I've been invited to an interview for the Americorps job. It's on Monday, so we're heading to the valley today. We'll spend the night in Eugene, after doing some quick clothing shopping for an interview "ensemble", then drive up to Portland in the morning. There are also a couple of apartments we might take a look at.
Things might start happening very quickly now!
Showing posts with label apartments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apartments. Show all posts
Sunday, January 25
Friday, February 9
Grab the tide and turn it yourself!
We've secured another apartment now. And it just happens to be in the same building we're in right now! A mirror version of our current apartment, but on the top floor (7th to Americans, 6th to Brits*). Nice view, fully furnished, and including a dishwasher. Same price as our current apartment, though that wasn't the case until recently. They had been trying to rent it out for £850, unsuccessfully. We'll be signing a 12-month lease starting on the 23rd.
K and I were talking about the timing involved in this outcome. All of the events leading up to this seemed to be steeped with bad luck, but was it actually good luck in disguise? We now believe the manager of LD Property Management knew all along that the landlord was dying. In fact, there was a court case already ongoing when we first looked at the apartment (something about a someone who owns three of the other flats in the building, the settlement being that she has to buy the one we were interested in). We think he was just stringing us along for some reason and when he first called us about the landlord possibly dying, he was probably already dead. Anyway, if we had moved in there sooner and all this happened... ooh, that would have sent me off the edge like Michael Douglas in Falling Down! Luckily that wasn't the case. But the timing eventually led to us being able to stay in the building to which we have become accustomed. No need to get a moving van. We won't even need to move very much furniture up there since the apartment is furnished. And since it's in the same building, we can leisurely migrate our belongings up the stairs without packing!
Is this perhaps the end of our chain of bad luck?
K and I were talking about the timing involved in this outcome. All of the events leading up to this seemed to be steeped with bad luck, but was it actually good luck in disguise? We now believe the manager of LD Property Management knew all along that the landlord was dying. In fact, there was a court case already ongoing when we first looked at the apartment (something about a someone who owns three of the other flats in the building, the settlement being that she has to buy the one we were interested in). We think he was just stringing us along for some reason and when he first called us about the landlord possibly dying, he was probably already dead. Anyway, if we had moved in there sooner and all this happened... ooh, that would have sent me off the edge like Michael Douglas in Falling Down! Luckily that wasn't the case. But the timing eventually led to us being able to stay in the building to which we have become accustomed. No need to get a moving van. We won't even need to move very much furniture up there since the apartment is furnished. And since it's in the same building, we can leisurely migrate our belongings up the stairs without packing!
Is this perhaps the end of our chain of bad luck?
Sunday, January 14
New place
It's been a stressful week (mostly for K) sifting through apartment listings, making appointments, and viewing properties. K viewed 10 apartments of quality varying from "total crap" to "really nice". I only viewed two and I haven't even seen the one we decided to go for.
We went through 3 periods of thinking we had found a suitable place and it wasn't until the 3rd time that we settled on one. The first was a brand new, purpose-built top-floor flat for £695 pcm. While it was really nice, it was just way too small. The second possible winner was a sizable two-bedroom in an older building for £700. K was fairly happy with it, but when I saw it, I was less than enthused. It had the same type of ridiculous boiler that we had in Winchester, everything was electric (water, stove, heating), the heating consisted of "storage heaters" (radiators with thermal bricks inside that get heated over night using the off-peak electricity and then release their energy during the course of the day), and the vibe of the building, as I sensed it, was one of a place where old people wait to die. I know that sounds terrible, but that's how I felt.
K found the third one this past Friday. It's in Canford Cliffs (which we've been told is very posh), about 5 minutes from the ocean and is actually cheaper than the one we're in now (£695). She initially thought the flat would be "total crap", judging by the pebble-dash, turquoise-painted exterior. However, she was pleasantly surprised by it and has me completely convinced. We paid the agency fees yesterday morning (a stinging £306 that we won't get back). While we were sitting with the estate agent, someone called requesting a viewing of the flat. She informed them that it had just gone off the market. Phew! We're booked in for another viewing this Thursday so I can see it and we can decide if we need to get rid of any furniture. Not sure when we'll move in. It's technically available on March 1st, but that's because the couple living there had to give two months notice because they're breaking their lease (they're splitting up... a lot of that going around!). However, we might be able to work out a sooner date than that.
It's a relief to have found a place to move into. Now K can get back to work on her PhD.
We went through 3 periods of thinking we had found a suitable place and it wasn't until the 3rd time that we settled on one. The first was a brand new, purpose-built top-floor flat for £695 pcm. While it was really nice, it was just way too small. The second possible winner was a sizable two-bedroom in an older building for £700. K was fairly happy with it, but when I saw it, I was less than enthused. It had the same type of ridiculous boiler that we had in Winchester, everything was electric (water, stove, heating), the heating consisted of "storage heaters" (radiators with thermal bricks inside that get heated over night using the off-peak electricity and then release their energy during the course of the day), and the vibe of the building, as I sensed it, was one of a place where old people wait to die. I know that sounds terrible, but that's how I felt.
K found the third one this past Friday. It's in Canford Cliffs (which we've been told is very posh), about 5 minutes from the ocean and is actually cheaper than the one we're in now (£695). She initially thought the flat would be "total crap", judging by the pebble-dash, turquoise-painted exterior. However, she was pleasantly surprised by it and has me completely convinced. We paid the agency fees yesterday morning (a stinging £306 that we won't get back). While we were sitting with the estate agent, someone called requesting a viewing of the flat. She informed them that it had just gone off the market. Phew! We're booked in for another viewing this Thursday so I can see it and we can decide if we need to get rid of any furniture. Not sure when we'll move in. It's technically available on March 1st, but that's because the couple living there had to give two months notice because they're breaking their lease (they're splitting up... a lot of that going around!). However, we might be able to work out a sooner date than that.
It's a relief to have found a place to move into. Now K can get back to work on her PhD.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)