Students can meet future landlords at CU Housing Fair
On Tuesday, the CU Off-Campus Housing Fair will offer students a chance to compare housing options for next year around Boulder and kickoff the already busy property rental season for 2007.
The fair, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom, will feature over 50 realtors from around Boulder, said Hugh Boles, the Off-Campus Housing assistant coordinator. The fair is designed to jump-start students’ search for housing in Boulder for next year.
“Basically, this is a one-stop-shop for students to get an idea of what is available in Boulder,” Boles said. “It brings all the property management companies and landlords into one place so students don’t have to make phone calls and drive to all the various different owners to make arrangements.”
The fair is also designed to make sure students do not delay looking for houses for next year. Still, the Off-Campus Student Services department, which is sponsoring the event, does not expect or encourage every student at the fair to make a decision that day. Boles said students going to the fair should not feel pressured to settle on a house they are not completely comfortable with.
“A lot of students go into this feeling like they need (to buy) a house that day, but those (students) really just are jumping the gun too much,” Boles said. “It’s like purchasing something before looking at everything else that’s out there.”
Boles’ urgings of caution are not applicable to every neighborhood in Boulder, though. Amanda Gresiak, a property manager at Four Star Realty on the Hill, said properties were moving fast this year, especially on the Hill. Of the 150 properties on the Hill that Four Star started with, only a handful are left now. Gresiak said the rest of Four Star’s properties on the Hill would be gone by next week.
“If you see a place that you love, don’t wait for something better to come along,” Gresiak said. “If you’re not sure, take your time. You could go either way.”
Bob Gentles, a landlord for Gentles LLC, a small real-estate company, said properties were going faster this year than they had in years past.
“Already this year, I’ve had more phone calls and showings for people looking to rent than I’ve had in the past few years,” Gentles said.
Gresiak agreed, saying, “It’s been a good, fast year so far.”
Still, Gentles said he usually has his last properties remaining up until the end of spring break. Boles also said properties are usually still available through spring break, and sometimes even later.
“I’ve been in this office for four and a half years now, and we’ve never had a situation where a student couldn’t find housing at spring break. There’s always something available that late in the season, if not even later than that.”
The fair on Tuesday will be the first one of the Spring 2007 season. The second will follow on March 21. More information can be found on the Off-Campus Student Services Web site, http://www.colorado.edu/OCSS.
Boles offered a last piece of advice for those in the dorms looking to move off-campus for next year, telling students to look at a variety of options before making a choice.
“Take your time,” Boles said. “Understand that going into these situations with knowledge of other places is going to give you the ability to both negotiate with these landlords as well as the ability to know what one house has to offer over another.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Brian Beer at brian.beer@thecampuspress.com.
