Apartment
I'm so sentimental. I want to document my apartment before I go. I love this place. It's been my safe haven during almost my whole 30s. I never thought I'd be here this long because I thought I would get married and buy a house. I always said I didn't want a house without a spouse. I still feel that way, however, that does not pertain to condos. The plan has always been to purchase a condo, on the water. I just ended up being relatively broke for most of my 30s, but in an unofficially rent-controlled beautiful privately owned apartment. Rent didn't increase more than $150 over eight years. So when everyone told me I was crazy to pay $1000 in 2016, I got the last laugh with still paying less than $1200 in 2024.
It's been a great experience, except in 2020 when they let the most trash people move in and there were biweekly domestic disputes, literal trash, hit cars, and thievery for a long year during COVID lockdown. Just dreadful.
I will miss this building, and our maintenance man. He just left from unclogging the sink and shower, so I told him the news. "I'm finally leaving." He's such a nice man, and he's been rooting for me since I lost my job in 2020. We have conversations when he fixes things. He used to come by weekly when my A/C system kept breaking down. He would do a quick fix and complain that the new landlord should just buy a new one. They finally did, but that's how I got to know the maintenance man so well. So many visits. Prompt, albeit, but still....he was around a lot. In the last eight years, I've gotten a new microwave, a new hot water tank, and a new kitchen faucet. My washer went nuts and he fixed that. And the sink and shower get clogged about once a year, so he fixes that. He's been the best.
My apartment is over 100 years old and a registered historic building, but it has certainly done well by me. I pray my next apartment will be quiet, problem-free, and have a good maintenance man should problems arise. I found a place and signed a lease. It is beautiful, and it will be my first time living in an apartment complex, which is intentional. I never wanted to be someplace large with useless amenities, but I didn't have a choice. The housing market is the pits right now, especially in Pennsylvania, which is where I am moving...in three weeks.