Moving to LA: with a Dream. Without a Job.

August 27, 2011 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our new guest blogger, Katherine, is a recent graduate of Northwestern University seeking fame and fortune (but mostly fame) in that fickle and fast town of Los Angeles. She has had no less than 13 roommates in a total of four apartments, spread across four cities. Now she’s ready to settle and begin her hunt…

How to Survive Moving Back Home After Graduation

May 31, 2011 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

We’ve received a couple questions lately from readers asking our advice for how to move back home, with mom/dad/grandma as landlord. With only 56% of 2010 grads working full-time jobs and those working taking pay cuts, it’s become a usual first step in post-college living. And, it’s OK. It’s just the financial reality right now. I…

The First Two Things to Decide Before You Start Your Apartment Hunt

May 3, 2010 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

It’s May and you know what that means — the beginning of summer rental season. If you act fast you may luck out but otherwise, get ready for rentals to go bat-shit crazy. To give you a head start on your hunt, the first two questions you need to ask yourself right now, this very…

Using Craigslist: A Sample Email That Got Results

March 31, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

In my last post, I gave suggestions about what attributes made a good response to a Craigslist Apartment listing. Today, you get to see the email that ‘won’ me the chance to meet my now future-roommate for my now-future apartment(I move in Wednesday!!) Subject: Park Slope Apartment!Hello! My name’s Alissa, I’m 25(f), originally from Chicago,…

Win their respect! or How to be the best new roommate ever.

October 30, 2007 | By Joe AuthorMy First Apartment

My roommate Matt likes to remind me that he made this apartment the way it is today. “You know I made this apartment what it is today,” he’ll tell me, waving his hand towards the epic and alphabetized vinyl record collection or the well-stocked knife drawer in the kitchen like Napoleon flaunting his Arc de…

Roommate Decisions: The Personal Stuff

November 23, 2005 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

The key to a successful roommate relationship is having each party know what to expect right from the start. The best way to accomplish this is by drafting a written roommate agreement that anticipates problems before they arise and establishes ways to deal with them.