The eternal Athens question: House or apartment?

It's autumn in Athens, and as Ohio University upperclassmen know, the race to sign a lease for the 2010-2011 school year began at the same time that classes did.

Because good housing tends to get snatched up quickly in Athens, students often find themselves signing away a year of their lives without fully considering the pros and cons of their living arrangements.

One of the first decisions in renting is also the biggest, and that is deciding whether or not to rent a house or an apartment, the owner of the Athens-based rental company Hunter Rentals confirmed.

"Our houses always go the quickest each year," Scott Hunter said. "If you're trying to sign a lease for a house, you better do that as soon as possible."

But whether it is limited availability that makes houses such hot commodities or a campus-wide preference remains uncertain, because both arrangements have pros and cons.

Safety

Senior organizational communication major Emily Stowe lives in a second-floor apartment in Carpenter Hall Apartments, and said that one of the main priorities during her search for a living space last year was finding a place where she felt safe and comfortable.

"Apartments are definitely more safe than houses," Stowe said. "On the second floor, we leave our screens open, our doors open... I've never felt threatened, even with the dangerous stuff that's been happening around here lately."

So far Ohio University has sent out at least four special crime alerts this quarter, the most recent reporting a holdup Wednesday at Cold Stone Creamery. Students who rent houses need to be more cautious about leaving ground-level doors and windows shut and locked.

Space and Privacy

Junior linguistics major Jordan Boggs wanted his first place to have plenty of room for leisure as well as privacy, and for this reason he said he would only consider living in a house.

"Apartments just feel so cramped. I have a nice, large porch and a huge living room and dining room," said Boggs, who rents a house from Housing Hotlink. "Even our closets and rooms are bigger than any of my friends with apartments.

But Stowe does not feel like she is lacking in space in her apartment, claiming that her place still has five bedrooms and a spacious kitchen.

Hunter, however, agrees with Boggs, stating that the houses he rents out are definitely more spacious than the majority of the apartments and are especially ideal for students who want to live with several friends.

"Students want houses so badly because they enjoy the benefits of having a house, particularly the extra space," Hunter said. "Houses usually have more rooms, and they have porches, which are ideal for a student."

Price

Both Boggs and Stowe agree that they found a wide range of pricing for both houses and apartments, and even though houses are sometimes cheaper, both agreed that the price difference is not enough to make much of a difference in the decision-making process.

"Even though houses and apartments were basically priced the same, I figured I could save some money on utilities with a location on a second-floor apartment," Stowe said. "I mean, at my home outside of Athens, the second floor is always warmer than the first, so with a second-floor apartment we'll probably use the heat less frequently."

Apartment complexes are also more likely to include utility costs in their pricing packages, such as at Riverpark Towers where tenants' gas, water, sewer and trash bills are included in their quarterly fee, according to the American Collegiate Communities Web site.

Quality

Because new houses are not being built in Athens, most houses available for rent are older and more rundown than the majority of apartments would be, Hunter said.

"We don't have to deal with creaky doors or stuck windows," Stowe said. "Our place even came with carpet."

While house can appear rundown both inside and out, apartments are more likely to offer fully furnished spaces and newly renovated rooms or kitchens.

Social Life

For a campus as party-geared as OU's, a promising social life is key in deciding where to live during the school year.

"I recently had my 21st birthday party, and we never would have been able to have (that party) in an apartment," Boggs said.

As for Stowe, she said she can hear her neighbors partying on the weekends and can often overhear conversations during the week.

"Our neighbors are just loud," Stowe said. "But I guess we have it better than some people in apartments who I know... They've been kept awake until 5 a.m. from their neighbors' parties."

She does not, however, have any problem hosting parties at her apartment, saying that she can fit as many as 60 people inside.

"The debate between whether or not to get a house or an apartment really just comes down to a matter of personal choice," Hunter said. "Different accommodations suit different people. You just have to decide what's best for you."