Welcome back everyone! Today, I do not have a sorority story, but have no fear because this house hunter tale is just as exciting. At Ohio Northern University, it is standard policy for students to live on campus, in either dorms or apartments, for the first three years of schooling. After those three years, students can live off campus in rental houses. This does not include those who normally live within commuting distance, but this is typically a very big deal for some people, myself included. Don't get me wrong, the dorms and apartments on campus can be very nice and convenient, but living on your own in a real house is so much more appealing wouldn't you say? The downside to house hunting in Ada, Ohio is there are not many newer, affordable homes to rent out, especially as a college student. However, myself and my four roommates were determined to find the most suitable fit for us as we toured the lovely Village of Ada to find our temporary home.
We thought we were starting off strong at our first location. It was a little further away from campus, but it was very cute on the inside. With six bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large basement, we all easily fell in love. Ironically, the current students living in the house are good friends of ours, so it would have been nice to know the previous people living there before we moved in. Unfortunately, the landlord had crushed our dreams of living there by breaking the news of someone signing the lease for this location. It was a total bummer, but the landlord had a few other properties in the area he took us to check out. Moving on to the next house, it was set up the same as the first location, and it was even closer to campus, giving it a big plus in our books. Since the landlord had no offers currently on the location, there was no rush to put down a deposit, so we moved to look at the next house. Once again, we ironically knew the previous owners of this location as well. While this one was a little further from campus, it still provided us with five bedrooms and two bathrooms.
If picking a house was just determined on cuteness, the second location would win, however, price is also a factor in this decision. For five broke college girls, rent price is a very important factor in our decision. After seeing both properties, we are able to sit down and compare not only prices, but also any negatives we thought we saw. I am confident we will be able to come to a decision soon and it will be smooth sailing for the rest of the year. Once we pick a house, all we have to do is save our money like crazy.
Until next time XOXO
Hallie
Living in a house, this blog was very easy to relate to. When you talked about picking a house that is very nice versus a house that is a lot money, I felt that. Renting houses in college is not cheap, but it is totally worth, especially having your own stuff. To me, living closer to campus is nice for sure but Ada is so small that it seems like everything is close. Anyways, good luck on your house hunting, hope you find the right one!
ReplyDeleteI am in the same process right now and can feel some of the stress that comes with house hunting. There are so many different houses to look at but it always seems like there is something negative with each one but one of the most important factors is making sure you find the one you enjoy the most at the best price.
ReplyDeleteHi Hallie! Wow, I hope you all are able to find an affordable (but likeable) place to call home! I don't think I ever realized how difficult house hunting can be. I've always imagined something right out of HGTV when I think about purchasing a house in the future, as if there would be one perfect option just waiting to be found. That is certainly not realistic, and I am sure I will experience that first hand in my eventual house-hunting in the future. Let us know when you have found the right place to call home!
ReplyDeleteI love commuter distance now, so I’m in a house in Ada and I understand completely about price. Being broke, it was hard to find a house for less than $350, but we found one for less than $200 a month for 4 of us at the end of town. Good luck finding a house and hopefully it’s cheap!
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