Ideal vet apartment considerations

[ziggyandjazzy]

So my parents said they were thinking about buying a property close to where I attend vet school as an investment. Essentially I could live there and rent out 2 or so bedrooms to other vet students (or just other people). When you are/were looking for a rental for vet school, what was important? How close to school is ideal? I can't find any currently that are less than about 2 miles. How important is price vs. distance? Would you rather live 4-5 miles from campus and have it be a bit cheaper or larger or live 2 miles away in a smaller or less nice space? How important is a fenced yard? What aspects of the place would be the most important to you (ie amount of bathrooms, kitchen, living room space, bedroom space, etc)? I'm just curious to hear people's opinions.

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[ziggyandjazzy]

Also if there is a better thread for this just lmk

 

[LyraGardenia]

It's really going to vary depending on the person. Personally I would be miserable with roommates and love coming home to just my cat at the end of the day, while other people enjoy having several roommates around and saving money on rent that way. At K-State a lot of people live within a mile or two of campus because Manhattan is pretty small, but there are at least a couple of my classmates who live outside of town and have about a 30 minute commute (4th year I believe we're required to live closer to campus so we can get to the hospital quickly when on call). I like that I'm within walking distance of campus so I can just walk if the roads are bad yet classes aren't canceled. Personally I chose a newer apartment complex even though it was a little more expensive, because I didn't want to have to deal with the frustrations of a run-down apartment on top of vet school stress, but other people might care about cost above all else. I don't have a dog, so a fenced yard doesn't matter to me, but for people with dogs that would be pretty important. It's impossible to please everyone, so I'd say go with somewhere you (and your parents) like and hopefully potential roommates will like it too.

ETA: I'd also say a top consideration for most vet students would be how quiet the area is. Housing that's heavily populated by undergrads or really close to the bars will be noisier, which can be really annoying when you're trying to study.

 

[pooter]

The question about distance is going to depend a lot on personal preference, resources, and the location of the vet school. I'd wager a guess that five miles feels a lot further in west Philadelphia than it would in a less urban campus. Does that extra five miles mean an extra ten minutes in the car on the highway? An extra thirty of cussing at red lights? An extra hour on a bike? Bottom line, go drive around and look at everything. Get a feel for the traffic patterns at different times of day before you commit.

 

[hygebeorht]

I liked being able to walk to school if the weather was super dire. Also, you'll be so busy that ANY commute time will really make a difference in your day. You also don't need the stress of traffic making you late to lab or clinics. My vote: move as close as you possibly can, and make it as affordable as you can (roommates, whatever).

I would recommend at least one bathroom per roommate. A roommate in the class ahead of you is a good plan as they can help you learn the ropes.

 

[JaynaAli]

My parents purchased the home I lived in during vet school as their contribution to my education. We sold it to my roommate's parents when I graduated (she'd lived with me there for four years and we basically sold it to them for what we had bought it for), and she just recently sold the home as well upon her graduation. For us, we had a certain budget. We looked at several houses within that budget, from smaller two bedroom two baths to larger three bedrooms.

Ultimately, our deciding factors were:
1. Age of the home. One of the top contenders was older and my dad was worried about things breaking. He is very handy and lived just over two hours away so he was able to do a lot of the maintenance, but we didn't want something that was liable to get run down.
2. Access to yard/suitable for a dog. We wanted to be able to fence in a yard and have some sort of room separate from the main living area where we could keep the dog, like a mudroom of sorts. We ended up finding a house with a laundry room off the kitchen. We were able to put a doggie door in the door from the laundry to outside, and we could shut the dogs in the laundry room while we were gone. It was super convenient and made having a pet during school easy because I didn't have to run home between class and events to let the dog out.
3. Price/appeal to roommates. We realized that I could have a "nicer" home, but obviously that came with a higher price. To have that fancier home, I'd have to have two roommates to help offset the rent. Or I could have the smaller, older two bedroom home and have less potential roommate drama at a better price. Ultimately, we decided on a smaller, three bedroom home with a price that we could afford with only one roommate. That way, if my family ended up in a tough financial situation, I had the option to get a second roommate if we needed, but one wasn't required for us to make the mortgage payments.

My roommate and I each had our own bathrooms. I had the master suite. She used the hall bathroom as 'hers'. On the rare occasion that we had guests (usually one of our parents), they shared her bathroom. We rarely used the living room...we mostly hung out in our respective rooms and would pass each other in the kitchen. Our home was almost all the way across town from the school, but probably a ten minute drive. Maybe two or three miles? I never had an issue with traffic except for football game days which sucked for the entire town. For me, it was worth driving to have a nicer home with our own bathrooms and a nicer yard. Homes were older, less nice, and more expensive close to the school, so I lived farther away. For someone else, though, it may not have been worth it.

