Category: Let's talk
It's time to start looking for a new place. I like this one, even the small town is kind of nice, but it's time to start looking around. It's too expensive to heat in the winter.
Also it is a two family home the owner being the landlord & living upstairs. His wife I have always regarded as something of a sloth, but now I am questioning him as well. For example she wouldn't even help him maintain the place when he was down with open heart surgery, it looked as if Jack in the Beanstalk lived there. Now I have been finding dog turds in the cellar, on our side, and Mr Squid has gotten stuck cleaning turds off the front porch. We have no child in diapers or pet, we are stuck doing this because he only makes 'occasional patrols' to clean up after the dog, whose really a sweet little thing, but I have gotten my asthma under pretty good control & don't want to be getting infections from inhaling microbes in dried dog turds. So time to start looking. I prefer a complex to avoid situations like this, but does anyone have any other suggestions?
I had good luck with Craigslist for my area. Apartment complexes tend to put ads and special rates on Craigslist, since they know people tend to look there. We are renting from a major apartment renter operating in many states apparently, but we got $200 off the list price of the rent through Craigslist, with a 12 month deal (I dare say they would have given us something similar had we just walked in, but at least this was a nice way to shop for apartments without leaving the house).
I don't have any suggestions, but wanted to wish you luck.
even on cl you want to try to see if you can go take a look at the complex before you rent it. I got my apartment through cl as well and I like it, but I definitely went through several apartments before deciding this was the one I wanted.
Be careful what you wish for. I live in a complex, and while my immediate neighbors aren't bad to live around, I live in front of a whole complex of loud, partying kids who seem really unmotivated. I'd definitely look at whatever unit you're interested in, and if possible, take someone sighted along with you to inspect it. Be sure to ask about all utilities and security and cleaning deposits.
In my experience at least, (new york, austin tx, and boston, ma thus far), complexes offer apartments with more nice stuff, on site management, pool, central air, dishwasher, balcony, laundry hookups, etc. However, the trade off is always the neighbors. I've lived in a few different apartment complexes and the amount of crap I saw/heard with neighbors, between low income people fighting, parties until 3 AM, drug dealing, theft, people leaving trash around, smashing bottles and things on the sidewalks, students lacking any respect for their neighbors, children causing trouble because their parents would rather get high than look after their kids, and the list goes on. So be very careful about where you move to. The complex will not tell you any of the real story regarding your potential new neighbors! They will give you a great sales pitch, but take it with a huge grain of salt. Now, if you rent from a private landlord, or from a management company that owns small propperties, it may not be bad in terms of neighbors etc. However, I've found that the apartments are usually much older, lack a lot of modern ammeneties, and are generally smaller. Good luck. I am trying to find a new place for an upcoming move and it is depressing. You really do start to wonder where your money goes...
A friend who does some real estate on the side helped me find my apartment, which I love. I have lived here for a little over a year and have run into very few problems. You should definitely visit apartments before you rent. If you don't love the first apartment you visit, keep looking, because you will find something better. Good luck!
As someone who completed this process on Saturday, I'd simply agree with all that is stated above. if you live in a small town that may not have stuff on craigslist, you may have to check out superpages.com or something and find out what places have apartments available. Also take in to account any special needs you may have. For example, if you need an apartment close to a bus line, don't decide to take a nice apartment far from one just because the place is nice. But if getting out isn't a concern for you, that wouldn't be an issue. I'd see a few places first, make a pros and cons list of the ones you like best, and base your decision off of that. I'd very strongly recommend taking a sighted friend with you, and would also be happy you're not doing this in New York. It was a nightmare for me.
If you need an apartment close to a train or bus line and drive to one with a sighted person, walk the route to the transportation line before you end the visit. It may be a longer or more complicated route than you initially thought it would be, or shorter and simpler.
Yeah, definetly look at a place before renting if possible and be sure to write down anything that needs to be replaced or repaired etc. Also, walking the route from the building to public transit is a good idea.