Take the area where I am located in Kent State University as an example, let's talk about how to get rental information first. In addition to learning information from classmates and browsing the student apartments around the school, you can first go to the website to search for the prices and apartment types of different communities. Recommended by zillow and craigslist, there are a lot of information released by landlords, and further, there are also evaluation information given by tenants. Knowing this, and then checking through Google Maps, I have a general outline of accommodation conditions in my heart, and I can make certain choices and choices according to my own needs for apartment type and rent. For example, is the apartment town house or independance? Is there a garage? Is the area safe and the surrounding traffic convenient? For local students, another way is to drive around. Many old-school Americans will put a sign on the lawn in front of their house and write down the big "rent" and their phone number. Information about these houses is often unavailable on the Internet.
Then I have to call each landlord one by one to ask about the rent and the specific living conditions. For example, is there a washing machine and dryer indoors, a dishwasher and a garage, how to pay the rent, and how much is the deposit? If you basically meet your needs, then you can make an appointment with the landlord to see the house.
There are also many places to pay attention to about looking at the house. First, roommates and neighbors. What are their identities? Do you have any bad habits? Are you quiet? Do you smoke? If your roommate has bad habits that you can't stand, it's time to make a choice. A: There used to be a group of American boys living next to the dormitory outside the main school gate. Every Thursday, there must be an all-night party. Thin wooden walls can't isolate noise at all. The other is all kinds of details inside and outside the room, such as whether there is a washing machine, whether the kitchen stove is naked (many cooks use gas stoves), whether the heating system uses electricity or natural gas, how about the overall hygiene, whether pets can be kept indoors, and whether flowers can be planted at the door. The third is whether the landlord seems to be a cautious and easy-going person. Some landlords will abuse the exemption clause in the rental agreement and arbitrarily deduct money. Some landlords are very kind and will come to help you repair the faulty household appliances in time.
In short, renting a house off campus is more fun than living in a dormitory, which is to some extent an improvement of the living environment. But we must consider many details. If we are negligent, it will bring inconvenience to our lives.