Lease Time

arewethereyet

This has been a year of firsts for me. Newly divorced (as of 9/27) but separated since 5/11, the changes just keep a coming!

I have lived in a house I owned for 24+ years. This has it's own set of issues, one of which is NOT deciding whether you want to stay there another year.

Lease time is upon me and kind of upsetting my rythm. Do I stay? Am I happy here? Are my neighbors nice? How about the rent? Too high? Do I really need 2 bedrooms? How is the maintence? The drive to work is far, is it worth it?

I do love it here. It is peaceful and quiet. My neighbors are all good. I have a lake out my front window. The place is like a park with all the trees and animals (this is So Fla so that is not the norm)

BUT......the rent is high, not sure I need (although I want) and 2nd bedroom. It is 10 miles from work. I have always lived East and all my friends live there. When contemplating a social life, I have to include the fact that I have a dog so leaving work to go have happy hour is out of the question. This would entail me driving 10 miles home, which is 45 minutes on a Friday or the least 25-30 during the week. Feed the dog and then drive all the way back. I can tell ya, this has YET to happen :laugh:

My question to my single peeps is:

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

Just curious on your thoughts :flowerforyou:

MissingMinnesota

I am no longer a renter but I wish I was.

My question to my single peeps is:

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

1. Can you go on a month to month lease while you look to see if might want to live some where else?

2. Yes you should take socializing into the pros and cons of where you are going to be living, but also consider other things like would you really want to live that close to work? Maybe see what it is like a half the distance, or you could suggest happy hours a little closer to where you live?

3. No I don't think it is crazy at all to want a 2nd room for company but also that should be on a scale of what you can afford and what you would wouldn't mind giving up to afford a better location.

Remember the first rule of real estate is location location location.

AnnaPixie

My question to my single peeps is:

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

Just curious on your thoughts :flowerforyou:

I dont rent either, but am considering moving so,

1. N/A
2. I would have to have a combination of both. Can't you look around and see if its possible to rent a nice place closer to work/social life?
3. No, I've always believed having a spare room, for..............whatever........is a necessity.

Good luck :flowerforyou:

Natx83

1. Always get a little nervous, but that's just cause I think ahead, but you can't always plan for what the next year has in stall.
2. 2 of my best friends live less than 1/4 mile from me so I can't add much here.
3. Nope, great idea and gives you the scope to get a roomie if you want help with rent.

Just think about how much time you spend at home, if you really love it there and if your prepared to give it up for something you might not end up liking as much.

lacroyx

My question to my single peeps is:

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

Just curious on your thoughts :flowerforyou:

1) Renter. No I don't. I've been at the same place for nearly 10 years. Pretty laid back and quiet place. The unit I am in is perfect too for my work schedule. I am at the bottom and my upstairs neighbors are all EMT's. (Yes ladies, they wear the uniform and are hot) 3 of them live there and also work graveyard/swing hours. It's ideal since during my work week I usually go to bed by 3-4pm in the afternoon and they are pretty darn quiet. I even had one approach me one time asking if I didn't mind he worked out upstairs one afternoon. He was concerned I wouldn't be able to get to sleep.

2) It's a mix for me with the living part being more important. I am 1 hr west of Seattle by ferry and prefer it that way over living in the city itself. Cost of living is cheaper, I am about a 10 min drive from work, traffic, noise factor, etc. etc. When I do want to visit Seattle I just hop on a ferry and go.

3) No, I don't think so.

kerrymh

My question to my single peeps is:

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

Just curious on your thoughts :flowerforyou:

1) Renter. No I don't. I've been at the same place for nearly 10 years. Pretty laid back and quiet place. The unit I am in is perfect too for my work schedule. I am at the bottom and my upstairs neighbors are all EMT's. (Yes ladies, they wear the uniform and are hot) 3 of them live there and also work graveyard/swing hours. It's ideal since during my work week I usually go to bed by 3-4pm in the afternoon and they are pretty darn quiet. I even had one approach me one time asking if I didn't mind he worked out upstairs one afternoon. He was concerned I wouldn't be able to get to sleep.

2) It's a mix for me with the living part being more important. I am 1 hr west of Seattle by ferry and prefer it that way over living in the city itself. Cost of living is cheaper, I am about a 10 min drive from work, traffic, noise factor, etc. etc. When I do want to visit Seattle I just hop on a ferry and go.

3) No, I don't think so.

