Real estate agents, bus companies and government representatives will crowd into the HUB this weekend at the fifth annual Housing Fair to help students find a place to call home next semester.

Held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today and tomorrow, the fair offers students the chance to make decisions about living arrangements for the new school year, Sherri Rutolo, coordinator of the Housing Fair, said.

The fair will feature about 46 different exhibits, most in the HUB Ballroom, including downtown realtors, transportation and utility companies, student organizations and government representatives, she said.

"(The fair) gives students the opportunity to (look into housing) all at once without having them go from office to office to office downtown," Rutolo said. "Having it all in one room makes the search a lot easier."

The fair is sponsored by Off-Campus Programs, Association of Residence Hall Students, Council of Commonwealth Student Governments and Organization for Town Independent Students.

Organizers have also arranged downtown walking tours so people unaccustomed to the area can become familiar with the community, she said. Centre Area Transportation Authority will give free bus tours to different apartment complexes. All tours will be Saturday.

New to the fair this year are the Quick Tip help sessions, Rutolo said. Given alternately by ARHS and OTIS every half-hour for five hours on Saturday, the sessions are designed to answer any questions students may have about life on campus and downtown, she said.

The ARHS sessions will explain how ARHS works in conjunction with the student governments, said Sharyn Jacob, a member of the Housing Fair Planning Committee. The OTIS sessions will advise students on what to look for and beware of in off-campus housing, said OTIS president Judy Falce.

Because of the tours and Quick Tip sessions, CCSG coordinator Perry Sternberg described the fair as a fantastic opportunity for students transferring from Commonwealth campuses to find out about the University Park campus.

"It can be kind of overwhelming if you don't know where to start," Falce agreed.

Besides the large real estate agents, the fair will accommodate people who want to rent privately -- called the Housing Nook, one exhibit will be a bulletin board where private renters can post notices of available housing.

The fair has been extremely successful in the past, Rutolo said, with a turnout of 6,000 last year. Organizers expect between 6,500 and 7,000 students shopping for housing this weekend, she said.