Apartment Living

An apartment is likely what you will start off living in, if you are so blessed as to escape the peril that is dorm living. You'll likely have a roommate and/or live in a shoebox of an apartment. It's relatively self explanatory so this section won't be very large, just some key things to note:

General Apartment Requirements:

Most apartments have the same general requirements. They require a credit score and proof of income. At minimum, you'll want a credit score of 620 but you should shoot to have at least a 700. They'll require paystubs as proof of income, you can usually find digital paystubs through the app you use to clock in and out (like ADP, for example). You'll need to make 2.5-3 times the monthly rent. At this age, one of the easiest things to do is to move in with someone who has an apartment and is subletting a room. 

Roommates:

Choosing roommates is an important choice and you need to choice carefully. Just because someone is a good friend does NOT mean that they will be a good roommate. What matters here is not friendship but living compatibility. Do you guys agree on how chores should be divided? Are you the same level of clean? Do you guys agree on overnight guest rules/guest rules in general? Do you both like to party or not? These are examples of things that you NEED to be on the same page about. It's not just a social relationship but a somewhat legal one as well. Unless your roommate is literally going to be me, ALWAYS have a rental agreement. This protects everyone in case shit hits the fan because when it does, it hits it fast. You can easily create a contract on your own, here's a resource for that.

Expenses:

I'm hoping you're aware of this but I will cover this just in case you don't: there are additional expenses aside from rent that come with an apartment. There expenses usually include things like sewage, trash, electricity, water, internet stuff like that. Make sure you budget for this as these expenses usually fluctuate. In the summer months, your electricity bill will generally be higher because most people turn on the AC. Just to give you an idea, this last summer, our electricity bill was ~$300 one month because of the AC, so it's definitely something that needs to be planned and budgeted for.