Still No Decision - Might We Stay Homeless?

Joe arrived home around 2 a.m. yesterday morning, and apartment hunting went both better and worse than expected.

Better because we have several apartments we are considering.

Worse because all of those apartments have pretty big negatives.

What's especially frustrating is that one of the property management companies had an apartment they couldn't show Joe until this week (yes, when he is on the other side of the country), but they thought (and Joe agreed) that it sounded pretty perfect for what we are looking for. So now we have to wait until tomorrow afternoon when my cousin is going to do a walk through and Face Time us so we can get a sense of the size, etc.

Thank goodness my cousin can check it out (he goes to Drexel which is right next door to Penn) - but I do worry that we might lose something else in the meantime (and I want this decision made so I can stop thinking about it!).

As of now, we have the following apartments as possibilities on our list. The prices are all the same, except #1, #4, and #6, which range from $100 more to $450 more per month than the others.  There are also no major differences in which utilities are covered (essentially none):

1.) Studio (0 bedrooms)

Pros: Even though it is a studio, there is a small hallway to the front door and bathroom and the kitchen is separated, so it doesn't feel as studio-y as studios usually feel. Very clean. Nice hardwood floors. Good closet space. The room is quite large with high ceilings (which should help with any claustrophobia). The closest apartment to school (5 minute or less walk). There is a washer and dryer in the building. Nice property management company.

Cons: It's a STUDIO - not sure I can live in one room with Joe for at least a year, no matter how much we love each other. Given that it's close to school, parking will be more difficult. It's on the fourth floor and there is NO elevator. $100 more than the other apartments. No dishwasher.
 
2.) Wallpaper (2.5 bedrooms)

Pros: Two bedrooms plus a small bonus room that I could turn into a walk-in closet or we could us as an office for Joe. Deck off of the living room. Nice property management company.

Cons: Very outdated with some truly crazy wallpaper (get the nickname now?). Smells terrible due to current tenant, so questionable as to how clean they can get it once she is out. No washer/dryer in unit or in the building. No dishwasher. Grody carpet throughout. One mile from school.

3.) Three (3 bedrooms)

Pros: Most space - three full bedrooms. Hardwood floors throughout. Pretty good shape overall.

Cons: No washer/dryer in unit or in the building. No dishwasher. Would cost a lot more to heat/cool due to size. The property management company says tenants can only have "one drink per day." While I'm not a partier, I also don't like being deceitful (And come on, we all know that I can't stop at just one glass of wine). One mile from school.

4.) Fancy (2 bedrooms)

Pros: GORGEOUS. Recently renovated with dark wood, granite counter tops, great paint color selection, etc. Two bedrooms. Washer/dryer in building. Lots of students live nearby.

Cons: No dishwasher (who does such a kick-butt job at remodeling, yet doesn't add a dishwasher to a kitchen that has the space for one?!). $250 more per month than the other apartments. One mile from school.

5.) Basement (1 bedroom)

Pros: Managed by the same company as "Fancy" and it, too, has been recently remodeled. Washer/dryer and dishwasher IN UNIT! Small backyard space that is enough for Joe to BBQ or for me to up-cycle furniture and do other similar projects/crafts. 10 minute walk to school.

Cons: Graffiti on the inside wall of the yard - creepy. Basement apartment with entrance at the back of the building (is this safe - it's not viewable from the street - I worry someone could wait in the backyard?) and outdoor stairs leading down to the front door (outdoor stairs + snow + a lack of grace = Kate falling down the stairs at least once). Also, the property management showed us the apartment even though it is an immediate move-in and not a June 1 move-in - they said they would hold it but they would have to bump up our rent or charge us for May.

6.) Ka-Ching (2 bedroom)

Pros: Less than a 5 minute walk to school. Very spacious. Big kitchen (relatively speaking). Washer/dryer in building. Best reviewed property management company according to Penn's off-campus housing website.

Cons: No dishwasher. Two stories (which is mostly cool, but means I'll have to go downstairs in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom). The priciest - $450 more than the other apartments per month. Parking might be a little tough since it is close to school. Though it is in good condition, it is showing its age a bit. Would cost a lot more than the others to heat/cool due to two stories and the size.

7.) Spiral (1 bedroom)

Pros: Decent size for a one bedroom in the area. Washer/dryer in building. 8 minute walk from school. Bedroom is a loft - which is kind of cool, and it's a pretty large "room".

Cons: Bedroom is a loft, so I'd have to be quiet any time Joe is studying. Also, the bathroom is on the lofted part, so I'd have to go up a spiral staircase any time I had to go to the bathroom. No dishwasher. No closet in the bedroom. A little run-down looking. Property management company doesn't have a great reputation.

8.) Mystery (1 bedroom ?)

This is the apartment my cousin will check out tomorrow. All we know is that it is a 1 bedroom with some "extra space" - this could be similar to "Wallpaper" where it is just a really tiny extra room, or a nook or something - we're unclear. They have a dishwasher and maybe a washer/dryer (washer/dryer is a little uncertain - the guy said there was and so did the Zillow post, but on their list of properties it doesn't say washer/dryer). From the pictures, it looks larger than some of the other apartments Joe visited. It has hardwood floors and new(ish?) paint. According to Joe, it's in the best neighborhood aside from "Studio" and "Ka-Ching" which are right next to the school. However, this apartment is one mile from school.


As you can see, lots of choices, but no clear winners. My parents are starting to freak out about West Philly violence (it's not a very safe place - heck, that's where the Fresh Prince had to flee to Beverly Hills from!), so they are urging us to go with "Studio" or "Ka-Ching."

According to my dad: "An extra $450 per month is cheaper than a $30,000 funeral." (To which I responded - "WHAT?! How much does it cost to bury someone?" and we got off on a tangent about funerals and how we'd like our body to be handled after we die, and then my mom walked in and got sad that I was moving to such a "dangerous place").

We are keeping our fingers crossed that the decision will be easier after 1 p.m. tomorrow (when my cousin does the walk-through). Until then, the word "apartment" has been outlawed in our house. I am so sick of talking about it!

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