So, you’re ready to move out of the dorms. It’s time to live without the sign-in sheets, the guest announcements, the routine room checks and the stove-less kitchens. Living off campus is a wonderful thing, in that respect, but finding this wonderful off-campus new home can be tricky if you don’t know where to look and what to look for.
      There are many places to search for off-campus housing, and the two best places to start are craigslist and the C of C off-campus listings. Craigslist is the Mecca of off-campus rental listings, and that’s the problem.
With so many listings it can be difficult and tiresome to have to search and scroll through it all before coming across an attractive possibility. To make this process a bit easier, narrow your search as much as possible. Start by specifying which type of housing you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for a place on your own or with your own selected roommates, choose “apt/housing for rent,” and if you’re on your own, choose “rooms wanted.” Next, type in your budget and check off if you have any dogs or cats. Keep the “has image” option unchecked, but if you do end up liking a no-image listing, make sure you see the place before signing anything. Now you’re ready for the search button.
For the C of C off-campus listings, head over to reslife.cofc.edu and click on the “Off-Campus Housing” tab. This is a great and probably safer site that allows you to more easily specify which area of Charleston you want to live in.
 Again, the best way to make the search easier is to specify as much as possible. Then, if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can broaden your search.
      As the results appear, don’t feel overwhelmed by the list, that’s what the “Finder” on your computer is for! By hitting CTRL+F on your keyboard a “Finder” window will pop up.
In this window you can type in the area of Charleston you are looking to live in, for example, “Mt. Pleasant,” and then the computer will sift through the results for you, highlighting the listings with the words you typed in. If you are looking to live downtown on craigslist, first try typing “downtown” in the Finder, and then try “Charleston,” as Charleston usually refers to downtown. The finder is not limited to location searches, and will soon become your best friend as you embark on your search.
Once you’ve narrowed it down and are ready to check out the prospects for next year, make sure you know what to ask the landlord and what to look for when you go to see the property. The best thing to do is make a list of things you cannot compromise on, and a list of things you would like;  if you’ve lived with dirty dishes in your sink for months at a time while on campus, a dishwasher would be on your “cannot compromise” list.
It may be hard to know what to look for, or what you need to live with, if you’ve never lived off-campus before, so here’s a list of things to think about: heating/AC (which may be listed as “ch/a”), dishwasher (“dw”), washer/dryer (“w/d” on listings, and make sure to ask if the appliance comes with the rental, sometimes there will only be a “w/d hook-up” which usually means you would have to provide the appliance), parking, drafty doors (drafts will up the electric/gas bill, and are common in historic downtown homes), closet space (ask if the closet comes with the rods or shelving that’s there, sometimes it’s the current leasee’s own closet pieces), and most importantly, neighbors (whether you’re looking to party or study, just ask about who may be living around you.)
Finally, it’s always smart to ask as many questions as possible, such as whether the area floods easily, how much the average monthly utility bills are, and if there has been any damage (such as that from leaking pipes or water damage) in the past year. Asking questions is the only way you’ll find these things out, so don’t be intimidated by your landlord. If something doesn’t look or feel right about the house, it probably isn’t.