathrooms to be shared by pairs of people.

Since it is one of the most private spaces in the house, it can be extremely difficult to share a bathroom between more than two people, especially if the people sharing it have never lived with one another before. Part of the trick to living harmoniously with roommates is to limit opportunities to get on each other’s nerves. Everyone has slightly different bathroom habits, and these can easily mount until they are frustrating for the other people involved. If you plan on living with roommates, then finding a place that can accommodate your needs often means finding a place with the space and bathrooms to maintain the harmony in your household.

Yard Size or Pet Accommodations

One of the best ways to feel at home in a new place is a big yard. A yard gives you, your friends, and your family a place to gather and make memories. Moreover, a yard or close access to a park might be necessary or your next place if you have pets (particularly dogs).

If you are considering getting a pet, you should get a place that is animal-friendly and convenient for walks, even if you don’t haven’t yet adopted one. There are many places in College Station and Bryan that are great for renters with pets, and our team can help you find a location that is fantastic for you and your furry friend.

Extra Storage Space

Some people are minimalists, while others simply have a lot of stuff. Which category do you fall under? Certain living spaces may have enough room to accommodate the day-to-day needs of everyone living in your household, but they might not have enough space to store some of the additional items you may own. Instead of selling off some prized possessions, you can try to find a place that has extra storage space or is close to an affordable storage unit. Just be sure to get a rough estimate of how much additional space you will need prior to finding additional storage.

Should You Get Roommates?

The answer to this question depends entirely on your circumstances. In some situations, getting a roommate can forge a lifelong friendship and create memories that you can look back on with fondness. In other cases, rooming with another person can be a total disaster. So which is more likely to happen in your household? That depends on your outlook, the people you choose to live with, and the reason why you are living in Bryan or College Station.

For a household with roommates to be successful, the roommates need to have an established level of understanding amongst themselves. Due to this, it is often best to room with people in similar situations as yourself. If you are a student studying Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M, then it might be best to room with another Aggie in a science-heavy major. In general, you will want to find a roommate who can relate to your interests, schedule, habits, and overall life circumstances. If you are an aspiring chef, then that might mean living with an aspiring writer or artist. The point is to find people on paths that are similar to the one you wish to take.

You should consider roommates only if you trust yourself enough to have a down-to-earth perspective on your living situation. A household can’t be successful if the people living there think everything will run smoothly all the time, even if they don’t put in the necessary effort. You will run into difficulties, and you will need to know how to approach those scenarios with all of your needs and desires in mind. It will be really difficult to live with other people if you don’t take the time to view things from their perspective and help make it a good place to live for everyone in the household.

Determine Your Budget

Budget is one of the most common things that causes people to find a roommate. Living in Bryan or College Station can be expensive, and although we would all like to have a bunch of space to ourselves, finding a roommate can greatly reduce financial strain. Sharing some of the costs associated with living near the college or a workplace is a great way to cut down on your expenses and free up more room for financial success.

Determine what is realistic for your budget when considering whether you need a roommate. Try to get an accurate calculation of your monthly income, and slightly overestimate your monthly expenses to give yourself room in your plans. If your income can’t pay for your expenses, then you should contact your friends to start your search for a suitable roommate.

Set Your Household Up For Success

Since roommates often come from different cultures or homes with different habits, it can be helpful to establish some ground rules prior to moving in together. Find some time to sit down and have a candid conversation about your living habits, goals, fears, pet peeves, and more. Doing so will not only help you understand ways you can avoid making your roommate upset, but it will also give you the chance to get to know them better.

While you don’t need strict, written-out rules for your house or apartment, you should have a general idea of the ways you can accommodate one another. Come to an understanding of what parts of the living space are common and what areas are private. Get an idea of what everyone is bringing with them to the new place, and come up with a plan for what happens when someone can’t pay rent. By talking with your roommates about these topics, you will have a better chance of living together in a harmonious way. To make things more official, you can even get a roommate contract.

Let Aggieland Apartment Finders Assist!

Do you still have questions about finding the right place to live in Bryan or College Station? Contact Aggieland Apartment Finders! Our team makes it easy to find the right place for your needs, and thanks to our experience helping others, we have quite a bit of insight into the best places to live in the area.