Get this...
We found an apartment!!
And now you get to hear the story behind it!
So for awhile now, I've been praying that we'll find a good apartment. We decided since we don't pay rent, we would allow ourselves to be kind of picky about what kind of place we lived in next. Because our first place was built a hundred years ago and was absolutely freezing all the time, we wanted a newer apartment or townhome. No old houses, thank you. Unless utilities were included, then we could blast the heat all winter long and not worry about paying more for it.
Because our second apartment was above a Martial Arts studio and below a family with nightly domestic violence problems, we wanted very limited neighbors. An end unit and/or upper level, please. Also we shared a washer and dryer with all the other tenants, so washer and dryer hookups would be great.
We also wanted things like clean carpets and no mold problems. Kade says whenever he laid on the floor in our old places, all he could picture were dirty, disgusting, fungus-y feet walking all around his face. Clean carpets were a must. And you know, mold's always bad, 'specially for bebes.
And, lastly, it had to be in a good part of town and still fit in our meager budget.
Secretly, in my innermost heart, I prayed for at least 1000 sq ft and two bathrooms (so I would only have to keep one immaculately clean). Also a dishwasher. Also large windows. And maybe a sliding glass door out the back. Also mature trees. (I knew I probably wouldn't get all these perks, but hey, never hurts to ask, right?)
Every day I would refresh the classifieds page hourly, and every Friday I would spend my day off driving around, working my anterior tibialis to exhaustion with all the stopping and going and shifting up and down, and I saw apartment after apartment after apartment after not-so-great apartment! I was getting frustrated, to say the least. I called about a hundred people and was wracked with guilt when I had to say no (we could hold out a little longer for something better).
Well, this last week, there was literally nothing new in the classifieds or craigslist or anything all. week. long. Really, nothing. No apartments. So last Friday, I drove up not even planning on looking for apartments, just going to my doctor's appointment. But after it was over, and I still had to wait for Kade to get off work, I decided to look again at the classifieds.
Nothing new, just the same old listings that had been there for weeks.
But for some reason, one stood out. It was a listing that had been there for a few weeks, only supplying the number of bedrooms, address and phone number to call. Kade and I had dismissed it earlier because of the lack of information, and because we assumed the location to be sub-par.
I decided to call on it, and a half hour later I was standing outside a cluster of newer townhomes with Dallas, my prospective landlord.
He took me to the row in which the vacant apartment was located--an end unit--and unlocked the door.
The whole place was gutted. Bare floors, tacks sticking out of the stairs, power tools on sawhorses all over the place. Dallas apologized,
"Sorry it looks like this, we're in the middle of remodeling. We're putting brand new carpet and tile in, but it'll be done in about a week."
So we walk through the living room, down the hall past the washer/dryer closet toward the kitchen with the sliding glass door. I noticed a bar and excitedly commented on how fun that would be. Dallas said, "Yeah, we put that in when we added a dishwasher." Score.
Then we walked back through the hall and I noticed a cute little half bathroom. I was in love.
Upstairs, there were more bare floors and tacks, a big full bath with a tub and a sink with a counter. That wasn't on the wish list, but it should have been. Non of our past bathrooms have had anywhere to set anything!
Throughout the whole place, the windows were large. Outside, there were tons of huge trees. The neighborhood was quaint, and the townhomes were down a long alley, secluded off the street. It was perfect.
Nervous, I asked how much the rent was. And it was twenty bucks below budget! Why had we risked our chances of getting this place by ignoring it for so long?! So right then and there, sweating in my car in the parking lot, I filled out the application and paid the fee. Next day, Dallas called and it was a done deal. The place was ours. Now we just have to wait for the call that says everything is done and waiting for us! And hello, prayers are answered! Even if you suspect you're being too picky :)
We found an apartment!!
And now you get to hear the story behind it!