EMT"s yummy

And Yes I'm a renter, hate my current place and my lease is up in March I want a place in a nicer area, that I can have a dog. I have a 2 bedroom and will likely downsize until I can own. I don't need an extra room most of the people that visit ie parents would rather get a hotel anyway. I want more to my current living situation but I don't want to be poor either and I want to still save up to own one day.

Comfort out does social in my books..I'm not living down town in a crappy cheap place just to live closer to the action. I can travel to the action.

And a second bedroom...meh depends on if you have lots of things or company.

Roadie2000

Eh...the grass is always greener. There are still moments when I wish I was still renting, much less to do around the house, but after a while I got bored. But generally I like my house and having all the space, a yard for my dog, a grill and being able to do whatever I want to it. It's just a money pit, I had to get a new roof this year and I probably owe more on it than it's worth.

porcelain_doll

I've also contemplated moving (I rent also) but what keeps me here is my lease flexibility. Since I have resided in this apt for over 2 years, I can break my lease whenever I want without penalty. I just have to give 30 days notice. It is a nice apt and the rent is not bad, really, for what I get. I have 2 bedrooms (the 2nd bedroom is significantly smaller, though, so I just use it as an office) and 960 sq. ft., I think. I have a washer and dryer in the unit as well, which is awesome! I live upstairs and currently have no one living below me. But it is located in the suburbs and I would like to live right in the heart of a cool city at least once in my life.

I have thought about changing scenery and moving somewhere more city-ish, but since I am on the hunt for a new job, I need to keep that option open for now. I don't want to get into a new lease somewhere that I can't break and then find a great job that I can't take because I live too far! That would really suck.

OP - your place sounds perfect to me, really. If the rent is a little high, maybe you could make a few adjustments in your monthly budget to offset it a little bit better? I would love to look out my window and see a lake (instead of a parking lot)! I can't relate to the happy hour situation because I don't have any pets and my co-workers barely speak to me.

pa_jorg

I do love it here. It is peaceful and quiet. My neighbors are all good. I have a lake out my front window. The place is like a park with all the trees and animals

This alone would be the reason I would stay. Sounds ideal to me! :happy:

DMZ_1

These are all great questions and relevant to life as an unmarried person for a lot of people.

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

Very much so. There's a lot of uncertainty when lease time comes around. The biggest question that you ask yourself is about rent increases. How high of a rent increase are they going to sock me with? When my last lease came up, I got a rent increase. It was reasonable, so I perceived it to be annoying but not terrible. When lease time comes up, I try to figure out where my price is. How much of a rent increase am I willing to take before I seek other options?

Since graduating college, I usually have renewed in one year increments so to as minimize the opportunity for the leasing company to increase my rent. However, there was a time that I had too much uncertainty to sign a lease, so I went month to month for a few months before ultimately moving.

Another cause for uncertainty is when you have neighbors who have leases coming due and they decide to move out. The behavior of your neighbors often has a lot to do with your enjoyment of an apartment. In nearly 10 years of renting, I have seen a wide range of neighbors.


2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

It depends on where you are in your life. The OP is 51 years old and is in a different stage of life than I am. When I moved into my most recent apartment, socialization factors were important to me. I moved to a place where I knew there were conditions conducive to me finding new friends as I was moving to a new city and needed to re-create a social life. There's been some decent progress in that regard. But if you are moving into an apartment in the same area where you've lived for many years, you likely have an established set of friends and acquaintances.

Life is about trade offs. Balancing these two aspects is key.


3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

No. But this also depends upon how often you need a 2nd room for company. If you only need it a couple times a year for a few days at a time, it might not be worth it. This also depends upon how much stuff you have as well.

JanieJack

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

1. I always get a little worried when the military moves me to a new town that I'll pick the wrong place, but I just kinda accept the consequence that the first year I might live in not so great a place. Then I'll know the city and can move if needed. I guess when you move so often, you realize that it's just a place to hang your hat, not the biggest deal in the world.

2. When you wrote about the peace and quiet and nice neighbors and the view, I was sold. For me, it's a rare treat when my house can also be my refuge because, again, I move often and sometimes you just have to hurry up and get a place. Not all places I've lived can be peaceful and calming and pretty. So for me, this would be paramount. But only you know what impact that is on the social life. For example, is it really hurting your social life to miss out on happy hour? Can your dog not eat on time one day a week or use one of those self-serving dispensers sometimes so that you can start getting out? (not a judgement- one friend's dog is diabetic, so I understand being chained to a pet's schedule).

