This is a Journal entry by Mikey the Humming Mouse - A3938628 Learn More About the Edited Guide!

Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Post 1

Mikey the Humming Mouse - A3938628 Learn More About the Edited Guide!

OK, now that I know I'm going to be staying here in town and employed for the time being, I'm looking for a new place to live.

The place I'm in isn't bad, but it's a bear of a commute to my office, and has significant maintenance problems this past year -- it took 3 floodings before they sealed my porch door correctly, and I'm still getting rodents despite the fact that the exterminator has been out and told them where the holes are and what needs to be sealed up. smiley - erm

So, time to move.

But there are so many options, and it may just drive me crazy.

I've gone out to see maybe 15-20 places in the last week, and have narrowed it down to 3:

1) This one is out in the suburbs a bit, but is still only a 20-25 minute drive to the office, a little shorter than what I have now. The price is about $50/month less than I have now, and the apartment is much larger and nicer. It has the biggest kitchen I've ever seen in an apartment, a separate dining room, a laundry closet with a washer/dryer, a tremendous living room, 2 large bedrooms, and good closets. It's also right next to a bus station that would take me to work or campus, should I not want to drive. There are plenty of wooded areas and parks nearby, a plus for me. It's in a large apartment complex with onsite maintenance people, which means that problems would probably be addressed relatively easily. The biggest problem is the distance -- not so much that it's farther from work, but that it's far enough away from where my friends live that it would be an annoyance.

2) This one is in town, and closer to work - maybe a 15 minute drive to the office. The rent is the same as the one above. It's within walking distance of a decent shopping mall, and also right next to a good bus station. It's a townhome, which means 2 stories -- which is good, in that it's huge, and feels like a real home rather than an apartment, but bad, in that I can't always do so well on stairs. And when I say huge, I mean huge -- probably close to twice the size of where I live now, with 2 bathrooms and tons of closets and extra storage, it's own laundry room, and covered parking. The decor in parts of the apartment is quite outdated, but the current tenant has redecorated some of it quite decently, and the landlord seems quite okay with tenants modifying the unit. In fact, the landlord seems really nice, which is always a plus. I would guess that the main drawbacks would be the stairs and the location -- although it's close to work and other things, the location is not necessarily in an area known to be nice. On the other hand, I felt perfectly comfortable walking around there, and the landlord told me that the other units in the building are also occupied by single women, some of whom happen to work where I do! So that's somewhat reassuring. It's also relatively close to the areas where my friends and I sometimes hang out, so that would be convenient.

3) This one is in town and only about 7-10 minutes from the office. It's an older house that was converted to a duplex. Quite nice (recently remodeled), about $150 cheaper than the two above, and quite tiny. No dishwasher, and shares a washer and dryer with the people in the unit above. Tremendous closets (all built-in, all wood), built in bookshelves everywhere. Did I mention how tiny it was? smiley - winkeye I would have to get rid of quite a bit of stuff, and even then it would be a squeeze. The landlords seemed nice, albeit a bit stiff. The main pluses are the location -- not only convenient to work and friends, but also within walking distances of nice shops and places to eat, and in one of those "nice" neighborhoods where people want to live (albeit only 2 blocks away from a noisy high school). Oh, and obviously the cheaper price is a plus.

All in all, I'm leaning towards #2 at this point -- if #1 were in town, it would be a shoo-in, but I feel like #2 has a good combination of decent enough location and what I need as far as space. #3 would be perfect if only it was a tiny bit bigger, and perhaps if the washer and dryer was just for that unit. What do other people think? Advice? Suggestions? Decorating ideas? Anyone want to come help me pack and move? smiley - tongueout

smiley - mouse


Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Post 2

There is only one thing worse than being Gosho, and that is not being Gosho

A575606

smiley - smiley


Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Post 3

Mikey the Humming Mouse - A3938628 Learn More About the Edited Guide!

Luckily for me, I have a good company I've used before (as has half my office) that will haul all the boxes and furniture out to their truck, drive to the new place, and haul all the boxes and furniture out to their rooms in the new place, all for less than $200 -- which I definitely consider worth it. I'll definitely rope some friends into helping with the packing and cleaning, though -- and my family has offered to fly out and lend a hand, although that may well be asking for more trouble than it's worth. smiley - winkeye

smiley - mouse


Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Post 4

Richenda

#2 is good ASSUMING it has a main floor bathroom.

If not, I'd go for #1 assuming it is either a ground floor or an elevator apartment building. If you need to climb stairs to get to it, there is no advantage over #2.

smiley - peacedove


Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Post 5

Mikey the Humming Mouse - A3938628 Learn More About the Edited Guide!

The main floor bathroom is the same thing my mother asked about first. smiley - winkeye

Has a half bath (i.e., toilet and sink but now shower/tub) on the main floor. Laundry on the main floor. If worst came to worst and I was stuck on crutches, I could live on the main floor temporarily -- bizarrely enough, we do have a handicapped accessible shower at my office.....

smiley - mouse


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