For most incoming freshmen students, college could mean attending a school some distance from home. While it is exciting to venture out on your own for the first time, the transition from living at home to life on a college campus can be difficult on many levels. Getting into the right housing situation smoothens several bumps in the road.
So from awesomescores.com, here are some tips you can follow on finding the right house to avoid small glitches that could pose some serious problems on your overall first-year-in-college experience.

Start Your Search Early

Expect that you will not be the only student in search of an apartment close to campus. You will have keen competition for all available units so leave yourself plenty of time during summer or before the semester to look around and find the apartment that best meets your needs in terms of location and budget.

Start With at least Three to Four Choices

Try to schedule at least three or four views on one visit to get a good idea of the range of apartments available in your budget. This will enable you to obtain some perspective of what’s available in your price range.

Prepare a Checklist

Before venturing out to view apartments, make a list of things to check out; security, plumbing and electric, furnishing and utilities, transportation, distance to facilities such as the hospital and convenience store and of course to the campus.

Be Ready to Leave a Deposit

Since competition is keen, you want to be sure you can leave a deposit when you find the place you want.  Most landlords will require co-signer willing to put their name on the application. Since most college students do not have an established credit history, the co-signer will need to have strong credit in order to assume responsibility in the event you are unable meet the conditions in the lease.

Read the Entire Lease Carefully before Signing

Before committing, make sure you and your co-signer read the lease thoroughly. Chances are that it will be an average document but make sure you know the terms as many landlords insert specific arrangements for pets, visitors and sublets. Other important items include due of rent, amount of security deposit, penalties for late rent, and who you should contact for help with maintenance issues.