I've been traipsing about the city yesterday and today looking for a place to live. Drew and Lisa have been wonderfully kind to me, but since I have an actual income now and am starting to receive my paychecks, it's time to get out on my own.
I've only had to look for a place to stay once before--the last time I moved to Seattle, in fact. Then I was pretty limited on my choices, not having a steady cash flow. Now that I'm a Productive Member of Society, the vistas have opened significantly wider, and with them, the complexities of Choice.
I can actually consider what neighborhood I want to live in. That has been narrowed down to Ballard (near church and the Locks), unless a really good deal comes up at Phinney Ridge (near the dance hall) or Alki (on the Sound overlooking the Olympic mountains) or possibly somewhere else.
The next problem choice is do I want a roommate or should I live alone. Having a roommate cuts costs significantly. Also, it would give me contact with human life outside of work. Since I tend to keep to myself, a roommate could be a good thing for me. On the other hand, a roommate could get in the way of my projects and planning, and he could be noisy. Noise and I are not friends.
Assuming I don't have a roommate, I then have the choice of getting a one-bedroom apartment or a studio. I definitely lean toward the one-bedroom idea, although I did look at a really nice studio this morning. Studios cost less, possibly saving more than a thousand dollars over the course of a year. However, a studio would make it substantially more difficult to host guests or any sort of get together. I think I could partition up the studio I looked at this morning fairly easily, but it could still be a little tight with guests. Another thing to think about regarding one-bedroom versus studio is furniture. I have have none. Furnishing a full apartment would be much more expensive than furnishing a studio.
There you have it: the connundrums of first-time apartment hunting. My goal is to be in my own place by the beginning of November. I'll let you know how things turn out over the next couple weeks.
Posted by jonhanneman at October 17, 2004 2:36 PMGood luck on your apartment hunting. From personal experience I can sincerely tell you that if you can swing it, it is best to live by yourself. Garage sales are good sources of quality furniture at low prices!
Posted by: Lar P at October 17, 2004 4:14 PMAny luck on the apartment search?
Posted by: Lar P at October 26, 2004 6:40 PM