3. I currently have a 2BR for me and my son. This is pretty cramped for us since I like to host often. I would prefer a 3BR, but couldn't find one so I got rid of some stuff so that guests could comfortably come and go and sleep on the couch if needed. I've had friends when we lived in FL get a bigger place so they can have more people visit but their friends and family only visited on occasion. Is it worth the extra money for that? They would have saved more by having a smaller place and just putting occasional guests up in a hotel. This really depends on what you need, where you see your future heading, and what's comfortable for you.

kristen6022

My question to my single peeps is:

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?


1) Yes. Mine is up in February and I'm fearing the rent increase. I don't want to move, but I also don't want to pay any more. I love my place and I'll stay if the rent increase isn't crazy because the hassle of moving isn't worth the extra bucks a month. I've moved a lot recently (lay off issues) and I just want somewhere to call my own.

2) I chose proximity to work over socializing this time. It wasn't worth it to me to add 30 minutes to my drive time back and forth to be closer to my friends. I can still get to where they hang out in 25 minutes if I time traffic right and I figure I spend much more time at work than I do with my friends.

3) No. But I've had one and rarely used it. It ended up just being the catch all room. Right now I have a big living room with a full size couch and good blow up mattress. No one has ever complained about the living arrangements when they stay.

MikeM53082

This has been a year of firsts for me. Newly divorced (as of 9/27) but separated since 5/11, the changes just keep a coming!

I have lived in a house I owned for 24+ years. This has it's own set of issues, one of which is NOT deciding whether you want to stay there another year.

Lease time is upon me and kind of upsetting my rythm. Do I stay? Am I happy here? Are my neighbors nice? How about the rent? Too high? Do I really need 2 bedrooms? How is the maintence? The drive to work is far, is it worth it?

I do love it here. It is peaceful and quiet. My neighbors are all good. I have a lake out my front window. The place is like a park with all the trees and animals (this is So Fla so that is not the norm)

BUT......the rent is high, not sure I need (although I want) and 2nd bedroom. It is 10 miles from work. I have always lived East and all my friends live there. When contemplating a social life, I have to include the fact that I have a dog so leaving work to go have happy hour is out of the question. This would entail me driving 10 miles home, which is 45 minutes on a Friday or the least 25-30 during the week. Feed the dog and then drive all the way back. I can tell ya, this has YET to happen :laugh:

My question to my single peeps is:

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

Just curious on your thoughts :flowerforyou:

I'll comment because you live really close to me.

I think you have to determine if you are an eastside or a westside girl. The east is close to nightlife, bars, great restaurants, the beach, etc.. but it's also expensive, more traffic, and all the houses/apartments are much older. The west is suburban sprawl and you are far away from upscale nightlife.. but it's also much cheaper, newer, and you get a decent bang for your buck.

As you know, I'm a former eastside guy (downtown Fort Lauderdale) living on the westside now (Parkland). I like the fact that I can come home after a crazy day of work and not have to worry about property crime, traffic, riff-raff, etc. If you are use to the eastside (I'm guessing you live in Coral Ridge or Poinsetta Heights?), maybe give the westside a shot. You're recently single, so why not try living in a different part of south Florida. And honestly, I think the westside might be better for your dating life. Eastside is all 20-something party boys, where the westside is more of an mature crowd (I say this will all due respect of course . Hell, even I feel too old going to the Elbo Room anymore!

So to answer your questions:

1. I always found lease renewal time a bit stressful because my former landlords always hiked my rent. I own now, so I don't worry about that anymore.

2. I side with comfortable living. You can always drive to the nightlife and socializing.

3. Go with the 2 bedrooms. I went nuts in a one bedroom apartment, too little space.

Send me an e-mail if you want to know a bit more.

NCTravellingGirl

I've owned homes in the past and changed over to renting when I moved to NC. i refused to rent an apartment though because I had a dog and wanted some space for him. I went looking for homes or townhomes. The townhome worked perfectly for me.

It's just me and a small dog... I've got a 2 bd, 2.5 ba townhome with garage here in NC. I'm loving it except the kitchen being entirely too small as someone who loves to cook and bake!

I live in a fairly small town but I'm near everything I love so it doesn't feel small. I am a 20 minute drive to Uptown Charlotte, so I've loved still getting to have some fun but come back to the quiet.

