Home is where the heart is.
Jimmy and I went to look at prospective future apartments in Hemet yesterday. I also took him around and showed him some of the lake, all things he hasn't seen since we moved up here. He got to meet a couple of my co-workers at the Visitor Center. Worlds collide! It was fun. And it wasn't even that hot yesterday!
The first apartment we went to turned out to be right around the corner from the next place on our list. We realized that the entire four block area was being managed by one couple. They showed us a typical 2/1 unit, and the bedrooms and the living room are both larger than our place now. And there's a little backyard space. It was an old building, but liveable. Then he took us inside and told us the history of the place, how it used to be overrun with gangs and crime, etc. They did 50 evictions when they took over the place, there's been an 80% decrease in police visits, etc. Although this may not sound like a good thing, I already knew that the area wasn't considered the best, and him being upfront about the history of the complex was welcome indeed. They could have tried to blow smoke up our asses, and they didn't.
Another helpful detail, they don't go by your credit score when approving your application, just check to see if you have any evictions or a criminal record. This took ALL stress out of the equation for us, since you can imagine what has happened to our credit over the past two years. And, to qualify, you only have to make 2x the rent and I gross nearly 3x the rent for a 2/1, (it's only $20 more for a 2/2, if they have one available by the time we're ready to move in). We really liked the managers, they were very down to earth and funny people. It seemed they really liked us, too. And why wouldn't they: we don't smoke, we're not party types, we're clean and quiet, and the one thing we always manage to pay is the rent. I had the most peaceful feeling as we left that place, and I told Jimmy, "You know, it's nice to have this feeling that however things work out, whether we move to that place or somewhere else, I know we will be happy." And I know we will be. All the surface trappings may change, but the substance underneath is unchangeable.
The first apartment we went to turned out to be right around the corner from the next place on our list. We realized that the entire four block area was being managed by one couple. They showed us a typical 2/1 unit, and the bedrooms and the living room are both larger than our place now. And there's a little backyard space. It was an old building, but liveable. Then he took us inside and told us the history of the place, how it used to be overrun with gangs and crime, etc. They did 50 evictions when they took over the place, there's been an 80% decrease in police visits, etc. Although this may not sound like a good thing, I already knew that the area wasn't considered the best, and him being upfront about the history of the complex was welcome indeed. They could have tried to blow smoke up our asses, and they didn't.
Another helpful detail, they don't go by your credit score when approving your application, just check to see if you have any evictions or a criminal record. This took ALL stress out of the equation for us, since you can imagine what has happened to our credit over the past two years. And, to qualify, you only have to make 2x the rent and I gross nearly 3x the rent for a 2/1, (it's only $20 more for a 2/2, if they have one available by the time we're ready to move in). We really liked the managers, they were very down to earth and funny people. It seemed they really liked us, too. And why wouldn't they: we don't smoke, we're not party types, we're clean and quiet, and the one thing we always manage to pay is the rent. I had the most peaceful feeling as we left that place, and I told Jimmy, "You know, it's nice to have this feeling that however things work out, whether we move to that place or somewhere else, I know we will be happy." And I know we will be. All the surface trappings may change, but the substance underneath is unchangeable.