The Apartment Hunt

So for some reason, all the housing complexes around BYU have decided that February is a really good time to sign everyone up for housing for the fall. Yes, because 6 months in advance is a really good idea especially at a school where that is the average time from 1st date to marriage.

Anyway, I have been looking at places to live and it has come down to two options. My two requirements were that 1. a single room, no roommate and 2. no mold/broken things/rodents or usual or unusual size/etc. That left me with very few options. Both of these places are nice and a little more pricy than I would like, but I set the requirements and I will abide by them for my own sanity. So, in no particular order, I give you my choices:

Option #1: The Branbury
http://www.studyplaygrow.com/future/index.php

The Branbury has individual rooms of two different sizes (the bigger one is $10 more and has a double bed, which I don't need at all). There are four rooms to an apartment, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, and dining room. The bedrooms have a desk and large closet and bed. The desk has a lot of shelving above it too, which is nice. There is a couch and a love seat, four person dining table/chairs. The only real problem in the apartment itself is that the kitchen is rather smallish. It's a good size, but it's closed off, so its kind of like a hallway kitchen. However, that really isn't a big deal.

There is a fitness center in the main building, along with a tanning bed and sauna (so you can get a nice sweat as a study break?) There is a large common area that was very nice and empty and a common entertainment room that had a big TV and video games and the likes. They also have one of those rental boxes for DVDs.

Distance: 30 minute walk to school, 10 minutes to grocery store, bus stop right there for a lazy day to school

Cost: $269/mo (year round), $339/month (Fall/Winter), or $169 (Spring/Summer) [so if I got the F/W contract then wanted to stay for Sp/Su, I would lose out on $150 total) + utilities (usu. $40/month)


Option #2: Alpine Village
http://www.myalpinevillage.com/

Pretty much the same as the Branbury, only much newer and slightly smaller. There is a washer/dryer in the apartments. For those of you that saw Kimberly's dorm at Peperdine, it was similar to that, only nicer. Granite countertops, newer appliances, leather couches, plasma TV. The hallways in the building itself were a lovely shade of grey with concrete, but how long do you spend in a hallway anyway.The rooms had a bed, 2-shelf bookshelf, desk and a 3-drawer dresser. He let me go up by myeslf because the office was short-staffed, and my reaction upon walking in was "holy crap" I actually said it out loud.

Alpine Village is about 10 minutes closer to campus, but there isn't a bus stop incredibly near, nor is the grocery store within easy walking distance (it would probably be 15-20 minutes, but doing that with groceries?)

Price: $355/month (full year), $450 (8 month) + utilities (they used to be a flat fee, but that is changing, it will be $20 per month + electricity [the guy said that this would make it cheaper for girls cuz its the guys that use all the electricity on their video games and watching TV]) Also, keep in mind that it is possible to sell a contract mid-year (people do it all the time what with all the wedding bells)

Thank you for reading my very own pro-con-like list. Opinions?