On Thursday, Jordan and I caught a flight out to SD to start looking for a place to live. We thought we’d barely have enough time, but what we learned is that we were about a month too soon. Apparently, no one wants to commit to short-term renters starting in December this “early.”
So, we resorted to checking out a dozen or so apartment communities in the area, and pretty much everything started to run together by the end of Friday. We eventually narrowed it down and landed on a place, though.
The pluses:
- We can keep Beezer. Apparently, having a dog is a big no-no for most rental properties.
- It’s close to my office. Very close. Like, about a mile away. Jordan’s commute to his “office” – i.e., the dining room – will be shorter, though. Beezer refuses to commute anymore.
- There’s a pool. It’s heated year round. We couldn’t figure out why 78 is “too cold” for people to swim though.
- There’s a dog park within walking distance.
- We were able to negotiate a short, four-month lease without breaking out “knuckles.”
The minuses:
- There’s no ocean view. There’s no canyon view. Come to think of it, there’s really no view at all. We had the same problem in Waukegan though.
- There’s not a lot of space. It’s a one-bedroom place, and just over 700 square feet at that.
- It’s expensive. It’s less than one-third of the size of our first home, but it comes with a slightly steeper price tag than our mortgage payment. Hooray California.
All in all, it was our best option. It’s only for a few months, until we can locate that winning lottery ticket we didn’t buy so that we can purchase a small home. That will be a whole different process.
Next up: Figuring out the details with the movers and finding some furniture to rent.
In the meantime, we’re off to dinner overlooking the ocean. I guess life isn’t so bad.
Filed under: Family Tagged: | california, home search, move
