Long time no update
Ok, so much to report and nowhere to start!
Maryland was great. I got to spend a lot of time with family and even had a couple of hours to devote to those special people to whom I am not related (by blood anyway). It was good to catch up with everyone and the week away from work and the beau was good for everyone all around I think - especially since my boss now sees that I really do hold my little niche of the company together :)
But it was good to get back to Austin and get back into my routines. Returning to work, seeing my boyfriend, dinner with friends, grocery shopping, even cleaning my apartment. Ahhh, my apartment.
I've been there just 60 days short of a year. Time to give notice or renew. And therein lies the fun (note the sarcasm). I pay a good deal of money for my place and I feel it's a good apartment. But, for some reason unbeknownst to me, they think it's reasonable to raise rent for loyal tenants with every rent renewal. So I thought "You know what? The economy is a little shitty right now. At the least they should keep my rent competitive". So I checked out some apartment complexes in my area - including the new leasing rates for my exact apartment. And everything was way less (some complexes had even 200 more sq feet for $100 less a month!), including my own building which was renting for $65 less if I were to move in off the street as a new tenant. Well, I thought I had a good fucking argument to keep my place and, not only would they not raise my rent, they were going to lower it too!
And boy was I wrong.
After a drawn out battle with the fuckers that own my complex the best I can get is absolutely none of the upgrades they're installing in new apartments (new floors, new appliances and the like) and keep my rent the same, over billed price for another year. What. The. Fuck?
So now I have to decide:
Do I stay in the same place I've been for nearly a year, keep paying rent that, although higher than other places, I can afford, boost my good standing rental history without adding a 4th move in 4 years and even avoid the hassle of moving?
Or
Do I move maybe a block away, still less than 5 miles from work, sign a new lease, pack up my shit, have someone (or pay someone to) help me move it and start anew at a $100ish a month savings?
Both have their pros and both have their cons. Maybe one of the reasons I haven't just dove headfirst into moving is that I've never moved during an up-swing in my life and it seems that planning the move is almost asking for some unfortunate twist to take place in my presently happy existence. In any case I've spent the morning here at work searching apartments in my area and a lot of them look pretty good.
Soooooo.... suggestions?
Maryland was great. I got to spend a lot of time with family and even had a couple of hours to devote to those special people to whom I am not related (by blood anyway). It was good to catch up with everyone and the week away from work and the beau was good for everyone all around I think - especially since my boss now sees that I really do hold my little niche of the company together :)
But it was good to get back to Austin and get back into my routines. Returning to work, seeing my boyfriend, dinner with friends, grocery shopping, even cleaning my apartment. Ahhh, my apartment.
I've been there just 60 days short of a year. Time to give notice or renew. And therein lies the fun (note the sarcasm). I pay a good deal of money for my place and I feel it's a good apartment. But, for some reason unbeknownst to me, they think it's reasonable to raise rent for loyal tenants with every rent renewal. So I thought "You know what? The economy is a little shitty right now. At the least they should keep my rent competitive". So I checked out some apartment complexes in my area - including the new leasing rates for my exact apartment. And everything was way less (some complexes had even 200 more sq feet for $100 less a month!), including my own building which was renting for $65 less if I were to move in off the street as a new tenant. Well, I thought I had a good fucking argument to keep my place and, not only would they not raise my rent, they were going to lower it too!
And boy was I wrong.
After a drawn out battle with the fuckers that own my complex the best I can get is absolutely none of the upgrades they're installing in new apartments (new floors, new appliances and the like) and keep my rent the same, over billed price for another year. What. The. Fuck?
So now I have to decide:
Do I stay in the same place I've been for nearly a year, keep paying rent that, although higher than other places, I can afford, boost my good standing rental history without adding a 4th move in 4 years and even avoid the hassle of moving?
Or
Do I move maybe a block away, still less than 5 miles from work, sign a new lease, pack up my shit, have someone (or pay someone to) help me move it and start anew at a $100ish a month savings?
Both have their pros and both have their cons. Maybe one of the reasons I haven't just dove headfirst into moving is that I've never moved during an up-swing in my life and it seems that planning the move is almost asking for some unfortunate twist to take place in my presently happy existence. In any case I've spent the morning here at work searching apartments in my area and a lot of them look pretty good.
Soooooo.... suggestions?