 

[SocialStigma]

I didn't have a car throughout undergrad/vet school so distance was always my #1 factor. I always lived within a 10-15 minute walk to campus. In my 4th year of vet school I actually moved to an apartment that was literally right across the street from the clinic. It was $$$$ ($575 per person for tiny rooms and 3 other roomies) but well worth it to me while I was on clinics.

 

[battie]

Just moved from a popular apartment complex to a farmhouse in BFE. Been here only a week, so take with a grain of salt.

Rent is an extra $100 a month than the old one. Negative.
But have easily 50% more space in my personal bed room. Major plus for me.
Have 5 roommates, but all are graduate students. So pretty neutral there.
No undergrads being crazy without consequences. I was in the building next to the pool at the old complex. It took pestering the local dispatch office (who would then pester the officer who was paid security for the complex) three times before they started enforcing the pool curfew. So being in BFE is a major plus.
I also love rural environment. So major plus.
Brand new kitchen and recently remodeled bathrooms. Plus.
4.5 miles from the school. ~10 minute drive. Google says 1.5 hour walk; could probably make it in an hour. Neutral.

Super personal to me, obviously. But I tried a cheaper option with pretty good extras attached. Simply wasn't a good fit for me. I took the hit financially and got a decent job to cover the extra $1200 a year in rent.

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

How much do you think is a reasonable amount to pay in rent for a room in a house? It seems that renting in the area of my IS college might be quite a bit more expensive than other people have mentioned. It seems that apartments close to campus go for 800+. There are a lot of 2 bed 1 bathroom apartments in the 1200-1600 range on CL. It seems that a room in a house can go 500-700+ but doesn't fluctuate all that much depending on whether its 2 miles or 4 from campus. Perhaps it would be higher if it was across the street or something. I still need to do more research on this and I could contact people who go there now to see how much they pay in rent.

Thanks everyone for your input! any and all info and responses are appreciated

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

My parents purchased the home I lived in during vet school as their contribution to my education. We sold it to my roommate's parents when I graduated (she'd lived with me there for four years and we basically sold it to them for what we had bought it for), and she just recently sold the home as well upon her graduation. For us, we had a certain budget. We looked at several houses within that budget, from smaller two bedroom two baths to larger three bedrooms.

Ultimately, our deciding factors were:
1. Age of the home. One of the top contenders was older and my dad was worried about things breaking. He is very handy and lived just over two hours away so he was able to do a lot of the maintenance, but we didn't want something that was liable to get run down.
2. Access to yard/suitable for a dog. We wanted to be able to fence in a yard and have some sort of room separate from the main living area where we could keep the dog, like a mudroom of sorts. We ended up finding a house with a laundry room off the kitchen. We were able to put a doggie door in the door from the laundry to outside, and we could shut the dogs in the laundry room while we were gone. It was super convenient and made having a pet during school easy because I didn't have to run home between class and events to let the dog out.
3. Price/appeal to roommates. We realized that I could have a "nicer" home, but obviously that came with a higher price. To have that fancier home, I'd have to have two roommates to help offset the rent. Or I could have the smaller, older two bedroom home and have less potential roommate drama at a better price. Ultimately, we decided on a smaller, three bedroom home with a price that we could afford with only one roommate. That way, if my family ended up in a tough financial situation, I had the option to get a second roommate if we needed, but one wasn't required for us to make the mortgage payments.

My roommate and I each had our own bathrooms. I had the master suite. She used the hall bathroom as 'hers'. On the rare occasion that we had guests (usually one of our parents), they shared her bathroom. We rarely used the living room...we mostly hung out in our respective rooms and would pass each other in the kitchen. Our home was almost all the way across town from the school, but probably a ten minute drive. Maybe two or three miles? I never had an issue with traffic except for football game days which sucked for the entire town. For me, it was worth driving to have a nicer home with our own bathrooms and a nicer yard. Homes were older, less nice, and more expensive close to the school, so I lived farther away. For someone else, though, it may not have been worth it.

Thanks for your input! It's interesting to hear that other people's parents have done the same thing. The way I/they see it is that I could easily spend 40k in housing over 4 years or they could get a place and same me/them that money while also making an investment. It makes sense to me.

