Are you planning to live off-campus?

If so, and especially if you don't know where you'll be living yet, this post is for you! Rachel asked me (Ruth) to call up apartment complexes this week so that we could find out how many still have places available for the fall. So, after a few days of searching, I have some good news and some bad news.

The bad news is that most of the complexes and realty groups in the area are already full for this year. Since many students usually rent through a realty company or apartment complex, this could seem like a problem for all of you.

But, don't worry - I said there was also good news! Even though the companies that handle rentals are mostly fully rented for this year, using them is not the only way to find housing. Many people in the area rent out their apartments, condos, townhouses, or houses for a year at a time while they are away. This is called subletting, and means that you deal directly with the person instead of with the rental company. As in any rental situation, it is a good idea to be sure that you feel safe and that you know what you are responsible for in the agreements you make.

You can find information about available sublets at the Housing Board outside room 407 Boucke Building and on websites like http://www.craigslist.org/ , at the Marketplace on http://www.facebook.com/, and at the Penn State Off-Campus Living Office at http://www.sa.psu.edu/ocl/. Remember that Bellefonte and Boalsburg are nearby towns and that rent there is often cheaper than in State College. They are further away, though, and you would need to take the bus. Here is a link to the CATA Bus website: http://www.catabus.com/, to the Boalsburg schedule: http://catabus.com/centreline/routes/b/schedule.htm, and to the Bellefonte schedule: http://catabus.com/centreline/routes/x/schedule.htm. Bus fare is $1.25 per trip for off-campus routes if you just buy a single token, $49 for a one-month pass, $279 for a 6-month pass, and $499 for a one-year pass (for more options and details, see http://catabus.com/ssfares.htm).

And, while most of the rental agencies are fully rented for the fall, not all of them are. Here are a few that I found who said they still had apartments for rent:
Continental Real Estate Management at 814-238-1598 or cremapt@gmail.com
Copper Beech Townhomes at 814-867-2323 or statecollege@cbeech.com
Falk Realty at 814-238-8788 or info@falkrealty.net
Park Crest Terrace at 814-231-9677 or info@parkcrestterrace.com
Toftrees Apartments at 866-649-1340 or leasin-toftrees@rentberger.com

I hope this is useful information for you and that you are all a little further on your way toward getting a place to live for the fall! If you haven't started looking yet, it's probably a good idea to do that as soon as you can. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about housing! We're here to help. :)