So for awhile now, I've been praying that we'll find a good apartment. We decided since we don't pay rent, we would allow ourselves to be kind of picky about what kind of place we lived in next. Because our first place was built a hundred years ago and was absolutely freezing all the time, we wanted a newer apartment or townhome. No old houses, thank you. Unless utilities were included, then we could blast the heat all winter long and not worry about paying more for it.
Because our second apartment was above a Martial Arts studio and below a family with nightly domestic violence problems, we wanted very limited neighbors. An end unit and/or upper level, please. Also we shared a washer and dryer with all the other tenants, so washer and dryer hookups would be great.
We also wanted things like clean carpets and no mold problems. Kade says whenever he laid on the floor in our old places, all he could picture were dirty, disgusting, fungus-y feet walking all around his face. Clean carpets were a must. And you know, mold's always bad, 'specially for bebes.
And, lastly, it had to be in a good part of town and still fit in our meager budget.
Secretly, in my innermost heart, I prayed for at least 1000 sq ft and two bathrooms (so I would only have to keep one immaculately clean). Also a dishwasher. Also large windows. And maybe a sliding glass door out the back. Also mature trees. (I knew I probably wouldn't get all these perks, but hey, never hurts to ask, right?)
Every day I would refresh the classifieds page hourly, and every Friday I would spend my day off driving around, working my anterior tibialis to exhaustion with all the stopping and going and shifting up and down, and I saw apartment after apartment after apartment after not-so-great apartment! I was getting frustrated, to say the least. I called about a hundred people and was wracked with guilt when I had to say no (we could hold out a little longer for something better).
Well, this last week, there was literally nothing new in the classifieds or craigslist or anything all. week. long. Really, nothing. No apartments. So last Friday, I drove up not even planning on looking for apartments, just going to my doctor's appointment. But after it was over, and I still had to wait for Kade to get off work, I decided to look again at the classifieds.
Nothing new, just the same old listings that had been there for weeks.
But for some reason, one stood out. It was a listing that had been there for a few weeks, only supplying the number of bedrooms, address and phone number to call. Kade and I had dismissed it earlier because of the lack of information, and because we assumed the location to be sub-par.
I decided to call on it, and a half hour later I was standing outside a cluster of newer townhomes with Dallas, my prospective landlord.
He took me to the row in which the vacant apartment was located--an end unit--and unlocked the door.
The whole place was gutted. Bare floors, tacks sticking out of the stairs, power tools on sawhorses all over the place. Dallas apologized,
"Sorry it looks like this, we're in the middle of remodeling. We're putting brand new carpet and tile in, but it'll be done in about a week."
So we walk through the living room, down the hall past the washer/dryer closet toward the kitchen with the sliding glass door. I noticed a bar and excitedly commented on how fun that would be. Dallas said, "Yeah, we put that in when we added a dishwasher." Score.
Then we walked back through the hall and I noticed a cute little half bathroom. I was in love.
Upstairs, there were more bare floors and tacks, a big full bath with a tub and a sink with a counter. That wasn't on the wish list, but it should have been. Non of our past bathrooms have had anywhere to set anything!
Throughout the whole place, the windows were large. Outside, there were tons of huge trees. The neighborhood was quaint, and the townhomes were down a long alley, secluded off the street. It was perfect.
Nervous, I asked how much the rent was. And it was twenty bucks below budget! Why had we risked our chances of getting this place by ignoring it for so long?! So right then and there, sweating in my car in the parking lot, I filled out the application and paid the fee. Next day, Dallas called and it was a done deal. The place was ours. Now we just have to wait for the call that says everything is done and waiting for us! And hello, prayers are answered! Even if you suspect you're being too picky :)
3 comments:
YAY! It pays off to hold out for what you want. It sounds great-and new carpet/tile? Winner winner chicken dinner!
Oh my goodness what a story!!! Seriously that is amazing, basically a brand new place?? I wouldn't even know the feeling but i'm going to bet it will feel GOOD! Congrats!
So, those old apartments above the Karate place... do you know if there are any still available? My hubby and I are looking for a place for just a few months!
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