 

[battie]

Cost of living is going to vary. The schools in the Midwest will have cheaper housing compared to places like Philly. So what's acceptable for rent will depend on the local cost of living.

One other person in my ex-class was also from my same state. He was eventually offered a seat at our IS school, but it was an OOS seat with OOS tuition. He decided to still go OOS because the cost of living here is cheaper than at our IS school.

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

Cost of living is going to vary. The schools in the Midwest will have cheaper housing compared to places like Philly. So what's acceptable for rent will depend on the local cost of living.

One other person in my ex-class was also from my same state. He was eventually offered a seat at our IS school, but it was an OOS seat with OOS tuition. He decided to still go OOS because the cost of living here is cheaper than at our IS school.

I guess everything is all in perspective. I currently rent in the Midwest a 2 bedroom for $500 a month and since my partner lives there and a roommate, its only $125 for me. However, I'm from a fairly big west coast city that's being gentrified and average rent is so ridiculous that the rent near my IS, which is in a more rural area, seems pretty manageable.

 

[battie]

I guess everything is all in perspective. I currently rent in the Midwest a 2 bedroom for $500 a month and since my partner lives there and a roommate, its only $125 for me. However, I'm from a fairly big west coast city that's being gentrified and average rent is so ridiculous that the rent near my IS, which is in a more rural area, seems pretty manageable.

I feel ya on all that.

 

[Squeaksmom]

I voted cost and distance. The rest I can deal with, but if I can't afford it the discussion is over, and I don't want to be late for an exam because I'm stuck in traffic. And I can't tell you how I envy that 2 bedroom for $500 scenario!

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

My parents purchased the home I lived in during vet school as their contribution to my education. We sold it to my roommate's parents when I graduated (she'd lived with me there for four years and we basically sold it to them for what we had bought it for), and she just recently sold the home as well upon her graduation. For us, we had a certain budget. We looked at several houses within that budget, from smaller two bedroom two baths to larger three bedrooms.

Ultimately, our deciding factors were:
1. Age of the home. One of the top contenders was older and my dad was worried about things breaking. He is very handy and lived just over two hours away so he was able to do a lot of the maintenance, but we didn't want something that was liable to get run down.
2. Access to yard/suitable for a dog. We wanted to be able to fence in a yard and have some sort of room separate from the main living area where we could keep the dog, like a mudroom of sorts. We ended up finding a house with a laundry room off the kitchen. We were able to put a doggie door in the door from the laundry to outside, and we could shut the dogs in the laundry room while we were gone. It was super convenient and made having a pet during school easy because I didn't have to run home between class and events to let the dog out.
3. Price/appeal to roommates. We realized that I could have a "nicer" home, but obviously that came with a higher price. To have that fancier home, I'd have to have two roommates to help offset the rent. Or I could have the smaller, older two bedroom home and have less potential roommate drama at a better price. Ultimately, we decided on a smaller, three bedroom home with a price that we could afford with only one roommate. That way, if my family ended up in a tough financial situation, I had the option to get a second roommate if we needed, but one wasn't required for us to make the mortgage payments.

My roommate and I each had our own bathrooms. I had the master suite. She used the hall bathroom as 'hers'. On the rare occasion that we had guests (usually one of our parents), they shared her bathroom. We rarely used the living room...we mostly hung out in our respective rooms and would pass each other in the kitchen. Our home was almost all the way across town from the school, but probably a ten minute drive. Maybe two or three miles? I never had an issue with traffic except for football game days which sucked for the entire town. For me, it was worth driving to have a nicer home with our own bathrooms and a nicer yard. Homes were older, less nice, and more expensive close to the school, so I lived farther away. For someone else, though, it may not have been worth it.

When you say 1 roommate helped you pay the mortgage payments, what exactly do you mean by that? I can't imagine that one roommate would cover all the mortgage unless you went to school in a super low cost area (but then wouldn't rent also be cheap?) My parents are trying to have the roommates cover 100% of the mortgage. For instance, if the mortgage payment was $1000 and I had two roommates, they would want them paying at least $500 a month each.

 

[DVMDream]

When you say 1 roommate helped you pay the mortgage payments, what exactly do you mean by that? I can't imagine that one roommate would cover all the mortgage unless you went to school in a super low cost area (but then wouldn't rent also be cheap?) My parents are trying to have the roommates cover 100% of the mortgage. For instance, if the mortgage payment was $1000 and I had two roommates, they would want them paying at least $500 a month each.

