I really want my old house back so I can get out of my apartment.
Why?
I managed to break the bathroom faucet.
How?
I turned it.
Did I call my landlord?
Yes. But he's not home and either doesn't have an answering machine, or the one he does have is full.
Grr. If he's not around in a day or so, I'll have to call someone to come fix it. Maybe while the mystery plumber is here, s/he can have a look at the leaky kitchen pipes too.
Ugh.
If only houses here were so damned expensive. Despite all the advantages of living at the epicenter of technological spew, I'll sure be glad when I can leave and afford a house again.
Of course, if our stock price manages to hit $75, I'll consider buying a house here. But the odds of that happening are quite slim. And the thought of dropping close to a million dollars [that I don't have] on a house is a bit insane.
I could move to a cheaper and nicer apartment, but I really really really hate moving. I'd only end up saving $100/month if I did, based on what I've seen. (My current rent is $1,300/month, thanks for asking.)
Okay, enough bitching. I have work to do.
Posted by jzawodn at July 15, 2003 10:38 PM
I really know what you are talking about. Moving sucks – I am just in the process of finding a new abode here in Germany. Here, when you move, you have to give THREE months notice (some crappy German law) and the place you want to move in is NEVER available in three months, but usually two. Hence, you normally end up paying twice for one month. That really sucks.
Keep your head high! Your landlord will get back to you (sometime)!
Oh boy, have I been there. Did you know that under CA law, if you don't have running water in the bathroom sink, the apartment is considered uninhabitable and you aren't liable for rent? But that's a losing battle, as I can attest from personal experience. And that's a long long story...
Far better to go to the local hardware store (avoid Home Depot since BillG owns it) and buy a $20 faucet set. They come with full instructions. Take it off your rent. If you really need a plumber, tell the landlord you couldn't get the water shut off and had to call one since it was an emergency, and you can probably get the landlord to THANK you for saving his building from a flood, and he'll be required to take the emergency plumbing fees off your rent.
WOW. $1300/mo. I can't imagine spending that.
I don't know how nice your apartment is... so maybe it's worth every penny... but, around here... there are very few apartments that go for more than $1300. And the ones that do are HUUUUGE (2700 sqft lofts, penthouse apartments in high rise buildings, etc) or very very nice. Back before the the economy took a dump, I considered taking a job offer in your area. And I knew the cost of living was higher... but I, in no way, expected that it was THAT high.
Please tell me that $1300/mo is at least the upper end of apartment costs. Around here, if you don't mind living in an older place, in an older neighborhood, with... less desireable neighbors, you can get a two bedroom for.... $600/mo.
I used to live in a place that was $1400/mo (a roommate and I split it). But this was 3 years ago, before everything got very cheap, and, that $1400 apartment represents the nicest place I've ever lived.
I live in Northern Indiana (please, no corn jokes). My wife and I own a house w/ ~1500 feet of living space. We pay ~500 per month. My brother lives in Freemont, CA. He, his wife and daughter all live in a lovely apt about the same size as my house. They pay at least $2000 per month. Those high prices are typical for the San Francisco area. The rest of the state is high also, but the cities are worse. My condolences to you Jeremy.
Ahhh, midwest living... You could afford a nice house on a fair chunk of land for less than $1300/month...
Of course you have to harvest the corn each year ;)
$1300 doesn't seem so bad to me. I guess it depends on the size of the apt, but when I was renting here in NYC, about 5 years ago, my rent for a one bedroom apartment was $1350/month. That was 5 years ago. Now it would be closer to $1900 or so. Talk about crazy.
Luckily I bought the place 4 years ago...
Totally my opinion, but, if you can pull off the down payment, buying a house is totally the way to go. Even if you are spending a bit more than you think you want to. It pays off HUGE down the road.
Not only do you own your residence then, but you also built equity, which is a pretty important thing.
Yahoo! seems to be throwing money around lately, ask for a raise!
Rev, I've spent the night in Jeremy's Apt., and it's not worth 1300. It was more than worth what I paid to stay there, though. :)
For it's location, that's not a bad price. It is very close to the bottom of the barrel (but it's not a bad barrel) $1300 obviously is an awesome apt. here in RTP, or anywhere else outside of Silly Valley or Manhattan.
We are all waiting for Jeremy to tire of living out there, and move back East where he belongs. And can take me up in a glider. :)
Hey Jeremy, Let me know if you need help moving. I live in the Bay Area as well (San Jose) and I just moved out of my rental condo with roommates and bought a condo. I've helped some friends move recently, and a bunch of places have first month free deals and all sorts of other specials going on. But I know what you mean about it being expensive. It's too bad the cost of living is so high here, but since I'm from Alaska I chalk it up to being a good weather tax.
just a quick note to put into speculation how OUTRAGEOUS rent is in NY and CA, I pay $850 a month for a two bedroom, 1400sqft. apartment with a two car garage. Living in Houston, TX. I guess you pay for location though.
back in 2000 i used to pay $1450 for a crapy studio in mountain view, CA (silly valley). Rent pricess were ridiculous back then. The average house cost was around 1/2 a million. As i understand prices are going down tho.
I and my wife own a house w/ ~1300 feet of living space. We pay ~300 per month. My brother lives in Toronto. He, his wife and daughter all live in a lovely apt about the same size as my house. They pay at least $1600 per month. Those high prices are typical for the Chicago area.