I love having the second room. I've had friends, my parents, etc... come and it's been nice that they not only have a room but also have a bathroom separate from mine. Still feels like I can live my life with them there.

I've been lucky on the landlord side. I've lived in this place over 2 years now. After the lease finished at year 1, he allowed me to continue to stay on month to month at the same price, and it's stay the same since 2010!

I've been getting the itch to own again but still have a few things to deal with first. For me, the ability to call when something breaks and to have someone ELSE landscape has been a huge plus for renting. On the other hand, I miss the customization I had as an owner.

Good luck and keep us posted!

julesboots

My question to my single peeps is:

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

When I rented I always looked forward to leases ending. I liked to move around when I was younger. Now it sucks, but I could hire movers, I guess.



2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

Yes. I live in a tiny house (730 sq. ft). It is often the epitome of uncomfortable with a kid and a dog, but it forces me to throw things away, and live super simply. I totally love it, despite how small it is, and my social circle has expanded exponentially-living in the city.

When I lived further away from my job/social circle I was against the side of mountain facing open space in an amazing college town-it was wonderful, but I had no idea how unhappy and disconnected I felt until I moved away and stopped commuting.

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

No, but once you're used to not having one I'd imagine it's not a huge deal. My friends take my bed or use a blow up mattress in the living room.

MikeM53082

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

Yes. I live in a tiny house (730 sq. ft). It is often the epitome of uncomfortable with a kid and a dog, but it forces me to throw things away, and live super simply. I totally love it, despite how small it is, and my social circle has expanded exponentially-living in the city.

Wow, that's a small house! Kudos to you for making it work.

Do you ever feel the need for more space? What city do you live in?

I live by myself in approx 2000 sq ft 3/2.5 house and I feel caged in sometimes.

DMZ_1

2) I chose proximity to work over socializing this time. It wasn't worth it to me to add 30 minutes to my drive time back and forth to be closer to my friends. I can still get to where they hang out in 25 minutes if I time traffic right and I figure I spend much more time at work than I do with my friends.

This is a pretty challenging decision, depending upon where one's workplace is. Another thing to consider is that in a lot of fields, job security is a thing of a past. The days of the 40 years served and a gold watch at retirement are over. So it is probable that a job change could occur, and I don't think that it isn't a good idea to lock into a particular location based around a job, if there isn't good job security. This is less of an issue in 1 year leases than it is with purchased houses.

At the same time, it isn't healthy to have a long commute.

Decisions, decisions. :grumble: :grumble:

MissingMinnesota

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

Yes. I live in a tiny house (730 sq. ft). It is often the epitome of uncomfortable with a kid and a dog, but it forces me to throw things away, and live super simply. I totally love it, despite how small it is, and my social circle has expanded exponentially-living in the city.

Wow, that's a small house! Kudos to you for making it work.

Do you ever feel the need for more space? What city do you live in?

I live by myself in approx 2000 sq ft 3/2.5 house and I feel caged in sometimes.

I would take 730 sq feet over 2000. I feel like I rattle around in my 1200 sq ft house by myself. I wish I could sell and get a studio apartment and purge everything I don't need. That is also because I would rather live in a city then the place I am currently living. So I would rather pay what I pay for a smaller place in a better location.

JanieJack

I live by myself in approx 2000 sq ft 3/2.5 house and I feel caged in sometimes.

I would take 730 sq feet over 2000. I feel like I rattle around in my 1200 sq ft house by myself. I wish I could sell and get a studio apartment and purge everything I don't need. That is also because I would rather live in a city then the place I am currently living. So I would rather pay what I pay for a smaller place in a better location.

Me too- my son and I currently live in a 963 sq ft 2BR 2Bath apartment. It's a little small and I miss having an office, but once I got rid of enough stuff, I grew to love the closenes of it. Plus it's pretty, and we are right by the pool he loves. It's an open design which is great for having people over often and he never has to feel alone or disconnected from me (one of my boy's biggest fears).

When I got divorced, we were living in a 3000 sq ft house, and I would never have believed you if you told me I would enjoy living in a tiny place.

