The standard progression for most students is to live in Hecht or Stanford freshman year, Eaton, Pearson, or Mahoney sophomore year and then move into either the University Village or off campus during the final two years of undergraduate study. This step from on campus to off campus is a big one and can be a confusing one too if you’re not careful.
There have been changes in how housing is run in the last year, with a lottery-style housing system emerging and the apartment area availability changing for students next year. All in all, for a majority of students, off campus housing is looking better and better.
Living off campus can bring up questions that a lot of students don’t know how to answer. Can I lease for the nine months I’m in school, or do I have to sign for the whole year? What does a furnished apartment provide? Who pays for maintenance, the landlord or me? Are pets allowed? Are parties okay? These sorts of questions can be hard to answer if you don’t know where to look for guidance.
Many students don’t know that while the Department of Residence Halls can help find off campus housing, there are many more resources available.
Last year, a good friend of mine was unfortunately manipulated by a shady realtor, signed papers engineered by the landlord’s lawyers and ended up losing his house in the middle of the year. I learned from this and found a UM student and realtor named Jesse Wright, of Keller Williams Coral Gables off of Ponce de Leon (Cell # 443-834-2588, e-mail: Jessew4@verizon.net).
He found incredible housing options for next year for myself and for over ten of my friends in a quick, efficient and professional manner. We always hear how University of Miami graduates go on to be the best and brightest in their respective fields and this just helps reaffirm that fact!
Where you live is a big part of your collegic experience. Being smart about who you trust is important as well. Don’t chose an arbitrary deceitful realtor over someone like Jesse who has Miami in their heart and in their life. Whether it’s on campus for all four years, commuting from home, in a frat house or on Star Island, we all need to live somewhere!
Evan Peskin is a sophomore majoring in pre-med psychology. He may be contacted at epeskin@themiamihurricane.com.