The Real Estate Samba
A couple of weeks ago, I actually emailed one of my relatives about a loan to buy a trailer for me to live in. They were very open to the idea, but wanted more facts. They also wanted me to have a specific trailer in mind. I was ok with this, so I went out in search of a trailer. Now, I have no idea how to find a trailer. I started with the internet, which, to my surprise, turned up relatively few options. So, I called a realtor. They didn't have any trailers, but they did have several houses that were within my price range that they were most anxious for me to look at.
That seemed like a most fabulous idea, for about three hours. Initially, I hopped on the internet to see where these houses were located. They were in a rougher part of town, but no more sketchy than the nicer parts of Frogtown. I figured that the neighborhood accounted for some of the price. However, upon further reflection, I realized that any house within my price range, neighborhood aside, would probably have some pretty serious defects. I thought to myself, "What if the roof falls off? I don't have the money for a new roof." and that was pretty much that. It also occurred to me that the same thing applied to a trailer. Which meant back to looking for apartments.
Suddenly, literally out of nowhere, an apartment metaphorically fell out of the sky and into my lap. No sooner had I made the decision to stick with apartments, then my Mum was flipping through a part of the newspaper that she never reads and she happened upon a tiny listing, stating "$450 1br, 1bath, pets allowed." She happily circled it and passed it on to me. For no apparent reason, my gut told me this was something I needed to act on.
I picked up the phone and called the landlady. She practically bent herself into a pretzel to show me the apartment RIGHT AWAY, despite my assurances that we could, in fact, wait until she had time. I met her at the place and loved it immediately. There were no glaring problems. The heat was electric, but you pay for heat here either way (stupid Erie), so no big. The kitchen is huge with a hookup for a washer-dryer (which I do not have, but I subbed out a dishwasher). The rest of the apartment is Beth-sized, which is to say it's big enough to hold my stuff, but small enough for me to keep clean. And they allow small dogs.*
As we were looking around, I commented to the landlady that she looked familiar. She taught at my old high school, but was not teaching there when I was a student. She asked me where I work and I told her. Because of the name, she thought I was a fellow educator. I explained that I am not a licensed teacher, but a social worker. She asked me if I knew MD, which happens to be one of Mum's dearest friends. I laughed and told her of the connection, at which point the landlady explained that she's been close to MD forever. At that moment, I knew this apartment was the right decision, as MD is someone who is only friends with good people.
I signed the paperwork and moved in last weekend. It's been great. I've had to start my larder over again, which has been expensive, but well worth it. I had to replace the vast majority of the spice army, as it had gotten incredibly stale. Now, for the puppy hunting. ^_^
*I currently have a cat, but the cat will be staying with Mum. The family dog, Buttercup, died last spring. Mum functionally replaced the dog with my cat. My Mum said that I could take the cat with me if I really wanted to, but wouldn't it be better for her not to have to move? I realized that Mum had gotten attached to Gadget in the absence of Butter, so Gadget shall remain with Mum and Dad.
That seemed like a most fabulous idea, for about three hours. Initially, I hopped on the internet to see where these houses were located. They were in a rougher part of town, but no more sketchy than the nicer parts of Frogtown. I figured that the neighborhood accounted for some of the price. However, upon further reflection, I realized that any house within my price range, neighborhood aside, would probably have some pretty serious defects. I thought to myself, "What if the roof falls off? I don't have the money for a new roof." and that was pretty much that. It also occurred to me that the same thing applied to a trailer. Which meant back to looking for apartments.
Suddenly, literally out of nowhere, an apartment metaphorically fell out of the sky and into my lap. No sooner had I made the decision to stick with apartments, then my Mum was flipping through a part of the newspaper that she never reads and she happened upon a tiny listing, stating "$450 1br, 1bath, pets allowed." She happily circled it and passed it on to me. For no apparent reason, my gut told me this was something I needed to act on.
I picked up the phone and called the landlady. She practically bent herself into a pretzel to show me the apartment RIGHT AWAY, despite my assurances that we could, in fact, wait until she had time. I met her at the place and loved it immediately. There were no glaring problems. The heat was electric, but you pay for heat here either way (stupid Erie), so no big. The kitchen is huge with a hookup for a washer-dryer (which I do not have, but I subbed out a dishwasher). The rest of the apartment is Beth-sized, which is to say it's big enough to hold my stuff, but small enough for me to keep clean. And they allow small dogs.*
As we were looking around, I commented to the landlady that she looked familiar. She taught at my old high school, but was not teaching there when I was a student. She asked me where I work and I told her. Because of the name, she thought I was a fellow educator. I explained that I am not a licensed teacher, but a social worker. She asked me if I knew MD, which happens to be one of Mum's dearest friends. I laughed and told her of the connection, at which point the landlady explained that she's been close to MD forever. At that moment, I knew this apartment was the right decision, as MD is someone who is only friends with good people.
I signed the paperwork and moved in last weekend. It's been great. I've had to start my larder over again, which has been expensive, but well worth it. I had to replace the vast majority of the spice army, as it had gotten incredibly stale. Now, for the puppy hunting. ^_^
*I currently have a cat, but the cat will be staying with Mum. The family dog, Buttercup, died last spring. Mum functionally replaced the dog with my cat. My Mum said that I could take the cat with me if I really wanted to, but wouldn't it be better for her not to have to move? I realized that Mum had gotten attached to Gadget in the absence of Butter, so Gadget shall remain with Mum and Dad.