(no subject)

[hippybngstockng]

Could it be that my cold is finally starting to leave? Could it be that spring is finally starting to, um, spring? It could, because I certainly feel significantly better today. It might be the big stompy walk to the store yesterday, since I really did feel my lung actually cough itself out there a couple times, I must have finally dislodged the crud because today I have my voice almost back. I don't think I will test it with any serious Kate Bush covers, but I'm going to pronounce myself "tentatively better" and finally try to rejoin the living world. Oh how I have dropped the ball on the living world.

But in my little corner of it, things are clicking right along. I finally counted backwards on the calendar from the day we're expected to be ultimately OUT of this place, and discovered I have 49 days left. Sounds like a lot, sure, but since I can procrastinate with the best of 'em, you know it's a damn good thing I already got crackin' on it. I've gotten a bunch of stuff packed, sure, but still have lots to go, and still no place to move to yet. That part is going to get started quite seriously this week. We're thinking we might rent a car, starting Tuesday possibly, and go down there every day for a few days to get a feel for things and hopefully start seeing places. I will say it out loud here, mostly to hear myself say it- I WILL NOT take the first good looking place that I happen upon. I feel like that's what I did this time, and even though the place I got was indeed pretty spiff, the couple things about it that make me insane make me think I should've tried a teensy bit harder, at least so I could at this point be saying that I KNOW I had no better options. Also, trying to use the power of mental thinking...

And about that looking- I am sure that it is only completely normal of me to get focused on a certain aspect of the housing search based on some aspect of my current place that is pissing me off- Prime example here would be this place's kitchen. It sucks unholy donkey testicles, so of course a lot of my MUST HAVE list for our next place involves making a more thorough inspection of the appliances, and the sink. I have a lot of little lessons like this that I've learned from previous places, but more and more I realize they're just the lessons that I've learned, and it's still kind of short. I get to worrying what I have left out.

What do others do when they look for a new place? What are your biggest issues? What things make a place unacceptable (besides the really obvious things)?

The first place I lived that wasn't college or home I had awful room mates.
The next place, I had AMAZING room mates (drglam and saavedra77), but I couldn't get enough work to equal the rent I needed to be paying.
The place after that was a roach motel, but I didn't pick it, so I refuse to take the blame for that one.
The next place (which I did find) was the polar opposite of roach motel, recently renovated, and good room mates- The problem again was not being able to make rent. I decided I couldn't live in an area with next to no work.
The next place was in Seattle, so lots of work, but it was also a dump, and the landlords didn't care about it, or us (which was super annoying because I had asked them to fix some things before I took the place, and then they just didn't, so I did, and it was still a dump).
The place after that was my first place with uniquecrash5. It was in good enough shape, had excellent landlords, but was the size of a closet and had no storage to speak of.
And finally we bought our house, which was TOO big with TOO MUCH YARD and out in the middle of nowhere, our commute was AWFUL on a daily basis, and no one ever visited us except when we had parties, despite the fabulous hot tub..

Then we got dot.bombed, moved into 2 rooms in my mom's house, threw everything we could in storage, and almost forgot we ever had a life of our own....

After a few months and a year of that shit we got angry, got determined, and got the hell out of the US, and finally we have this place...

The landlords care, but they are cheap. There aren't any roaches, but there are lots of other little bugs, and sometimes mice. It's too small, but has lots of storage. The City is great, but it also has a high unemployment rate, and a terribly high cost of living. Also, all our friends seem to live on the other side of town, so it takes us about an hour to see anyone, or for them to come here, so it doesn't happen very much. Also, I couldn't possibly afford to have a car here, which is both a good thing and a bad thing... Good in that I am in much better shape from having to haul groceries home, and walk everywhere, bad in that I spend almost ALL my time doing just that... Cars just make things go so much faster. My only fear is that if I start driving again, I will turn back into a land sloth.

But move out of the city I must, and I must have a car again more likely than not, and I must figure out what is actually important this time around. The only things I have determined so far is that the one thing I was hoping to do a good job of, I should just give up hoping for, because it probably won't happen- Specifically, I spoke to the Autism Society of Ontario about what services there are in Waterloo, and what the good schools for austistic kids are. What they said amounted to a big, fat UMMMMMMMMMM, so in essence I should just move wherever I feel comfortable, and deal with it, and be comforted by the fact that Waterloo isn't huge, so the possibility of having to drive places a lot of the time shouldn't make me upset, except that it does... Gas and insurance are not cheap, especially for us because Canada kinda ignores any US driving experience we have, so that means I am working with a 3 year old license, and Crash's is only 2, despite the fact that he had an Ontario license back when he first learned how to drive, in 1990! We might have to take a cheap-ass place just to be able to afford to drive, and that gives me pause... I don't like having to balance negatives, since I barely made it through high school algebra. Added to all this is the fact that our debt is now huge again, and we'd like to be out of it in years, not decades.

Anyway. I'd love to hear what people have found to be most important to them when finding a place to live, especially if it is something completely different than I have mentioned here..

Comments

[obvious.livejournal.com]

I hate moving, so you have my sympathy.

The most important thing for me is big rooms. I cannot live someplace with tiny rooms.

[hippybngstockng.livejournal.com]

Oh HELLS yes, that is definitely on my list.. Our bedroom is a nightmare because I wasn't firmer on that point. You have to turn sideways to get between the dresser and the bed. There's enough floor left for a chair now, which sits in front of a computer crammed into the corner, but otherwise there's only barely enough room to walk all the way around the bed. Our living room is a glorified hallway, and the "galley kitchen" is smaller than the only actual kitchen in a galley that I've ever seen. :P

[poeticalpanther.livejournal.com]

Remember the housing situation here is quite different from TO. The money involved is much multiplied when you use it in KW, because things are much cheaper here (rent, most notably).

As you say, KW's quite small - it's hard to spend more than twenty minutes driving =anywhere= in KW - so a car isn't a total necessity.

Anyway, if you're coming down Tuesday, I'd be glad to come along with you and see what we can find - use here as a base to look from, if you like. kk? :) We'll find something totally not shitholey. :D

[cmariewt.livejournal.com]

I have, have, HAVE to have a bright kitchen. Period. End of story.
I would prefer bright bathrooms, but can do without.
I hate bathrooms with no window. I always think "how would I get out if I needed to, without using the door". Yes, I am a freak. But you and I Already knew that.

Garbage disposal, dishwasher. Preferrably washer and dryer. I would rather have no AC than no dishwasher. The dishwasher in what I have dubbed the Final House, has a garbage disposal in it. IN IT. The lady said I could put a full lasagna in the damn thing and the casserole dish would still come out clean! plus, PLUS I get a double oven! I am so excited I could spit. Now I want to get one of those washer/dryer combos. But a really good one is expensive, and I, in a moment of pure optimistic stupidity, offered to buy those appliances.

What else, what else. I've always been a fan of bay windows, and little hidden nooks. Crawl spaces, closets under the stairs, and lofts. I've always wanted a house with a loft. I don't know exactly why...

[hippybngstockng.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I am so jealous of your new appliances... I kinda seriously doubt my next place will have anything so cool.. Especially that dishwasher. Oh how I want a dishwasher that doesn't make me wonder if I wouldn't be making my life easier by NOT using it. But I can't live without one either because neither Crash or I are motivated to do dishes regularly. We instantly become a health violation waiting to happen without a dishwasher. I would give up both AC and in-house laundry, but never the dishwasher. It's always among the first 3 things I ask, right after the pet question.