There comes a point in most of our sophomore and junior lives — after brushing our teeth amid the stench of our neighbor’s puke one too many times — that we realize it may be time to move off campus and seek out private bathrooms. Unfortunately for us, however, house-hunting is just as annoying as most other aspects of school — like the whole working part of it. So we’ve compiled some quick tips to help guide you on your merry house-hunting way.

Determine your criteria:

Getting the specifics down right away will refine your search and save you valuable time.

1) For starters, determine the number of potential housemates and the number of bedrooms you will need. After you calculate this number, it is still a safe bet to check out one or two places one room short of what you originally planned in case someone drops out, which isn’t uncommon. It will save you a lot of frustration later.

2) Secondly, come up with a ball-park monthly figure that your group would be willing to pay, factoring in primary rent, plus an estimate of at least $50 (or more) for utilities. People assume living off campus is a steal because of the relatively minuscule rent, but make sure you don’t overlook the “hidden” expenses.

3) Third, try to agree on a general location where you will all feel comfortable living. Take into consideration the proximity of local transportation (if you need it) and walking distance to the bars, if that’s important to you. As a general rule, most students prefer to live on the south side of Main Street for safety and community reasons.

After you’ve got that covered, its time to start searching:

Where do you look?

1) Pipe Dream (since you’re already reading it) — check out the housing ads we feature for available properties and contact information.

2) Scope out postings on bulletin boards around campus.

3) Ask your friends off campus. This may be your best bet since they can also relate their first-hand experience of living in a particular place. They also know whether or not the landlord left them without a working toilet for months, or shows up regularly without calling first.

4) Binghamton University’s Off Campus College Web site also offers some listings of available places, including landlord contact information and a few more specific details.

Check out: http://www.binghamton.edu/occ/housing/housing.htm

After you’ve got a few options, it’s time to set up appointments and take some tours.

What questions do you ask?

Before touring houses, brainstorm with your friends about all the possible questions you may want to ask your landlord. Ask your parents for help with this one; they’re bound to have some important questions you might forget.

Here are a few that might get you on your way:

1) Is there parking available (if you need it)?

2) Does the residence come fully or partly furnished?

3) What’s a rough estimate of the cost of utilities, including heat in the winter (is the system older and more expensive to heat?), Internet and cable? If you know your address, you can call the gas and electric company to find out how much last year’s bill cost.

4) What’s the landlord’s policy on subletting? If you or your potential roommates plan to travel abroad or rent out your house for the summer (since most leases start in May, right before you go home) this will be important.

5) Are your neighbors mostly students, or elderly folk who would want you to lock your car manually at night because the beeping will be too loud?

6) Are you responsible for snow and garbage removal?

7) How close does the landlord live? Just so you can have an idea of what their response time might be in case of a problem.

8) How safe is the neighborhood? Is there a security system, or could you have one installed if it would make you feel more comfortable?

Remember that no question is too trivial because you will be living in this place for at least a year and you want to make sure you’ve got all the bases covered.

If after all of this you’ve finally found your new dream house/apartment, the next big step is to sign the lease.

Before you sign:

1) Be sure to send it to your parents first. Some landlords only give you 24 hours after handing it over to let you make a decision and sign, so fax it home ASAP for review.

2) Before you sign the lease, be 100 percent sure that everyone can commit to it. Backing out of the contract after it’s signed is almost impossible.

Follow this basic guide and try to have fun searching for your new digs, even though it may get stressful at times. It’ll be worth it in the end.