When my ex left (but before the divorce) I was living in Washington dc. I temporarily moved to a basement apartment in town. I loved it! It was only 1 bedroom and my boy slept on a toddler mattress in my room. But it was so CLOSE to everything that instead of having a 1.5 hr each way commute, my commute was only 10 minutes. We had so much fun that couple of months it was TOTALLY worth paying more money to live in town like that. I would do it again if I moved back there, except that he's older now and would need his own bedroom.

julesboots

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

Yes. I live in a tiny house (730 sq. ft). It is often the epitome of uncomfortable with a kid and a dog, but it forces me to throw things away, and live super simply. I totally love it, despite how small it is, and my social circle has expanded exponentially-living in the city.

Wow, that's a small house! Kudos to you for making it work.

Do you ever feel the need for more space? What city do you live in?

I live by myself in approx 2000 sq ft 3/2.5 house and I feel caged in sometimes.

I currently live in Denver. No, I hardly ever wish for more space. The only problem is retrieving summer/winter clothes from the attic because I don't trust myself not to fall off the ladder.

I worried at first, but the house is super cute (red brick and ivy) and I could rent it if I suddenly felt trapped.

I don't think I've ever owned enough furniture to fill 2000 sq. ft.- I think I'd struggle in the space you describe.

DMZ_1

I currently live in Denver. No, I hardly ever wish for more space. The only problem is retrieving summer/winter clothes from the attic because I don't trust myself not to fall off the ladder.

I worried at first, but the house is super cute (red brick and ivy) and I could rent it if I suddenly felt trapped.

I don't think I've ever owned enough furniture to fill 2000 sq. ft.- I think I'd struggle in the space you describe.

Denver = Menver. That helps a single lady!

julesboots

I would take 730 sq feet over 2000. I feel like I rattle around in my 1200 sq ft house by myself. I wish I could sell and get a studio apartment and purge everything I don't need. That is also because I would rather live in a city then the place I am currently living. So I would rather pay what I pay for a smaller place in a better location.

I know, I looked at a few 1200-1500 sq ft places, but I knew I'd be okay in smaller. The purge was awesome.

Me too- my son and I currently live in a 963 sq ft 2BR 2Bath apartment. It's a little small and I miss having an office, but once I got rid of enough stuff, I grew to love the closenes of it. Plus it's pretty, and we are right by the pool he loves. It's an open design which is great for having people over often and he never has to feel alone or disconnected from me (one of my boy's biggest fears).

When I got divorced, we were living in a 3000 sq ft house, and I would never have believed you if you told me I would enjoy living in a tiny place.

When my ex left (but before the divorce) I was living in Washington dc. I temporarily moved to a basement apartment in town. I loved it! It was only 1 bedroom and my boy slept on a toddler mattress in my room. But it was so CLOSE to everything that instead of having a 1.5 hr each way commute, my commute was only 10 minutes. We had so much fun that couple of months it was TOTALLY worth paying more money to live in town like that. I would do it again if I moved back there, except that he's older now and would need his own bedroom.

My favorite part is the closeness with my daughter. She's just started going in her room with the door closed, so we have some separation, but I still know exactly what she's up to. And I agree about it being worth paying more money to live in town- I could have gotten 3x the space in the suburbs- along with a crushed soul and zero friends.

arewethereyet

Well this has been very very helpful for me. Thanks for your replies.

When I first moved out I lived in a tiny, but nice, apt (Port Royale) It was a mix of young newbies with mom and dad paying the rent and single over 40 women. The pool was like a party each weekend.

I actually loved the tiny apt. with wood floors and French doors opening onto a screened porch. The bedroom was 13 x 13 which is huge in East South Florida terms, the living and dining room much smaller, itty bitty kitchen. I don't cook much or have company, so I loved it. Only issue was I could hear everythign my neighbors did.

Adele every Friday night for hours at top volume turned out to be too much to bear :laugh:

I really do love living here. I was just thinking as I looked out my window that...........well I can LOOK OUT MY WINDOW!! Most places I have checked out have small windows and are directly on the parking lot.

As was mentioned, it may be worth staying here and learning to cook. Shoot I could get a bigger place if I stopped with the carry out :blushing: Probably make losing weight a bit easier also.

The other thing to consider is my dog is 55 pounds and happy here.

Thanks for all your replies. I do love it here and keeping my fingers crossed the rent isnt increased. I always have the option of moving to a 1 bedroom in the same complex

Marc713

10 miles from work is far? I wish I this problem! I'd love to be close enough to go home for lunch every day, that would speed up my weight loss!

DMZ_1

When I first moved out I lived in a tiny, but nice, apt (Port Royale) It was a mix of young newbies with mom and dad paying the rent and single over 40 women. The pool was like a party each weekend.

