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Old 12-04-2005, 07:23 PM   #1
kingcrazylegs
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So, Beth and I are looking to move to a new apartment. When we moved to the Seattle area in August we were riding on the seat of our pants and her ever ready job at Starbucks. Now that I am settle in a pretty good job and she is preparing to go back to school we need to move closer to both (right now we are 1/2 an hour away without traffic).

So we began scoping out the area(s) that lie in between my work and the University. Its a nice area and there are TONS of apartments. Obviously we will weed out many due to our budget (which is moderate). The main things that we are considering are location, comfort and price. We want something nice and comfy while still afordable.

We have a washer/drier in our apartment right now (provided) and that is gonna be hard to finder going into the city. It would be nice to have a fireplace, but that might be a pipe dream.

Anyhow - what do you look for in your ideal apartment???
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Old 12-04-2005, 07:34 PM   #2
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Hmm... since I'm mid-process of that search myself, I can say that I don't personally have a list of must-haves for an apartment (it's kinda like looking for a partner, there's so many things that I'd like) I have more of a list of things that are positive points in a place to live...

my list of nice-to-haves:

character (I'll take part of a Victorian over an apartment anytime)
laundry
pets ok (even when I don't have one, I find pet people are much cooler)
good neighbors (I like a young, kinda counter-culture type crowd, even though I'm none of them)
good neighborhood (the more cosmopolitan, the better...)
space (who doesn't like that - I'll take an unfinished space, with all that potential - over a well-designed closet)
a view
tall ceilings
a patio
a fireplace (more important than the patio, out here)
close to water
off the beaten path, yet close to everything
internet (ok, that comes damned close to must have)
gas stove (I love to cook)
great light (here, in seattle, you really need it)
good energy (lived in a crime scene once, the rent was cheap, but I just couldn't make it home)
I kinda like the idea of a really large place split with a good group of people, myself... you get more home for your buck, and instant family, to boot.

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Old 12-04-2005, 07:55 PM   #3
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Home is wherever you make it. Of course, having a place with character is so much cooler.

I went from my apartment in Germany (top floor of a 200 year old farm house in the middle of the German countryside) to a cookie- cutter apartment in Alabama. Yeah, the depression over that is still going strong!

I would say look for something that has good security and good landlord. Ensure all your basics are up to code, like the furnace and the waterheater. Make sure they have a pest- control plan (spraying for roaches, termites, etc on a regular basis). The other thing to look into is the onsight security plan... deadbolts, window locks, parking areas, etc. Try to live close to people your own age and style.

For me, it's all about the kitchen. I love to cook, so a big kitchen is very important... with good, new appliances.
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Old 12-04-2005, 09:58 PM   #4
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Will, your list pretty much summarized a combination of my current living situation and my "dream" living situation.

I don't have a dishwasher, and my access to a washer/dryer is a bit limited... but I love where I live. I'm in a converted apartment on the back of a funky 1950's-era house with an absolutely ENORMOUS garden (there's no yard... it's all garden), in a great neighborhood that's close to everything and yet extremely quiet. And I love my landlady.

I do wish I had a dishwasher though.
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Old 12-04-2005, 10:48 PM   #5
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My apartment isnt a dream living condition by any means, but its pretty kickass for what we pay. 900 a month for two bedroom two bath, vaulted ceiling, firplace, pool/spa access, decent view, halfway between my school and my roomates work. I just set up Christmas lights on the patio balcony earlier today, and feeling quite proud about it.
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Old 12-05-2005, 04:12 AM   #6
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Heres my one thing-if theres no elevator then no higher then 3rd floor. When I was in China I had an apartment that was on the 6th floor with lots of stairs and often no lights.

A woodburning fire place is nice too.
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Old 12-05-2005, 06:39 AM   #7
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Jake and I are beginning our search as well. I go to craigslist.org and set my standards - price range, bedrooms and pets. I have to narrow it down to one that'll accept cats and dogs as we hope to be in the same apartment for a few years (I'm so sick of moving) and I want a dog (and we have our two kitties). Then, I have amenities that I won't live without - it has to at least have W/D in the building (preferrably the unit) and either has to have a dishwasher or enough space to put one in.

I like that more unique ads from private parties as opposed to the ones from realtors and such that have the same ads and pics.

Then, we just go look. Jake and I have always gotten great apartments and good deals. We've never lived in a cookie cutter apartment. I love the rehabbed Chicago apartments so I hope we find something cool.
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Old 12-06-2005, 12:28 AM   #8
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Will - I like your ideas a lot. We found a little townhouse within our budget and I'm really like the idea because it would feel even more like a house with the two floor thing. We haven't seen the inside yet though.

On the other hand a wood burning fireplace would be oh so nice...
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Old 12-06-2005, 01:50 AM   #9
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sounds good. so whens the house warming piss up?
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Old 12-06-2005, 03:38 AM   #10
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i cant believe you guys dont have washer dryers in your flats/apartments i thought that was the norm..hell even us students have one of those in our flat....

Ideal place to live next year

1 bedroom
1 lounge area
1 kitchen/diner
1 bathroom /toilet
All appliances apart from a dishwasher...they are not necessary and they are killing the environment
central heating
a front door!
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Old 12-06-2005, 10:27 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally posted by beergal1@Dec 6 2005, 03:38 AM
i cant believe you guys dont have washer dryers in your flats/apartments i thought that was the norm..hell even us students have one of those in our flat....
[snapback]91270[/snapback]
It is becoming more common, but often there is a laundry room to share between several apartments.
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Old 12-06-2005, 12:39 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally posted by kingcrazylegs@Dec 6 2005, 02:28 AM
Will -* I like your ideas a lot.* We found a little townhouse within our budget and I'm really like the idea because it would feel even more like a house with the two floor thing.*
[snapback]91243[/snapback]
Ya, don't overlook condos/townhouses - they can rent for the same price as apts, but often have washers/dryers inside each unit.

For apartments, I usually looked for:

low price
central HVAC (more powerful, although you may share odors from other apts)
preferably first floor and not a "bookend" unit (more convenient & better insulation)
ideally having south-facing windows to capture the winter sun as it veers south
location
some basic feng shui rules of thumb..

Basically, I was more concerned with the bare-bones, practical, functional stuff than frills. My last place was actually near a college and a hood, but I never had any problems and it was all good..

Now, if you're planning on BUYING a place vs just renting it...there's a whole host more things to look for...
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Old 12-06-2005, 05:50 PM   #13
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My last apartment in Philly was the best i ever had there, it was at the back of an old house that had been converted into 3 apartments, i had a one bedroom, large kitchen (i had 8 people for christmas dinner 1 year) with dishwasher in it, really large living room (i had 3 sofas!!) Bathroom with a washer/dryer in it, and sunroom which wasn't really good for much (bad insulation) except keeping the dog in when we wheren't home, a Rottweiler puppy WILL eat your furniture if left alone with it, so the sunroom was great, we put up a babygate so he couldn't get to the rest of the apartment, everyone ended up happy! And the yard was the size of a tennis court it was great, i had a labour day BBQ for about 50 people and still had loads of room!!

Damn i miss that apartment!!!

Oh yea and it was only a block away from everything plus rent was $675 a month, so i pretty much had my perfect apartment, i would swap this house for it in a second!!
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Old 12-07-2005, 07:30 AM   #14
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Townhouses rock. My brother lived in one and it was cool. Like you said Anthon, you have that "house" feel. Let us know what ya find! I LOVE searching for apartments. Don't know why.
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Old 12-07-2005, 10:23 AM   #15
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Right now Im living in the bottom floor of a huge old house from I'm guessing sometime in the 1930's. We've got high ceilings, big windows, 3 enormous bedrooms, a living room, and a nice big kitchen. $750 a month. A bit of yard in the back. The "counter culture" type of kids have been in and out of it for god only knows how long, so every wall is a different color pretty much. We have christmas balls hanging from the ceiling in the kitchen, and a broken mirror mosaic in the bathroom, and our walls are testaments to various artistic experiments by unknown visionaries. Over break Im going to paint arabic poetry on one of the big blank walls in our living room, and probably re-paint my bedroom. We're still working on furnishing the house, neither of us has much time or money, but its getting there. I have a mosaic of british coins on one of the walls, and my friend is working on collaging our inside doors. One has favorite travel photos. We're in the market for a pagan god to put in a sweet little shriney niche in the hall. I love the house. We dont have a w/d, though. But we have a fireplace! And a secret room inside a closet with a trapdoor to the underside of the house. its pretty sweet, I felt like nancy drew when I found it. And a huge deep old fashioned tub in the bathroom.
So really the place I live now is an ideal. Except, I wish we had a group of people living here, rather than just the two of us.

Good luck guys, a townhouse sounds awesome.
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Old 12-07-2005, 10:37 AM   #16
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yeah or you two could buy a sweet house like belle found and turn it into a counter-culture hostel!

How sweet would that be!
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Old 02-09-2006, 09:11 PM   #17
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UPDATE: we found a sweet set-up. We got the upstairs of a house (so a duplex) built in 1907. There is only one person living in the downstairs duplex and she is gone more than 50% of the time. We have a yard and a garage. The house has lots of character and is a few blocks from Lake Union, Gas Works, the Univ of Washington, and very close to a little downtown neighborhood area! And, no more commute! Yea!
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Old 02-10-2006, 12:28 AM   #18
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Congrats!
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Old 03-18-2006, 10:59 AM   #19
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Don't worry about the washer/dryer, or the fireplace. You can buy them yourself, you just need room for them in the apartment. You may not be able to have a wood burning fireplace, but you can get an electric one for a few hundred $. The problems I have with finding a place to stay are I have a large dog, and several cars. Apartments just don't work for me. I need a minimum of a 2 car garage, and a fenced in yard.
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