April-Fool Free since '93
This post is all serious, so yeah.
In honor of my 4 year anniversary (started 4/01/2002 at Immunex), I'm 1) getting trashed tonight and 2) in the process of putting an offer in on an apartment (for lease, not to buy).
Just got back from a viewing and, while it's not the perfect place, it's close enough that once I found out that the price was fairly negotiable, I figured that I'd take it. It's in Fremont, about 4 blocks from the kickball bar (and the main drag in Fremont), has a garage and storage locker included in the rent, it's a fairly big complex (70 units, I think), but it's secure (as in it has a big wrought-iron gate, no more hallways for me) and has only one common wall. Hardwood floors, nice looking Maytag stacked washer/dryer, electric range, okay sink (but no more doublesink), Amana fridge (with the freezer on the bottom), nice enough kitchen w/ breakfast bar, in-wall glass shelves with a bar area (which will be the liquor center, I believe). Big bedroom with a fairly big closet that has shelving in it. Bathroom is fairly big w/ full tub and shower, much bigger sink cabinet (but still no medicine cabinet -- the basin does have drawers in it tho). Place seemed quiet enough (and it's right next to a fairly busy street, so I think that was an okay test). Sitting there with traffic going by was quieter than it is in my apartment right now, heh.
The main problem that I'm gonna have is, the living room is kinda tiny. I think I can make it work, but that will be the main challenge. Other than that, I like it quite a bit. Close to all sorts of stuff (music store + dive bar + restaurants + mom n' pop grocery store to the north, all the joys of Fremont to the south).
Hm, other random factoids: built in '93 or so, has pocket double doors into the bedroom (with frosted glass in the doors). Not sure how private that would be, eheh, but it's kinda cool in a way. The walls are painted pretty garishly right now (bright yellow on one wall of the living room, striped green/yellow/brighter yellow on the opposite wall) but they're repainting it for free. Lighting looks "okay," I'll still need to use my torch lamps, but it's got in-ceiling lights in the kitchen and some dimmers (including one dimmer in the in-wall display case/bar).
I offered $100 less than the asking price, which would be $5 more than I was paying on my lease here (and $85 less than I'm paying right now month-to-month). If they'll accept that, I'll be pig-in-shit happy. Also they just want first month + $500 deposit, so it won't break the bank to move in. Annnd they said that they're cool with letting me move in the last week of April for free (otherwise I can pro-rate as necessary if I want to move in earlier). So that's cool. The property management company is Windermere, so it isn't any fly-by-night ripoff artist, heh, and the actual landlord guy seemed pretty cool.
Let's see, what else was there... there's a built-in iron hook thing for hanging spoons or whatever utensils in the kitchen, the faucet on the kitchen sink pulls out into a water-gun, there's a garbage disposal, a fair amount of kitchen cabinetry (although not as extensive as my kitchen). All in all, I'm happy. It's about 680 sq ft, so a big smaller than my place but the floor plan is better (other than the living room). I may have to trash some stuff (but I was already trashing the couch). So new furniture and area rugs will be the first purchases upon moving, eheh.
So yeah, good day so far.
In honor of my 4 year anniversary (started 4/01/2002 at Immunex), I'm 1) getting trashed tonight and 2) in the process of putting an offer in on an apartment (for lease, not to buy).
Just got back from a viewing and, while it's not the perfect place, it's close enough that once I found out that the price was fairly negotiable, I figured that I'd take it. It's in Fremont, about 4 blocks from the kickball bar (and the main drag in Fremont), has a garage and storage locker included in the rent, it's a fairly big complex (70 units, I think), but it's secure (as in it has a big wrought-iron gate, no more hallways for me) and has only one common wall. Hardwood floors, nice looking Maytag stacked washer/dryer, electric range, okay sink (but no more doublesink), Amana fridge (with the freezer on the bottom), nice enough kitchen w/ breakfast bar, in-wall glass shelves with a bar area (which will be the liquor center, I believe). Big bedroom with a fairly big closet that has shelving in it. Bathroom is fairly big w/ full tub and shower, much bigger sink cabinet (but still no medicine cabinet -- the basin does have drawers in it tho). Place seemed quiet enough (and it's right next to a fairly busy street, so I think that was an okay test). Sitting there with traffic going by was quieter than it is in my apartment right now, heh.
The main problem that I'm gonna have is, the living room is kinda tiny. I think I can make it work, but that will be the main challenge. Other than that, I like it quite a bit. Close to all sorts of stuff (music store + dive bar + restaurants + mom n' pop grocery store to the north, all the joys of Fremont to the south).
Hm, other random factoids: built in '93 or so, has pocket double doors into the bedroom (with frosted glass in the doors). Not sure how private that would be, eheh, but it's kinda cool in a way. The walls are painted pretty garishly right now (bright yellow on one wall of the living room, striped green/yellow/brighter yellow on the opposite wall) but they're repainting it for free. Lighting looks "okay," I'll still need to use my torch lamps, but it's got in-ceiling lights in the kitchen and some dimmers (including one dimmer in the in-wall display case/bar).
I offered $100 less than the asking price, which would be $5 more than I was paying on my lease here (and $85 less than I'm paying right now month-to-month). If they'll accept that, I'll be pig-in-shit happy. Also they just want first month + $500 deposit, so it won't break the bank to move in. Annnd they said that they're cool with letting me move in the last week of April for free (otherwise I can pro-rate as necessary if I want to move in earlier). So that's cool. The property management company is Windermere, so it isn't any fly-by-night ripoff artist, heh, and the actual landlord guy seemed pretty cool.
Let's see, what else was there... there's a built-in iron hook thing for hanging spoons or whatever utensils in the kitchen, the faucet on the kitchen sink pulls out into a water-gun, there's a garbage disposal, a fair amount of kitchen cabinetry (although not as extensive as my kitchen). All in all, I'm happy. It's about 680 sq ft, so a big smaller than my place but the floor plan is better (other than the living room). I may have to trash some stuff (but I was already trashing the couch). So new furniture and area rugs will be the first purchases upon moving, eheh.
So yeah, good day so far.