Cornell University The Johnson School at Cornell University

Housing

Introduction

Housing in Ithaca goes quickly, so you will want to begin your search soon. Your housing options include:

University Housing
While there is university graduate housing available, it is limited. On campus housing consists of apartments and townhouses located on or just off campus. New students may apply for University housing for summer 2008 and the 2008-2009 academic year in beginning in February, 2008. To research the available options and submit an application, visit Cornell's Graduate and Professional Student Housing program.

Note: when applying for Graduate Housing you should complete the forms labeled: New Applicants (those without a university-issued Net ID)

Off Campus Rental Housing
Most students at Cornell choose to live in apartments located in houses or apartment complexes. The apartments can range from a studio to an eight-bedroom apartment. Utilities and heating are not usually included in the rent so be sure to ask. The local utility company, NYSEG (1-800-572-1111) can provide information about utility costs.

We have also provided a breakdown of the major rental neighborhoods as well as information on where some Johnson School students live today.

Most apartments are rented through independent landlords or property managers and we have included some useful names and phone numbers of agencies that have served the Johnson School community.

Also, there are offices, businesses and publications that maintain apartment listings including:

Cornell's Off-campus housing office maintains an online database of available apartments.

The Cornell Daily Sun (Cornell's student newspaper) and The Ithaca Journal have online classified ads for apartments. Also try craigslist.com and rent.com.

Housing Solutions is a local business that will provide housing listings for a fee.

Buying vs. Renting

We are currently in a seller's market, driven largely by reduced inventory. If you are considering purchasing a home or a condo for your two years here, please note the following:

  1. Buyers in our area are pre-qualified before looking at a property. Most buyers use local banks for mortgages (as opposed to internet mortgages) because New York State property law is based on the English system whereby attorneys close sales, as opposed to title insurance companies. Here is a list of local mortgage bankers:
    • 1st Priority Mortgage: Judy VanNest, President 607-257-6767
    • Tompkins Trust Company: Martha Preston, Loan Originator: 607-257-0875, Sherl Walters, Loan Originator: 607-273-3210
    • Cornell Fingerlakes Credit Union: Jackie Duff, Loan Originator: 607-277-1419, Marlene Stickane, Loan Originator: 607-257-2822
  2. Average time from the acceptance of an offer until closing the property (taking ownership) is two months. It is difficult to close a sale involving a mortgage in less than seven weeks. If you plan to buy, you will need to schedule your buying trip with enough lead time.
  3. With a two year stay in the area, resale will be a high priority. Ithaca City School District is broken down by elementary school. Anyone considering buying a home vs. renting should consider these factors as well as the cost of the home. Any realtor should be able to help you make those comparisons. An additional resource is www.realtor.com a website that will allow you to search for all listed homes in the Ithaca area (search by zip code 14850).

Current students also recommend homes.com and homegain.com.

To compare tax assessments for a neighborhood try http://www.zillow.com.