Apartment Hunting

The first time I went apartment hunting was at the end of my freshman year of college. I went with my roommates, and it was an exciting time. I remember that I felt very grown-up because here I was doing this very grown-up thing - touring apartments, choosing one and signing a contract. It was all rather exhilarating. But I've done it a gazillion times since then, and I no longer find it quite so exhilarating. I say "quite" because, frankly, I do still like it a lot.

Mostly, we rely on CraigsList. (Oh, hi, my Kiwi-friends! CraigsList is like TradeMe.) Because we use Craigslist, we also use GoogleMaps quite a bit. And oh, how we both love GoogleMaps. Eric could spend hours every day playing with GoogleMaps, if I let him. So, getting to use GoogleMaps to find the best location for our new dwelling is pretty awesome. We use the "get directions" tool to find out just how long my commute will be. We use it to gauge the best route to the highway and to see what shops and such are nearby because almost all the listings will say, "conveniently located." Which makes me wonder, "Does everyone have the same standards of convenience? Certainly not. I will check GoogleMaps to see how convenient this place really is!"

I also like to browse for apartments because sometimes it means I will make a spreadsheet. We haven't quite gotten to spreadsheet mode yet, but it's coming. Oh, it's coming. And there will be much spreadsheet joy around these parts.

And then there's the furniture bit. See, we have no furniture. Zero. Like, almost literally. If you'd like to get technical, we do have a bed including a frame. There is no headboard or footboard, and that is something I'd like to remedy. We really love our bed, and it was one of the best purchases we have made so far, but we've been married FIVE YEARS. Folks, FIVE YEARS is a long time to only have a bed and a bookshelf to our names. Seriously. No couch. No end tables. No kitchen table and chairs. No desk. No lamp. No TV stand. (Okay, we also have a card table and four chairs, which we have never used ourselves but have been used by Eric's parents.) Other than that, we are a furniture-less couple. And I am so over that. I want furniture that I can call my own. I want to browse Ikea for hours and leave with something. I want to find something unfinished on CraigsList and finish it! And then marvel at how awesome I am for finishing something. These are things I want.

Eric has slightly different wants in the furniture realm. He'd rather continue living in furnished places. If you live in a furnished place, moving is a lot easier. If you live in a furnished place, you don't have to spend money on ugly, used furniture. And that's all he's got on his side of the argument, so, as you can see, I'm bound to win this one.

Unless I lose. And if we find the right place, and it happens to be furnished, I guess I will just have to lose this one.

P.S. If you live in Salt Lake and want us to be your neighbors, here are our requirements for an apartment:

• One bedroom (We have no reason for a two bedroom right now, and the cost savings are generally ginormous by going with a one-bedroom.)
• Dishwasher. (My hands are far too delicate for washing dishes. So are Eric's. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.)
• Washer/Dryer on-site, or hookups in the flat.
• A kitchen with decent cupboard and counter space. (I will be cooking once again, and I want to have room to wield my knives!)
  
• Downtown or close to Trax. (By downtown I mean the Avenues, the Capitol area, Trolley Square Area, around the U.)
  
• Air conditioning or swamp cooler.
  

And here are our apartment hopes:

• In a complex with social neighbors.
• Covered parking. (Dream on, I know. But we had covered parking in our last place, and I almost wanted to marry it.)
• Closet and storage space. (We may not have furniture, but we've got a lot of random junk to store.)
• Fitness center in complex. (This would just be really nice.)
  

So, if you hear of something that meets or almost meets those requirements, let me know!