Apartment Hunting: Not for the faint of heart.
At this point I’m screaming “Uncle!” – hoping that if the powers of the Universe hear me, they’ll stop the torture.
Seriously, I have never been more discouraged in any residential hunt. Scott and I have been looking high and low, considering options for us as well as the kiddos. We have unwillingly lowered our standards, just to have them teased tonight to near disaster.
We started this hunt with a townhouse in mind. As you know, the kids needed a yard and I was tired of walking them every day, all day. If you recall our original “must haves”, it included a yard of some sort.
On that point, we’ve rolled over and all 4 legs are up in the air.
Townhouses around these parts AIN’T CHEAP. And by that, I mean that Scott and I could vacation for a week in the Caribbean rather than pay the upfront fees and deposits. Hell, I could get a new computer just with the money saved from dog fees.
What is most alarming is the unbelievable bias against dogs, especially those over 35 pounds. I understand a pet deposit, I understand monthly rent. But what I can’t understand is the sheer multitude of apartment buildings that forbid you to live with a pet, and who will then discriminate by weight. We’ve lost many options now strictly on this factor, and I’m beyond fed up with all of the dog-haters.
So, we are now searching for apartments (on the ground floor for ease of walking dogs….) but even THAT was disappointing today. After seeing the apartment building of our dreams, we sat down ready to sign a lease a month early just so we could have the most amazing place, only to find out in the time we were touring the apartment it was rented online.
I was silent the whole way home, and may have shed a single frustrated tear after Scott dropped me off at my place. May have. I confess not.
What worries me is the fact that this is something as lousy as apartment hunting – I can’t imagine the disappointment that stems from not getting your dream HOUSE. That’s a bridge I think I’ll wait to cross.
In the meantime, wish us luck with the remaining places we see this week. And if while you sleep tonight, you are awakened by a shriek of “uncle” – it’s coming from Alexandria,
Virginia.
-Al