Next year, Penn State students Andrew Kingery, Brian Taylor and Kris Brice want a place to call their own.

The three guys currently reside in Bryce Jordan Tower, 463 E. Beaver Ave.

But living in a house has always been their dream.

"A house seems like your own," he said. "It's almost like you have more freedom in a house."

And they're not alone. State College's hunting season for houses and apartments is in full swing. By early fall, students are faced with dilemmas -- where to live next year? And with whom?

What the experts say

The hunting season will soon end with various realtors' deadlines to renew leases and commit to a property. Some State College realty places have waiting lists, while others assign properties on a first-come, first-serve basis.

But before rushing into a final decision about a pad for next year, there is a lot to think about.

John Hanna, property manager at Continental Real Estate, 333 S. Allen St., said advice for house and apartment hunting varies depending on the size of the group and the individual needs of the tenants.

However, many students who already live off campus said one of the main things to look at are utilities when signing a lease, no matter how small or big a group is.

Alyssa Carson (sophomore-secondary education) started looking for apartments last fall and found Park Place, 224 S. Burrowes St., through GN Associates, 119 S. Burrowes St.

Carson, who lives with three other people, said to make sure all utilities are included.

"It's a big plus," she said, adding that it's also wise to check how often maintenance comes to respond to problems.

Holley Dougherty, property manager at GN Associates, said there are many important things to think about before signing a lease.

"Ask specific questions," she said.

And that is what Kingery (sophomore-business), Taylor (sophomore-recreation, park and tourism management) and Brice (sophomore-architectural engineering) did when they went on their hunt to find the perfect abode.

The hunt

After looking at a house on North Atherton Street the week before, Kingery, Taylor and Brice have decided to continue their search with Linda Spanos, property manager at DSR Properties, 805 S. Atherton St.

The group waited patiently for Spanos to arrive at 131 and 133 S. Gill Street -- a fairly large duplex with two separate properties on a tree-lined street a couple blocks from campus.

When Spanos arrived, she led the group to one side of the duplex and into a newly renovated kitchen.

"This is kind of like their party room," Spanos said, pointing to the room to the right of the kitchen.

Moving through the house, Spanos pointed out places where the house will be repainted and a bathroom she plans to renovate.

"We try to constantly upgrade," she said.

Spanos said both sides of the duplex are mirror images of each other.

"We always seem to have the Brady Bunch," she said, with a group of girls on one side and guys on the other.

Spanos took the group downstairs in a basement area, where the current tenants have made the room into a bedroom for two people. Then she led the group upstairs to where there are four bedrooms, adding that the house can easily fit up to six people.

The rent is $2,400, which includes heating, electric and cable/Internet.

Spanos said it is an advantage to students when utilities are included, but it's not the only thing they should look for.

Not only keep in mind location and compatibility with prospective housemates, but they should also look at house amenities and ask landlords questions, Spanos said.

She took the group next door to the other property with a similar setup. At the end of the tour, Spanos tells the group to let her know when they make a decision.

After a few weeks, the guys decided to claim the house on South Gill Street.

"The realtor told us that we decided just in the nick of time," Brian said, adding that Spanos said she assigned all but two houses.

Location, Location, Location.

Living in a house was also the dream of Erin Borrell (sophomore-biology).

Borell and her two friends, Kylie Blackburn (freshman-biology) and Elise Glass (sophomore-food sciences), started looking at houses at the beginning of last month.

But the girls decided to take a different route by looking at apartments when they couldn't find a house that met their needs.

When students decide to live off campus, suddenly which residential halls have the best salad bars or cookies doesn't matter. With the amount of off-campus living options, the "where to live" possibility expands.

Want to live in the heart of town? Look no further than Beaver Avenue strip between Heister and Burrowes streets. Are you a football-tailgating-stadium hugger? Check out Park Avenue. Still love the west campus? How about those residential areas on Gill Street? There are even more near the fraternities and more options just a drive up Atherton Street.

Borrell, who lives in Beaver Hill Apartments, 340 E. Beaver Ave., said she wanted a change of pace from the "party central" downtown area, adding that her major requires a lot of studying.

"Living here is fine if you can study in the library. But if you want to come home and study in your room, then this is not the place to live," she said.

Borrell, Blackburn and Glass started to look at houses last month, but said it was difficult to find any that were close to campus and fell into their price range.

Blackburn said she also preferred living in an apartment as opposed to a house because most apartments are closer to campus.

"I felt living in an apartment you would meet more people," Blackburn said.

The group came across O'Brien Place while at a party there and fell in love with the location and the setup. They then decided to look at apartments through Associated Realty Property Management, 456 E. Beaver Ave., and recently requested their top picks for the O'Brien Place, 300 S. Pugh St., and the Legend, 246 Highland Ave.

Blackburn said she liked that the apartments are close to campus but not in the center of town -- "so you're not around drunk kids if you don't want to be."

Size does matter. Money does, too.

Besides location and the number of bedrooms and living space, the rent one plans to fork over every month plays a factor while looking for off-campus housing.

Kingery, who will be sharing his house with Taylor, Brice and two other guys currently attending a branch campus, said he wants to have his own room and a porch.

"I hate walking out [of my apartment] into a hallway," he said.

Brice said he wants to find a place cheaper than Bryce Jordan Tower, where they currently live.

The guys fork up about $2,000 a month for four people, Taylor said.

The house on South Gill Street isn't much better -- it will cost $2,400 a month for five people, but Taylor said the group may have additional roommates.

Sometimes money can become an issue for individuals looking for housing in groups. That is why Kris Holzwarth, property manager at Associated Realty Property Management, said money is one of the first things prospective tenants should think about.

Students should keep in mind their budget, as well as their desired location and the condition and size of the property, Holzwarth said.

Borrell said one of the people in her group decided to back out last minute because of financial reasons.

"It's frustrating because we feel price shouldn't be why people live together," she said, adding that they will find a fourth roommate.

Each of the girls agreed that the apartment made for five people in O'Brien Place was the perfect fit because it had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and large living area.

Even though they would still have to pay for utilities, Blackburn said the price -- $1,620 a month -- in the larger apartment in O'Brien Place is good for the amount of the space.

When utilities are not included, Luke Zoet (graduate-geophysics), who lives at an apartment on West Foster Avenue, said students should be aware that winter can be quite costly.

Zoet said his friend had to pay more than $200 a month for heat last winter while living in an apartment that did not include heat in its rent.

Borrell, Blackburn and Glass wanted to live off campus to have more space.

"We wanted to feel like we live in our own space," Borrell said. "[We] wanted to have our own living area so we can come home at night and feel comfortable."