Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The hunt: My first apartment

     I am both thrilled and relieved to announce that I have figured out a plan for myself after graduation in May! If you have been in my position of being a second-semester senior, about to graduate with a Bachelor's degree and no plans in sight, then you know just how much better I am feeling now that I know that I will be doing something.
     I have never felt more blessed than the moment I realized that I had a plan. It was a whole lot of "being in the right place, at the right time." I had decided to apply to do an internship during my final semester at my university's office of communication. After I got the internship and began working, I was offered a Grad Assistant position, which will be covering the cost for an MBA. I will also be working as a managing editor of a local newspaper.
     Although I do feel incredibly lucky and glad, this new stage in my life is coming up very quickly, and it is a teeny tiny bit overwhelming. Now, I have to really prepare myself for my latest transition, and a very intimidating part of the real world:
     Apartment Hunting 
     My university and future place of employment are located in a tiny town, almost in the middle of nowhere. I recently found out that it is almost impossible to find open apartments for rent online... there are virtually none listed. Most of these kinds of transactions happen by word of mouth around here.
     I was lucky enough to know someone who will be moving out of a two-bedroom apartment at the end of this semester, so I visited with a friend/potential roommate last week. We were not completely sold on the apartment, and we also may be having a third roommate, so we are not sure if this will work out. Now, I have moved on to looking for town houses/bigger apartments in the area. I am also considering a larger town that is relatively close by. We shall see what happens.
     Before I actually started looking for apartments, I thought the process would be relatively painless and I would find a cute, quaint, cheap apartment for rent in no time. Unfortunately, these kinds of things take a lot of patience and I have come to terms with the fact that I will not likely be able to buy my dream apartment just yet.
     Luckily, I feel very supported by friends, the people in my office, and those who I know in the community. Through them, I have been able to be in contact with around four possible places for next year, and I am now working on talking to my potential roommates to see how they feel about these places. I really feel like a grown up now, and the whole idea of living in the "real world" is becoming more and more real by the minute.
     Honestly, I am most excited to decorate my future apartment... even though my budget is very small. I have already started listing some tips and decoration ideas on my "Living Little" Pinterest board.
     Do you have any tips for me about looking for my first apartment? 

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