At Sweetwater, we’ve helped hundreds of students find their perfect apartment. With a qualified leasing team and personalized tours, we can help you find your home-away-from-home in Gainesville.
Our leasing office is located on University Ave, right by Piesanos and just across the street from campus, so you can easily stop by to check out Sweetwater for yourself.
To help you make the most of your tour, we’ve written this guide on what to expect during your tour of Sweetwater, as well as how to prepare before and how to proceed after your tour.
Taking a Tour of Sweetwater
Before Your Tour
Before you stop by the leasing office, make a list of your priorities and preferences for housing. Do you already have roommates and know how many bedrooms you want? Do you want to have a connected bathroom? Is there a specific view you’re looking for? Knowing what you want in housing will help make your tour personalized, helpful and timely!
Here’s a list of things to consider:
- Price range
- Floor plan style (1×1, 4×4, 6×6, etc.)
- Amenities
- Windows
- Bathrooms
- Pets
- Parking
You should also bring a list of questions. Do your research! This will be a year-long commitment, so it’s important to know all the information you need. We’ve compiled a list of 15 questions to ask on a tour to help you get started.
Booking a Tour
Once you’ve made your list of priorities, preferences and questions, book a tour at our leasing office! The office is open from 9am-6pm Monday through Friday, as well as 11am-4pm on Saturday, and 1pm-4pm on Sunday. If you already have roommates in mind, try to find a time that works for all of you. This will help smooth the process since you will all get the same information. If you’re reading this and want to stop by the office now, we accept walk-ins as well!
You can plan to be on your tour for around an hour. Though it may take less time than that, if you have a good idea of what you’re looking for, allotting an hour gives you plenty of time to ask questions, discuss with your roommates, and start your application!
Coming In to the Office
When you’re ready for your tour, you’ll come to our beautiful leasing office at 1250 W. University Ave. You’ll be greeted by one of our Leasing & Marketing Assistants (LMAs) who will take you through the office, on the tour, and answer all your questions! They are experts on the property, so they can help you find a unit that suits you best.
Be sure to download our apartment tour checklist to help you evaluate your options.
One perk of your tour is getting to try handcrafted coffee or matcha from our in-house coffee bar, Daydreamer. When you sign a lease at Sweetwater, you get to enjoy Daydreamer for the rest of the lease up season, for free. It’s my personal favorite amenity and perk of signing at Sweetwater! Daydreamer will also be inside of the building when it opens, available for purchase to all Sweetwater residents.
(Pro tip: Daydreamer is open from 9 am – 3pm, so book a tour during those hours if you’d like to try it!)
Exploring the Leasing Office
Since Sweetwater is currently under construction, we made sure to reflect the Sweetwater vibe in the design of our leasing office. All the furniture and finishings are accurate representations of what will be in the actual property. You’ll see a model of the kitchen, including the countertops, cabinets, and appliances you’ll have in your unit.
Virtual Renderings
After looking around the leasing office, an LMA will take you through a virtual walkthrough of Sweetwater in photos, including the exteriors, study floors, amenities, and Daydreamer. Feel free to ask questions during this time! Our team is happy to help you in any way we can.
Looking at Floor Plans
Next, you’ll explore the floor plan renderings. Now is the time to pull out that list of priorities and preferences you made earlier! The LMA working with you will ask you what kind of floor plans you’re interested in, and will use your list to help find the unit that suits you best.
You’ll begin discussing each floor plan you’re interested in, weighing pros and cons, and ultimately decide on a unit that fits your preferences the best. It’s important to remember that there might not be a floor plan that checks every single box, but use your LMA as a resource to talk through your concerns so they can help you find a unit that is best for you.
Start Your Application
After you’ve chosen the floor plan that works best for you and your roommates, it’s time to start your application and secure your unit. The application should take you around 10 minutes to complete, and you can complete this in the office on an iPad. This way, as you’re going through the application, you can ask our team any questions you might have. Be sure to bring your driver’s license or government ID! If you’re an international student, I would highly recommend completing your application in the office in case you run into any questions or concerns as you complete it.
Guarantor Information
A portion of the application will ask you for your guarantor’s information. If you’re asking yourself what a guarantor is, it’s essentially someone like a parent or guardian who qualifies you to sign a lease. Most UF students don’t qualify on their own from their monthly income and credit score, so your guarantor is taking on the liability of the rental rate for you. Before starting your application, talk to your guarantor and get their information. Once you finish your portion of the application and lease, they will get an email with their portion to complete.
Signing Your Lease
Once you finish the application, you’ll be prompted to sign your lease. Read through it as you sign and ask questions as you go. Once you’ve signed the whole agreement, you’re a future Sweetwater resident! Congratulations!
I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect on a tour of Sweetwater, and how to make the most of your time in the leasing office! If you have any questions, or want to book a tour, contact the Sweetwater leasing team or stop by the leasing office!
