FriendBurst Blog

(I’d originally titled this blog ‘Apartment Hunting with Joko’, but referring to oneself in the third person…  Joko is trying to avoid that)

I’ve made a lot of bad housing decisions in my day.  I’ve moved into several places over the years that I soon discovered that I didn’t particularly like.  Sometimes, they were downright awful.  Usually, I’ve made these poor decisions out of  insecurity.  I’ve jumped at places and taken them just to be done with the searching process.  It’s hard not knowing where one is going to be living a month from now.  There’s a level of discontent in that uncertainty that’s profound like no other.  It’s like pre-homelessness.  It gets back to need to fulfill the most basic human desire: to be secure and sheltered.

In case you missed my last blog, I am being evicted due to the landlords’ desire to remodel all the units in this series of duplexes I’m at and then either convert them to condos or rent them out again at much higher rents.

Without being too quick to label, moving to Snohomish, so far away from everything else that’s going on in my life, was itself a mistake, so in some ways, I’m happy this has happened.  It’s forcing me to do something I don’t want to do (who wants to go through the hassle of moving?), but will make my life a lot easier once it’s accomplished.

Now, just avoid picking a sucky place.  Maybe you can help me with that.

I went and looked at three apartments over the last two days.  Brought the camera along in case I wanted to look again at the units as I made a decision.  Each place has it’s pros and cons, which I am writing out to help me in the decision making process.  Care to take a look with me at the three places and offer your opinion and advice?  It would be welcomed.

Apartment #1
Studio, 500 sq ft, $650/mo + $50 for water/sewer/trash +$30/mo for “cat rent“, $400 sec deposit
Pros:  Quiet neighborhood, yet close to transit, shopping.  Very quiet inside. Small, quaint complex.  Single floor, no one above or below.  Landlords seem cool, run as a mom & pop kind of operation
Cons: Small!  Really small.  I don’t know how I’d fit all my stuff in there, much less have a free wall to hang my green screen .

Apartment #2
1 BDR, 700 sq feet, $635/mo + $30 for cats + unknown for water/trash, $1200 deposit
Pros: Spacious! Plenty of room for my stuff & hobbies.  They said they’d throw in a portable D/W for free.
Cons:  Gigantic apartment megaplex.  Lots of move in costs. No yard for kitties. May not like my credit history.  Bottom floor; people living above.

Apartment #3
Studio, 550 sq ft, $600/mo (includes all utilities, cable & internet), $600 deposit.  Bottom floor of a private residence.
Pros:  Utilities included makes a big difference in cost.  Not a lot of space, but interesting floor plan would fit my stuff.  View out window is of a local lake. Unique. If I had to “go away” for a while, could probably convince owners to feed my cats while I was gone.
Cons: No real kitchen. Utility sink, fridge, microwave and toaster oven.  No range. 4 kids upstairs.

So… I know kind of which way I am leaning, but what do you think?   What do you value in a place to live?  Serenity?  Space? Affordability?  Something that fits you?