Those two segments of the population can have overlap. There are plenty of 21-25 year old single guys who could really go for a 40+ single woman. The time horizon is the key thing. Those sorts of arrangements don't stand the test of time.

Cougar and cub parties every weekend!

arewethereyet

When I first moved out I lived in a tiny, but nice, apt (Port Royale) It was a mix of young newbies with mom and dad paying the rent and single over 40 women. The pool was like a party each weekend.

Those two segments of the population can have overlap. There are plenty of 21-25 year old single guys who could really go for a 40+ single woman. The time horizon is the key thing. Those sorts of arrangements don't stand the test of time.

Cougar and cub parties every weekend!

Yeah, not my style. 40 and up only need apply

DMZ_1

When I first moved out I lived in a tiny, but nice, apt (Port Royale) It was a mix of young newbies with mom and dad paying the rent and single over 40 women. The pool was like a party each weekend.

Those two segments of the population can have overlap. There are plenty of 21-25 year old single guys who could really go for a 40+ single woman. The time horizon is the key thing. Those sorts of arrangements don't stand the test of time.

Cougar and cub parties every weekend!

Yeah, not my style. 40 and up only need apply

Half your age plus 7 is a good rule for men for what is age appropriate. I'm 29. Half my age is 14.5, so we'll round up to 15. 15 + 7 = 22. Therefore I am looking for 22-29.

I guess 40+ works well for you. To a 40 year old, would you be a cougar?

atjays

My question to my single peeps is:

1. Do you find it daunting when lease time comes up (if you are a renter) ?

2. Should socializing take precedence over comfortable living?

3. Is it crazy for wanting a 2nd room for company?

Just curious on your thoughts :flowerforyou:

1. Yes and No. You have a lot more on your plate due to memories there (recent divorce) and those may sway your choice to leave a lot more than 2 and 3 if those memories are overly negative. In the past for this, I weighed how happy I was with the property management, my current neighbors and maybe distance to my job/school if they had changed. Good property management is sometimes hard to come by and is heavenly when you have it.

2. If you're a socialite and being close to those things/people saves you a lot of time or makes it more convenient that's obviously going to weigh in. As for comfortable living and what you mean by that, are you talking paying more in rent to be close to things, or size of your place or contrasting distance to work? For me I don't mind being farther from work, I work 4 10 hr shifts, and I have no reason to go there unless I'm working. I'd much rather be closer to my university/friends/family and tough out a 40 min commute to work as a result.

3. The 2nd bedroom (or multiple) is something I'm debating now. I'm planning on moving in December and while I really have no reason to have more than 1 bedroom, the possibility to provide a place for a friend if they are in a rough spot or even accepting a room mate short term to split bills is extremely appealing. And looking at the places I have, we're talking like 50 bucks or less a month for that luxury, some cheaper 2 bedrooms are the same price/cheaper than some 1 beds.. and even some houses for rent may have 3-4 bedrooms and still be affordable. I've pretty much decided on at least a 2 bedroom place, the extra room is beneficial for countless reasons at really no extra cost.


That's my take on it. If you really want to broaden things more than that. List out people/places that you visit the most, their respective distances, fuel/time costs and then make a list of things that you absolutely require in your home. Talking # of bedrooms, community pool, parks, school dist. , garage, city... the list goes on forever. I have realized that there ARE places out there that satisfy all of my personal conditions I want, my "wish list" or dream place (for a renter) for a price I can afford, it just takes some extra time to hunt them down. This will be my third diff. place I've rented, and I won't be settling for anything less than what I consider perfect this time around.

arewethereyet

When I first moved out I lived in a tiny, but nice, apt (Port Royale) It was a mix of young newbies with mom and dad paying the rent and single over 40 women. The pool was like a party each weekend.

Those two segments of the population can have overlap. There are plenty of 21-25 year old single guys who could really go for a 40+ single woman. The time horizon is the key thing. Those sorts of arrangements don't stand the test of time.

Cougar and cub parties every weekend!

Yeah, not my style. 40 and up only need apply

Half your age plus 7 is a good rule for men for what is age appropriate. I'm 29. Half my age is 14.5, so we'll round up to 15. 15 + 7 = 22. Therefore I am looking for 22-29.

I guess 40+ works well for you. To a 40 year old, would you be a cougar?

Not if I don't tell him my age :laugh: