I watch HGTV frequently. Withholding my thoughts on some of the completely ignorant people on these shows, I can't figure out how many of these people complain about a "20 minute commute" or how so many of them can work from home or afford a $400,000 house. Also, so many of them find the DUMBEST things to complain about and then say "But it's just not how I pictured my dream home !" You're freaking 22-28 years old, get over yourself, it's your first place ! You're too young to expect to get everything you want. God, and then I think about my own standards and think of all the crappy houses I've lived in. Hell, the house I'm in now is the nicest home my parents (who are 60 and bought the house nearly 6 years ago) have ever had, and it still needed so much in updating and repairs and replacing. Do I have a dream home ? Maybe. But I have been through so much house-hunting with my mom to know what is worth compromising on, what issues are cosmetic and easily fixable, and what things are ACTUALLY must-haves (I'll pass on the stainless steel and open-concept and crown molding and granite counters, thank you very much--talk about parroting what everyone else says you should want, I understand buying an investment but Jesus Christ...).
And look, I'm fairly progressive, after all, I've been with my boyfriend a year but known him for over 7 years (our one-year anniversary was April 29th, when I was coming home from Ohio !) and we're looking to move into an apartment together in about 3 months. I'll be 27 years old on Memorial Day and he'll be 29 in mid-June, and yet in many ways we need to be realistic because neither of us have the best of prospects. I'm not an accountant or analyst, he's not a medical worker or lawyer. But many of these couples have been together only a few months and aren't married and yet, they're younger than we are, and they want everything. There was one episode where the guy is 30 and apparently became a moving-company millionaire and while I'm not saying he didn't work hard, he made this comment about "I've worked so hard for so long and it's nice to see the fruits of my labor finally pay off." And I get mad because I think of my dad, who has REALLY worked his ass off his whole life, he'll be 60 in October, and he still had to buy a house that needed a LOT of work, a house that they'll probably be selling in 5 years, anyway.
Ergh...
Moving on...
I'm starting to ramp up my search for apartments in Cincinnati. But now I'm getting scared and frustrated all over again. How will we secure an apartment if we don't have local jobs ? What about safety and parking ? I don't mind having to scout for a parking spot but I'd like to avoid having to always park 10 blocks away.
I'm running into the problem where most apartments allow cats but not dogs. While it's not a deal-breaker, mom and dad and I have come to the conclusion that since mom may have to have her knee RE-replaced (due to a botched knee size), they can't take care of Evie. And Nate and Katie have their two girls, and asking them to also take care of a dog is out of the question.
Melanie tells me I really just need to DRIVE in the area near University of Cincinnati and said a lot of the privately-owned apartment complexes don't advertise online and I might have more wiggle room with negotiation about rent payment and a dog.
Ideally, I could have the landlord meet Evie. She is a 100% friendly dog (even after multiple kicks in the face by my cousin's evil son) and tail-pulling and screaming from my 3-year-old niece. She rarely barks--she MIGHT bark for a few seconds every 3 weeks, and NEVER at night. She's a good dog, and looks like a 50-pound Jack Russel Terrier (so she doesn't even look menacing AT ALL).
A few people have also mentioned using a realtor/broker to me. However, I know that some brokers get their payments through the landlords and others take a percentage of the monthly rent as payment (directly from the tenant) or the equivalent of another deposit. I would mostly be using one because I don't know the area, and unfortunately for the most part, people whom I would have used a while ago no longer live in the area. However, I still have at least 3 people in or near the area that would probably be willing to help me, even if I haven't regularly spoken to them in that last few years (one of them was my senior year prom date--as friends--and I also saw him a couple times when he was in Baltimore for an internship some years ago).
I suppose my main concern is rent payment--not the actual payment, but trying to secure the apartment without a local job. But then I can't help but think--I'm trying to look at places near UC which means lots of students are there, and many may be out of state or definitely don't have time to hold down jobs that pay enough for rent. Melanie said one of her loans was for a complete one-time payment for her rent--$6000 for the whole year's rent, paid one time. Then all she needed to worry about were a couple utilities and her own expenses. In the same vein, when she mentioned a pet policy being negotiable, she said her apartment (the same one she paid a lump sum for), the landlord normally said no pets but actually allowed her to have a cat, along with another cat that belonged to her roommate, and she said her neighbors downstairs had a big Labrador Retriever.
And really... Cori has great renter's history (hell, he's been in his apartment for 7 years), I have great credit, we both are college graduates and he'll be a grad student. We're not two hobos coming in off the street, you know ? And what's more, we're not moving from down the street. He's moving from Minnesota and I'm moving from northern Virginia. I feel like someone will be willing to give us a chance, especially if we can at least offer 6 months' rent up front if they are concerned about one or both of us finding a job.
This is all new to me... if anyone has any additional advice, I'M ALL EARS.
~Rachel
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