I'd never agree to pay full mortgage to someone while their kid is living their too. That kid (or them) should be responsible for paying part of the living expenses since they are also living in the property. All roommates should have some responsibility for living expenses.

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

I'd never agree to pay full mortgage to someone while their kid is living their too. That kid (or them) should be responsible for paying part of the living expenses since they are also living in the property. All roommates should have some responsibility for living expenses.

In this situation, why would it be necessary for me or my parents to pay part of the rent? They would be making a financial investment, with money at stake in other means. People who own properties are largely responsible for upkeep and they have to do a down payment also. It's not like they/me wouldn't have skin in the game if you will.

 

[DVMDream]

In this situation, why would it be necessary for me or my parents to pay part of the rent? They would be making a financial investment, with money at stake in other means. People who own properties are largely responsible for upkeep and they have to do a down payment also. It's not like they/me wouldn't have skin in the game if you will.

You have skin in the game but if you're living there too, you should be covering part of those expenses. Most people who rent out homes or a room in a home don't have the renters responsible for all expenses unless they aren't living in the property. If the landlord is living in the property they're also responsible for those expenses. Heck, I'm not paying your mortgage if you're also there in the building....**** that, I'll go to an apartment... where my landlord won't be living with me.

 

[DVMDream]

Let's put it this way..... I'm not going to buy a 3 bedroom home, live in one bedroom, use the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, etc....then rent out 2 bedrooms and tell those people they must cover my entire mortgage and utilities. Yeah, I'll be responsible for repairs as they arise.... but basically free loading off your renters (living for free, unless you have a repair to make)... hell to the no. Maybe I'm alone but I sure as hell wouldn't go for that deal.

 

[JaynaAli]

When you say 1 roommate helped you pay the mortgage payments, what exactly do you mean by that? I can't imagine that one roommate would cover all the mortgage unless you went to school in a super low cost area (but then wouldn't rent also be cheap?) My parents are trying to have the roommates cover 100% of the mortgage. For instance, if the mortgage payment was $1000 and I had two roommates, they would want them paying at least $500 a month each.

I am from a fairly low cost of living part of the country. We bought a small 3 bedroom 2 bath 'starter home' across town from the school. My roommate's "rent" was about $400, which paid 2/3 of the mortgage I think. My parents picked up the other 1/3 as my 'part'. I basically left it up to my roommate if she wanted a third roommate or not. I told her I preferred to only have one roommate, but she'd be the one sharing a bathroom so it affected her more. The 'going rate' on rentals in that area at the time was about $300/bedroom/month (meaning you could rent a 2 bedroom house for $600, a 3 bedroom was 900ish, etc). We said we were planning on charging $300 per bedroom. But if she wanted to be the only roommate, we'd only charge her $400. It was worth $100/month to her not to have to share a bathroom or deal with a third roommate. It was worth it to me and my parents to not have to deal with a third roommate, rent, extra wear and tear on the house, etc as well. If we'd taken two roommates at $300/month, the $600 mortgage would have been covered.

I also disagree with DVMD, though I do understand her point of view. A landlord is going to charge 2-3 students $900 for that same home where his mortgage is $600 and pocket $300 (after all, being a landlord is a job where your goal is to make money), so how is this any different? I guarantee that if the 3 bedroom home we bought was a rental with a regular landlord, the rent would have been at least $900-1,000. To live there with only two people, you'd each be paying $450-500 each to a landlord. If three people, $300 each. So my one roommate who paid $400 to split the house with just me was actually coming out ahead over living in a regular rental of similar size, and I was also able to pay significantly less. The math may work differently in another state. Other people might not view it as 'worth it' to live with the homeowner. But others are. We also didn't charge her any pet deposit or pet rent, there was no security deposit, etc since I knew her. We tried to make it beneficial for us but not a rip off or bad situation for her. Also, my roommate's parents were paying her living expenses, so it worked well. My parents sent hers a copy of all our bills (electric, gas, internet, tv; they paid half) and a statement for rent every month and her parents paid my parents. My roommate and I were not involved with it at all. I understand that we were lucky to be in such a situation. My roommate's parents actually bought the house from us when I graduated because she still had two years left. They did a similar arrangement with the new roommate.

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

Let's put it this way..... I'm not going to buy a 3 bedroom home, live in one bedroom, use the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, etc....then rent out 2 bedrooms and tell those people they must cover my entire mortgage and utilities. Yeah, I'll be responsible for repairs as they arise.... but basically free loading off your renters (living for free, unless you have a repair to make)... hell to the no. Maybe I'm alone but I sure as hell wouldn't go for that deal.

