With limited housing contracts available on campus, students are already turning to off-campus realtors for next year — but realtors say students should get on the ball.

Students looking for off-campus housing might find their choices limited if they don't hurry, as local realtors continue to quickly fill up available apartments.

"Our apartments are mostly filled, but we have some left," said Sue Cavanaugh, realtor for Calder Commons, 520 Calder Way.

Cavanaugh expects the building to fill up by summer and suggests students look for apartments now before they are all gone.

Some students looking for apartments said they are having a hard time finding places that will fit all of their needs.

"There's only a few places I really wanted to live," said Shana Totino (freshman-agriculture).

"I thought people waited until second semester before they signed up, but I waited too long," Totino said. "Now I'm being put at the bottom of a very long waiting list for some places I really want."

Realtors at apartment complexes farther away from campus said their apartments are also selling fast.

"We've had a flow going since October," said Derek Germann, community director at The Pointe, 501 Vairo Blvd.

"Many students prefer to live out of town because it's quieter, there are more amenities and most people can get their own bedroom," Germann said.

Some students already living off campus opted to renew their lease instead of searching for a new place to live.

"My roommates and I decided to stay in the same place, because we liked the location and figured it would be a lot easier than moving all of our stuff again," Alicia Bott (sophomore-liberal arts) said.

Other students chose to go house hunting last semester in an attempt to find the perfect place to live.

"My roommate and I literally walked door-to-door last semester asking to see houses and seeing if people would put us on a waiting list if they decided not to renew their lease," Mark Anstrom (junior-architectural engineering) said.

"It's harder to find a house that meets your needs than an apartment, and usually the only way you luck out is if you have a friend that will sign the lease over to you," he said.

While many students may feel the rush to sign a lease right away, students should take their time and make wise decisions, said Jean Welling, assistant staff in the office of Off-Campus Living.

"Don't run out and grab the first thing you get. If you can't get exactly what you want, there's always something similar. There are still lots of places out there," she said.