Finishing university is a difficult time for any student – three years of comfort are suddenly pulled from under you and suddenly you’re left facing the ‘big bad world’, armed only with a degree certificate and a head full of dreams.

Whilst some students are happy to move back into the family home, a freshly-developed sense of independence and other factors such as friends and relationships mean most graduates want to fly the nest as soon as possible. But where do you start?

Picking A Location

Location is obviously an incredibly important factor. After building relationships for three years and hopefully developing a strong local knowledge of the area, the natural choice for graduates is to live in the city they studied in.

There are numerous benefits to this; as previously mentioned, you should know your way round, removing the daunting prospect of getting to know a new city. Moving in with old student flatmates also offers the chance to seamlessly transition from student life to graduate life without too much trauma.

If you are making the bold leap to a new city, a good bet is to look for student-friendly areas. A place like Fallowfield in Manchester has the vibrant student atmosphere recent graduates will be used to, whilst also offering some good quality properties at relatively low prices. These areas tend to have good transport links, plenty of job opportunities and a friendly community of people of similar age and mindset.

Job Prospects

With your new degree, job prospects should play a big part in your location choice, if not the biggest. A graduate of Media, for example, will have much more luck gaining degree-relevant employment in London or Manchester rather than a small city such as Derby. Browsing through job websites should be a decent indicator of where is going to be best for you – ideally, you’ll find something suitable straight away.

Choosing Your Letting Agent Wisely

Picking the right letting agents is also of importance. Student letting agents fluctuate greatly in quality, as it seems that for every good agent, there is another willing to charge high prices for subpar properties. Some student letting agents do offer good ‘young professional’ properties, but in limiting yourself to these sort of agencies, you severely limit your rental choices.

Instead, take the time to research various agencies. A good filter for this is knowing which location you want to move into and rooting out the specialists in these areas. Arrange viewings and ask plenty of questions – these agencies will possess tons of local knowledge and also be able to match you to the perfect property, which can often be one you may have overlooked in your own searching.

Budget

The real spanner in the works for most graduates is budget. Student overdrafts that seemed like free money at the time now weigh heavily, and loans suddenly need to be repaid. Be shrewd and, more importantly, be realistic. There are two important rules when it comes to budget; don’t necessarily see a small budget as having to settle for a bad property, and don’t presume a more expensive monthly rent means a better quality property. You won’t be able to afford a city centre penthouse, but a cheap city centre property is simple to find with a few hours of solid research.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Shepherd Gilmour, specialists in property available for sale and rent in Manchester City Centre.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Shepherd Gilmour (http://www.shepherdgilmour.com), specialists in property available for sale and rent in Manchester City Centre.

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Shepherd Gilmour, specialists in property available for sale and rent in Manchester City Centre.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: letting agents,estate agents, graduate property, Shepherd Gilmour