Living in a house
Written by Nick Koopmans
Over the course of my entire experience at Washington State University, I have lived in a house off campus. My experience has taught me a few main things to definitely keep in mind when deciding to live in a house over a residence hall or an apartment. First of all, location is key. The location of my first house was on the far side of Grand Avenue and created quite the trek to and from class, thus the utilization of the bus routes was key. When picking a house to rent, one must be aware of the distance between the house and campus and other important locations. One must take into account not only the possible long walks to campus but also the drunken stumbles home from either the bars or parties. Along with location, one must always keep in mind the track record for the rental or leasing office accompanying the house. It is usually a hit or miss when it comes to signing with an ethically sound rental agency. One to definitely steer clear of is DRA, which has a horrible record of lawsuits and horrible maintenance issues overall. Through my research I was able to find housing with great landlords that were reliable and comprehensive with what their expectations. A leasing company that I would definitely recommend is Anita’s Rentals. Another company to absolutely think about is who your roommates will be. Personally I have had some roommates that have been awesome, but I have also had some that are absolutely horrible.
One must always choose wisely and make sure that they will be reliable, pick up their stuff/garbage, pay rent and utilities bill, and not punch holes in the walls. Taking care of the house, as hard as it may seem at times, is important. If one does not do so or does not clean, you can pretty much kiss your damage deposit goodbye. More benefits of living in a house are the amenities that are associated with them. Some of which are the spacious rooms and living areas, ability to eat whatever you want whenever you want it, and access to both a front and back yard for all sorts of college shenanigans. You also have the availability of your own laundry machines to wash your clothes at your own leisure rather than at a Laundromat or a community laundry facility where odds are you will probably get something stolen at least once. Above all when living in a house the greatest benefit is the freedom to throw a rager whenever you so choose without the threat of RAs. On the other hand, police will come into play more frequently the harder you decide to rage. A house is definitely a great decision when attending Washington State University.