On to our excellent adventure yesterday. Before we left, I specifically asked the kid to make sure that he checked with all realtors to make sure that we saw every single apartment left on the west side of campus. This way, he could party and walk home. It's a no-brainer. I know what he is doing after hours and I want him and the innocent people on the road to be safe. Therefore, the apartment has to be central to everything. In otehr words, we are going to pay top dollar because:
1. the location
2. He is very late in seeking his housing.
And so, it went......we saw two apartments because he did not do what I asked (see paragraph above)....The first one was nice but besides a high monthly rent bill, he also had to pay for all utilities including parking....so roughly we are talking about $1100/month. From the moldy second floor window, I could not see a mountain view, lake, or beach, and therefore, it was waaaaayyyyy over priced.
The second place was also waaaay overpriced and pretty disgusting. As we toured the tiny place, I questioned my sanity as to why I wanted to help on this journey. Isn't this clearly a father-son bonding experience? No? OK, moving on.....the overwhelmed, out of college for one month realtor shared that there were cheaper (not by much) apartments 5 miles from campus thus defeating the idea of 'walking' home when inebriated.
Next, I decided to (once again) take things into my own hands and went online to search on my cell phone. There were a few singles left a three blocks away from campus. OK, let me call....oy!
The home owner answered and when I explained my neediness and loss of sanity, he replied that he had a single apartment in the right location available. OK, how much? $1190/month....but that includes parking and does NOT include utilities....Nice! No, not nice!!! Dude, you don't understand, my budget is lower..much lower....I want to eat this year.....
Suddenly, he drops the price to $1000/month. Hmmmm....perhaps there is negotiation that can be done. Let's go and see it.
We made arrangements to see the place and Buddy decides he will drive since I have no idea where I am going. Fine. Go ahead. Take the wheel. Sheeesh....
Well, guess what? he made a wrong turn and as he tried to make a u-turn, I saw from the corner of my eye on the outskirts of town, a sign that said "single apartment available". Whoa, nelly....pull over. We're going in.
The apartment is the second floor over a realtor's office and adjacent to a vegen take out place. The realtors were leaving when I pounded on the door to ask for a tour. Fortunately, they were very nice and let me see the place. As we chit chatted a bit, I found out that they rent the baseball house and were in it during the afternoon. They were appalled with the condition of the house and completely understood why he wanted out of the house of mold.
On the the second floor, where I had an out of body experience......when I say that this place was wonderful, I am understating it....Yes, by stupid, dumb, incredibly lucky luck, we found it. And it was the best price, best location, utilities included, and parking on site. The bus stop was ten feet from the front door. There is a woman renting the apartment now and she loved it. I loved it. I wanted it. It had a second floor deck, full kitchen, bedroom, and huge living area......oh my.....I almost signed that moment but knew that I had one more place to see.
reluctantly leaving the beautiful second floor apartment, I visualized the place turning into the greatest college apartment ever...with the owners working on the first floor, I knew that the kid would be on his best behavior. Wow....
Ok, on to the last place....as the owner met us, there was a minor flood in the kitchen as he was defrosting the freezer. The outside of the place was neat, an older home with a porch (perfect for friend's gatherings, not an uber-party). Inside was another story. When I use the word "ewww", I think that a person understands that it was beyond disgusting. The floors, bathroom, and kitchen were growing their own mold and bacteria and it smelled like a locker room full of dirty sneakers mixed with last week's trash. Yuk! Thanking the realtor who had dropped the price for us, we left knowing that we were taking the second floor apartment.
And so, here we have it.....today, the kid is faxing the paper work to the realtor and taking the neatest place on the planet. The outside is well cared for. The inside is so nice that I would actually (but not) consider sleeping there. it has great potential, he already decided to string white lights around the porch and put a Christmas tree up (whoa dude, it's June, right?).
Somehow, some way, this adventure worked out. After discovering that he was way too late to find anything livable, we managed through a wrong turn to find the apartment of the year.
Folks, this is something that never happens for us. That's right....crazy, stupid luck. We don't have it, never have, never will....but somehow, some way....I am speechless......and so it goes in the crazy and once lucky life of BP mom.
Have a great day! Momma is happy...very very happy!
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