Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 6, 1996, edition 1 / Page 12
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4 Tuesday, February 6,1996 Cheap Furniture Cannot Be Taken for Granted ■ Students in search of bargains must hunt around the Triangle area. BY MARSHALL BENBOW ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Furniture is something many people take for granted. In almost every house and apartment there are chairs to sit in, beds to sleep on and tables to sit around and have meals. Growing up at home, one might not stop to think about where all that furniture comes from. But when students start apart Let Carolina Student’s Credit Union A Branch of Coastal Federal Credit Union, Serve Your Financial Needs! 1 Valuable Services: • No Fee Savings Accounts • No Fee Checking Accounts - Receive your first order of checks FREE! • VISA Credit Card with NO ANNUAL FEE! • ATM Access to Cashpoints, HONOR and PLUS! Loans to Fit Your Needs: • Student Loans • Car Loans • Line of Credit Loans • Personal Computer Loans • Overdraft Protection on Your Checking Account Not A Member? No Problem! Membership is open to all part-time, full-time undergraduate and graduate students of UNC-Chapel Hill and their families. For Questions, or to Inquire About Membership, Call 919420-8000 (Raleigh), or 1-800-868-4262 (toll-free within the continental US) ment hunting, they realize the futon that served so well as a couch/extra bed in the dorm room is no longer going to cut it. So students hit the trail, looking for that perfect coffee table or lamp that makes the right statement about who they are and what they want to be. Furniture shopping may also bring to light the harsh reality that comfort and style cost more money than originally fac tored into student budgets. Nicole Smoot, a rental consultant for Cort Furniture Rental in Durham, said that for students on a budget, she recom mended renting furniture over buying. “Renting is always a good choice, be cause nine times out of 10, (students) are HOUSING GUIDE going to go back home for the summer,” she said. Smoot said Cort also had a clearance center in Raleigh that sold previously rented furniture. She said she would often refer students who were looking for only one piece of furniture to the center because it would save them money. Kevin Crosby, an assistant manager for Aaron Rents and Sells Furniture in Durham, said students rented furniture from Aaron’s because of the convenience. “A lot of people (rent to) avoid hassle,” he said. “They can come in here and rent furniture and pay one fee. We take it out to them and pick it up, and they don’t have to get rid of it at the end of the semester.” He also said that buying used furniture from a rental store was a good idea because the customer could get high-quality furni ture for a lower price. Forthosestudentswhoare feeling ready for the responsibility of having their own furniture, used furniture stores, such as The Trading Post on 106 S. Greensboro St. in Carrboro, offer prices made to fit the student budget. “It’s usually going to be about half as much (at The Trading Post as compared to new fiimiture),” said Richard Moody, the store’s owner. The furniture rush usually hits in Au gust when students come back to school, Moody said. To beat this rush, he sug gested buying furniture in June or July, when the selectionhadn’tbeen depletedby the returning masses. The Trading Post will hold and store furniture that students buy early. Some apartment complexes, such as Mill Creek and Kensington Trace, come already furnished. This eliminates the hassle of trying to buy, rent and move bulky Average Rental Rates High in Chapel Hill BY DANA WIND STAFF WRITER When students first think about living off-campus, usually their first question is “How much? ” When their parents get wind of the idea, after vetoing it immediately and saying, “You’re not old enough. You can’t cook for yourself, ” their next thought is, “How much?” Because this is the time of year when students are signing leases and emptying purses into the hands of landlords, here’s the quick rundown on average prices. According to Triangle Rental Resources, the average rate for a one-bedroom, unfur nished apartmentranges from SSOO to S7OO a month. For a two-bedroom the average is S6OO to SBOO, and for a three-bedroom the rate is SBOO to SI2OO. But according to the same source, rates in Chapel Hill are about 18 percent above those averages and 17 percent above the national average. There are other aspects to take into account. If an apartment is furnished, within a 2- mile radius of campus or offers special facilities, the rental prices may be higher. For example, to rent a three-bedroom, LEGAL QUESTIONS FROM PAGE 2 hold deposits in a trust account and to tell tenants where their money is being held. The landlord is also required to return the security deposit after 30 days upon termination of the lease, or to give the tenant an itemized statement of the dam ages. One client at Student Legal Services was actually the victim of a crime due to a repair problem in her apartment. The ten ant complained to the landlord about a faulty lock, but the repair request was not attended to promptly and someone broke into the apartment and raped the woman, Bemholz said. Bemholz explained that contributory negligence got the landlord off the hook. According to the law, it was the woman’s fault for knowingly sleeping in an unsafe Eljr Daily Ear Hppl bedroom suites and kitchen tables. Karen Caflrie, a junior from Greens boro, said the fact that Kensington Trace came furnished played a large part in her decision to live there. “At the time, none of us thought we had enough furniture to furnish a whole apart ment, and we didn’t feel like spending the money either,” she said. Often students need not took beyond the storage room at home for free furniture. “One of my roommates redid a dining room table of her grandparents, and she reupholstered the chairs and redid a TV cabinet,” said Audra Goodwin, a senior from Fuquay Varina. Goodwin said her dad built a toft for her room and built her a desk. Almost all their furniture was cheap, Goodwin said. “We either had it or made it or took it from family members,” she said. Students can also check the dumpsters on moveout days during the school year and scavenge discarded coaches and chairs or check the classified ads for other furni ture bargains. unfurnished apartment at Laurel Ridge costs up to SI2OO. This is in exchange for a one-mile walk to campus , one of the largest pools in Chapel Hill, two tennis courts, a playground, new appliances, new carpet and lots more. Houses are a different matter. The Tri angle Rental Resources Guide lists a three bedroom home renting for anywhere from sßooto slßooa month and a four-bedroom from SIOOO to $2500 a month. Splitting the cost is a simple matter of math; the more people living in one place, the lower the rent for each one. But many complexes have restrictions on how many residents are allowed to live in one apartment. Many others have limits on who can live there; often undergradu ates are not welcome. Most complexes do offer certain luxu ries or promotions. Most have a pool and some have tennis courts, some have their own game rooms. Others offer student discounts or prizes for signing a lease. Estes Park gives students discount cou pons to apply toward each month’s rent. Laurel Ridge is giving away bikes to new renters. So that's the basic rundown. Remember that prices can fluctuate either way, and no matter what, parents will gasp at first. place. “We take these things very seriously,” Bemholzsaid. “Nowifalockisbrokenand if it is not fixed within 24 hours I tell (the client) to move out.” She advised submit ting repair requests in writing. Sometimes it is possible to negotiate aspects ofalease. Bemholz said it was very important to get any changes in writing and to have the landlord initial the changes on the lease. If tenants are not careful, they could find themselves obliged to spend another year in their apartment. It is the responsi bility of the tenant to submit a written statement to terminate their lease within 30 days of moving out, Bemholz said. Student Legal Services is prepaid in student fees, so all legal advice and action is free. Bemholz said, “If (students) have a wrinkle in landlord-tenant relations, come see us.”
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 6, 1996, edition 1
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