As the semester draws to a close, students often spend their time planning their spring schedule, studying for finals and in some cases, getting a jump on next fall’s housing rush.
Many UA students have already made decisions and down payments on their housing for a full year from now, whether they sought out a new apartment or house early or signed another lease for their current location.
To veterans of the Tuscaloosa housing shuffle, this is simply how the game is played, but to others, the process is surprising and nerve-racking.
“I had no idea that apartments for next fall were already being filled this October,” said Elizabeth Perkinson, a freshman majoring in English and theatre who is currently living in the Riverside Community. “I didn’t know we were even supposed to have begun thinking about where we’re going to room next year or even who with.”
Upperclassmen are no strangers to the housing rush and are among those who have already procured their residential spaces for the 2013-2014 school year.
“Last year, I barely got in with the guys I wanted, where we wanted,” junior Jeff Stevens said. “You’ve got to be on top of your game if you want to live somewhere other than one of the dorms.”
John Hyde, marketing director for Sealy Realty Company, which leases various apartments in Tuscaloosa, said the early search for housing is a relatively new thing.
‘Two or three years ago, students weren’t looking for apartments until spring break, but since then, especially since the [April 27, 2011] tornadoes, they have been looking much earlier,” Hyde said. “The tornado tore up a lot of apartments, so students became more worried about finding the exact floor plan they wanted.”
Additionally, the area between University Boulevard and 15th Street is considered by many students to be prime real estate. Its proximity to campus, college atmosphere and pedestrian-friendly aspects make the area one of the first to be taken off the real estate market. The leases on these houses are also often much harder to procure, partly due to the practice of handing down leases to friends, fraternity brothers or sorority sisters.
The construction and renovation of apartments and condos around the city, however, has led to a higher availability of housing and less of a need to sign a lease by Christmas, Hyde said.
“The earlier you start looking, the better – if you want to find the exact floor plan – but there are still plenty enough in Tuscaloosa for students to find what they want,” Hyde said.
Hyde also warned that not everyone prices similarly. Students often do not realize that although dorms and some apartments are priced individually by student, most apartments and rental houses are priced as a whole, Hyde said. For example, the cost of one apartment may look much more expensive than another, but when the cost is divided among potential roommates, the actual cost would be significantly less. Additionally, utilities are included in dorms and most apartments but are not necessarily included in rent for houses.
The housing search can be made easier by planning ahead with regards to location, size and costs, but it may not necessarily mean signing a lease before the Iron Bowl.
