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The Woes of Apartment Hunting

I had originally included this in my “Goings On” post, but decided that it warranted it’s own post. Hence, two posts in one day.

When Shan and I moved into our current apartment, we had hoped that we would not move again until we were ready to buy. Moving is not fun, and moving yearly is especially annoying. There are just so many things to do: forward the mail, change your address, tell your friends & family that once again you live somewhere new! Unfortunately, we have been faced with this necessity.

There are a couple of reasons that we’d LIKE to move, and one reason that we HAVE to move. We’d like to move because of our location. When we were hunting for an apartment last time around, we had certain limiting factors that narrowed our options. We ended up living a few miles outside of our ideal neighborhood. Now, where we live now is by no means a bad neighborhood by any stretch of the imagination. It is just not our ideal neighborhood. Another reason we’d like to move is that our apartment is situated in a poor location in the complex. We are on the first floor, and apparently a moose or two lives above us. Our windows face a fairly busy parking lot, which necessitates that they be constantly closed with blinds drawn. Anyone parking their car would see right into our private world with the most casual sideways glance, and this is a fact I simply cannot get over. A third reason is that since we have been here, upkeep has markedly decreased. The formerly attractive little ponds are now consistently half-full and unattended-looking. The bushes are overgrown for months at a time. The grass is uncut until it is noticeably shaggy.

We do recognize that want and need are two different things, and most likely would not be moving if it wasn’t for the final factor. The rent has dropped dramatically in the past year, and the resulting natural changes have occurred in the complex. For this reason above all others, we have come to the conclusion that we simply cannot stay.

A month or so ago, I began to look at the different complexes in our ideal neighborhood. Shan and I had this fairly large area of town in mind as being the only place we would move to if we were in the position to move again. Kind of the idea that if you can’t have what you want, why make a change? Looking at complexes in this area, however, was no small task. I would guess that there were roughly 20 complexes to choose from. I carefully researched each complex online, and then made a decision about which ones I’d visit. I visited about 10, and then decided to visit them all. It’s best to be informed, right? I looked at a couple a day during lunch or if I had a meeting in the area, and made a mental note of the ones that I liked.

My conditions were fairly simple. I wanted someplace fairly expensive, to ensure the quality would not degrade like our current apartment. I also wanted to get my money’s worth, either in the apartment itself or in the community and neighborhood. I’m fairly confident that we ended up getting both in the end.

After my little Tour de Overland Park, I narrowed it down to two complexes. Well, that is to say, I only felt that two complexes were worth dragging Shan to. In fact, they were the only two that even made the list…I’m telling you, I was being Picky with a capital P. Shan looked at them both, as I did for the second time. After a second look, it was an easy decision to make.

The place we chose has everything we want. The interior is well done. The complex is beautiful. The amenities are top-notch. The neighborhood is perfect. Our patio has a gate that leads to a 25-mile walking trail, which winds around the neighboring golf course. Our windows face the trail, a creek and trees.

We also have to wait an additional two months to get in. I'm taking this as a good sign, though. After all, it can easily be assumed that a long wait to get an apartment means this is a nice place at which people enjoy to live. So, we have concluded that we shall just live in our current place two months longer than expected and wanted. It might be nice to have all that time to prepare, anyway.

Hopefully, we’ve learnt our lesson. As Shan’s friend Lindsay put it over drinks last time she was in town, there comes a time when you realize that you just have to pay more to get what you want. We’re definitely paying for the neighborhood, but I firmly believe that it is a very, very sound decision. I think we’ve learnt that in order to get a place that’ll make you happy for more than a year, you have to weigh all the factors. You can’t just rent a place in an OK neighborhood because you like how much square footage you get for your money. If you do, you’ll end up being like us, disappointed to see the place going sharply downhill and being nothing like what you hoped. And, although it's draining to think of moving again, we are glad to do it. This time we're hiring movers, though!

posted by Jen @ 3/20/2006 02:35:00 AM