So it's just the idea/principle you don't agree with? Like @JaynaAli is saying, it would potentially be beneficial for the renter in many ways. You would rather pay $600 in rent for a bedroom in a 3 bed house if the landlord wasn't living there but if the landlord was, you would all of a sudden expect to pay less or not live there for that price? I don't understand the logic. Getting an apartment because "screw the landlord" would be a lot more expensive. People rent out houses to make money or break even as a good investment, not out of the kindness of their heart unfortunately. A landlord could choose to pocket the money they make or, like this scenario, use their property to pay for their cost of living. One is straight cash whereas one is the avoidance of paying, therefor also cash in your pocket. I guess I'm failing to see what is so offensive about that.

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

I am from a fairly low cost of living part of the country. We bought a small 3 bedroom 2 bath 'starter home' across town from the school. My roommate's "rent" was about $400, which paid 2/3 of the mortgage I think. My parents picked up the other 1/3 as my 'part'. I basically left it up to my roommate if she wanted a third roommate or not. I told her I preferred to only have one roommate, but she'd be the one sharing a bathroom so it affected her more. The 'going rate' on rentals in that area at the time was about $300/bedroom/month (meaning you could rent a 2 bedroom house for $600, a 3 bedroom was 900ish, etc). We said we were planning on charging $300 per bedroom. But if she wanted to be the only roommate, we'd only charge her $400. It was worth $100/month to her not to have to share a bathroom or deal with a third roommate. It was worth it to me and my parents to not have to deal with a third roommate, rent, extra wear and tear on the house, etc as well. If we'd taken two roommates at $300/month, the $600 mortgage would have been covered.

I also disagree with DVMD, though I do understand her point of view. A landlord is going to charge 2-3 students $900 for that same home where his mortgage is $600 and pocket $300 (after all, being a landlord is a job where your goal is to make money), so how is this any different? I guarantee that if the 3 bedroom home we bought was a rental with a regular landlord, the rent would have been at least $900-1,000. To live there with only two people, you'd each be paying $450-500 each to a landlord. If three people, $300 each. So my one roommate who paid $400 to split the house with just me was actually coming out ahead over living in a regular rental of similar size, and I was also able to pay significantly less. The math may work differently in another state. Other people might not view it as 'worth it' to live with the homeowner. But others are. We also didn't charge her any pet deposit or pet rent, there was no security deposit, etc since I knew her. We tried to make it beneficial for us but not a rip off or bad situation for her. Also, my roommate's parents were paying her living expenses, so it worked well. My parents sent hers a copy of all our bills (electric, gas, internet, tv; they paid half) and a statement for rent every month and her parents paid my parents. My roommate and I were not involved with it at all. I understand that we were lucky to be in such a situation. My roommate's parents actually bought the house from us when I graduated because she still had two years left. They did a similar arrangement with the new roommate.

Thanks for all the info! Super helpful. I think both rent and the mortgage payment would likely be around double for my IS. I'm not sure roommates could completely offset the cost of the mortgage but I do think it would be a sound investment because property values in the area are increasing and it would help me avoid tens of thousands of rent $.

 

[JaynaAli]

Thanks for all the info! Super helpful. I think both rent and the mortgage payment would likely be around double for my IS. I'm not sure roommates could completely offset the cost of the mortgage but I do think it would be a sound investment because property values in the area are increasing and it would help me avoid tens of thousands of rent $.

I'd make sure your parents talk it over with finance people. My parents' accountant had done a similar thing when his child was in college. It really helped them knowing his experience, what to watch out for, how it would be a larger down payment because it was a 'second home', etc. Also really consider what you'll do when you're done. There is no guarantee we won't be in a housing crash in four years...hopefully not, you just never know. It's a big investment to make.

 

[DVMDream]

So it's just the idea/principle you don't agree with? Like @JaynaAli is saying, it would potentially be beneficial for the renter in many ways. You would rather pay $600 in rent for a bedroom in a 3 bed house if the landlord wasn't living there but if the landlord was, you would all of a sudden expect to pay less or not live there for that price? I don't understand the logic. Getting an apartment because "screw the landlord" would be a lot more expensive. People rent out houses to make money or break even as a good investment, not out of the kindness of their heart unfortunately. A landlord could choose to pocket the money they make or, like this scenario, use their property to pay for their cost of living. One is straight cash whereas one is the avoidance of paying, therefor also cash in your pocket. I guess I'm failing to see what is so offensive about that.

