Yeah, the lease doesn't itself start until August 13th when payment is due, but you can sign it now to lock you in if you want to live there and move in before classes start. As of now, the place is not built yet but they do plan on finishing construction well before our classes start for everyone to move in. In the WCUCOM group me, we had a discussion about what happens if construction is not finished. Some of the students reached out to Ivy Row and apparently, if they are not finished in the summer (due to weather etc.), Ivy Row will place us in hotels or something. I know this is not assuring for everyone. It was ok with me personally because I have my parents home just 1.5 hours from WCUCOM so its really not a risk for me since I can just commute each day until my place is done, if by chance it comes to that and I don't like Ivy Row's hotel/other accommodations. I talked with Mrs. Priscilla (the admin for Ivy Row) recently and she said their on track so far.
Before I signed, I reached out and visited other places around Hattiesburg and I found their rent to be high, was ungated so I didn't feel safe, old, or they were not used to Carey students so move in dates would be in the middle of August way after our classes had started. Maybe I could have searched harder. But after Mrs. Martha recommended me this place and I talked to Mrs. Priscilla, I weighed my options and the negative didn't seem that big for my specific situation, so I signed the lease. I recently got to reach out to my new WCUCOM roommates and they are chill dudes so I am happy with my decision so far. But hey, we all just gotta weigh the options in the end and go for it, wherever we choose to live. If you end up not happy with your decision, you can always find a better option for the next years lease 🙂