Housing Search

I'm sad to report that I lost the cord that I use to transfer pictures from my camera to my computer. The last time I saw it was in our moving truck in Champaign. I can only guess that it fell out of the truck somewhere between Illinois and California. :( I am still taking pictures but my only option for transferring them involves using kyle's laptop SD card reader, a task burdensome enough to limit my blog posting (which is usually motivated by a recent photo upload). However, I am waiting on some things to finish running for work so I have some time to waste tapping away at the keyboard tonight.

This weekend we continued our never-ending quest for a place to live. We were getting pretty desperate and almost signed for a place inconveniently located at the top of huge, huge, huge hill. We told the realtor that we would sign if the other two places we had left to see didn't work out. I'm glad we waited because both of the places were great! The first one we saw is a cozy 4 bedroom place in West Portal that we applied for right away. It is a cute house with a nice living room, a dining room, a great marble-top kitchen, a two car garage, and a big backyard where we think we'll be able to install a hot tub. It's a block or two away from shops, grocery stores, and a cool theatre. The best part about the place is that it is dramatically under-priced... we think the owner might be a little clueless about the housing market. In that neighborhood, similar places are going for about a thousand dollars more per month. :-o What a great find; we are really excited about this one.

The second place was jaw-dropping. It was just beautiful. The kitchen was the centerpiece of the apartment, both physically and aesthetically. It was huge and seemed to be the main gathering place of the apartment due to its location and size. The cabinets and counter tops were gorgeous. The appliances were all brand new and high-end. And the place had really great natural and electric lighting, including skylights and stained glass windows, to accentuate all of the interior design details. All of the bathrooms had beautiful glass showers and new appliances, including a bidet and jacuzzi in the master. It's the kind of place I imagine doctors or lawyers living.

It was so luxurious that the whole time I was thinking... can I really live in a place like this? It is just so bizarre. Half the time I feel poor (SF is more expensive than Chicago, and two of my roommates are going to be pulling in 6 digits next year), but then I remember that a little over a year ago I was a broke college student deciding against buying that extra box of cereal... so relatively I am now rich!! I am an engineer! I could be living in a luxury apartment and drinking fancy wines. What planet am I on??

We ended up deciding against the fancy apartment, although we'll still apply as a backup. The price is ok on its own but now we have to compare it to the bargain place we found early today. Is it really worth an extra $1500/mo for those fancy appliances and hardwoods? Are we grown-up enough to live in a place like that? Do I really want to ask guests to please remove their shoes? How bizarre would our video games, tennis shoes, pizza boxes and beer bottles look strewn all over that place?

I think we'll be a lot more comfortable in the west portal place, especially with all of the extra cash. :) I hope our application is accepted!!