My rent + utilities in an apartment without roommates was ~$550 per month....why would I pay you only $50 per month less for rent alone and have to live with people? That's my point. You might have to realize that you may get priced out by trying to get the entire mortgage covered by tenants alone.

Yes the point in being a landlord is to make money but if I'm given the option of living with or without the landlord for minimal price difference, I'd pick without every time for a variety of reasons.

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

My rent + utilities in an apartment without roommates was ~$550 per month....why would I pay you only $50 per month less for rent alone and have to live with people? That's my point. You might have to realize that you may get priced out by trying to get the entire mortgage covered by tenants alone.

Yes the point in being a landlord is to make money but if I'm given the option of living with or without the landlord for minimal price difference, I'd pick without every time for a variety of reasons.

I'm using theoretical prices of my area, not yours lol. Your point is moot because you're mixing your apartment price not in this area with the theoretical price of a room. You would never get an apartment for that price here. Would you rather have a tiny apartment for $900+ or a room in a nice house for $600? The price of a room and an apartment is not similar here.
Edit: I was just asking their experience whether having tenants pay the mortgage was feasible is all. I didn't say it was an absolute requirement.

 

[DVMDream]

I'm using theoretical prices of my area, not yours lol. Your point is moot because you're mixing your apartment price not in this area with the theoretical price of a room. You would never get an apartment for that price here. Would you rather have a tiny apartment for $900+ or a room in a nice house for $600? The price of a room and an apartment is not similar here.
Edit: I was just asking their experience whether having tenants pay the mortgage was feasible is all. I didn't say it was an absolute requirement.

Good luck, I'm just saying personally I'd never choose to rent at a place where the landlord's kid is also staying there. Kind of a red flag. Like working for a husband/wife vet team. You know if damage happens in the home, no way the kid will be responsible, but you sure will be penalized even if it was the landlord's kid who caused the damage.

There'd have to be one strict lease with all things detailed in order for me to even consider signing into something like that and even then...spending a little extra is so worth avoiding that headache of "the landlord's kid also lives here".

 

[WizardOfPaws]

I’m living with roommates after spending my last three years of undergrad in a spacious (and cheap!) 1bedroom alone.

Worst decision ever. Not worth the money saved.

It works for some people but I hear more horror stories than “and now we’re the best of besties” ones.

I definitely advise to live with people that either aren’t vet students or aren’t in your year. It gets old real fast eating breakfast together, driving to school together, sitting in class together, eating lunch together, driving home together, eating dinner together,etc.

If possible a 2bedroom 2bathroom is the best “thrifty” option. Most floor plans make it so you don’t have to see that other person unless you want to.

I recommend just holding out a year or a semester until you meet some people you actually click with then rooming together.

Edit: But I guess if you’ll be the landlord and living there then you shouldn’t have any problems. Id think it would be smart to add like a roommate agreement with cleaning expectations, cutesy quiet hours, when overnight guest are allowed/how long they can stay before they have to start paying rent, when large appliances can be ran to minimize bills, etc. Common sense things that for some reason not that many people understand.

 

[cdo96]

I definitely advise to live with people that either aren’t vet students or aren’t in your year. It gets old real fast eating breakfast together, driving to school together, sitting in class together, eating lunch together, driving home together, eating dinner together,etc

I have classmates who live together and they want to stab each other. I also have classmates who have been living together since undergrad and they’re super chill with each other. It’s gonna be a toss up, either way.

I have a one bedroom apartment, but that’s because every time I’ve had roommates, I felt compelled to obsessively clean all the common areas, and will get frustrated when they don’t keep them clean. For me, the extra $ was definitely worth not having to deal with the stress of roommates.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I'd never agree to pay full mortgage to someone while their kid is living their too. That kid (or them) should be responsible for paying part of the living expenses since they are also living in the property. All roommates should have some responsibility for living expenses.

Branching off of this, I personally would never live in a house owned by my roommate/roommates parents even if that person paid part of the expensies. There are definitely situations where you won't have an issue because the person is cool, but I have seen otherwise and it's not good. I have friends who live in a house with their friend. The house is owned by that friend's parents, and there is a weekly argument that ends in "Well this house belongs to my parents/me, so you can do what I want or leave" kind of thing, or said friend takes over the common areas with her stuff because it's 'her' house. I just wouldn't want to risk dealing with that at all. Not everyone would behave like that, though.

As for living with people in your year, I did it for two years with zero issues. However, we mostly kept to ourselves. All we did was sit together in class for the first year and then we kind of developed our own friend groups.