Apartment Hunting - The Conclusion

You may or may not know I am moving to Richmond this summer. The decision was made in April. I feel like it's a great new chapter to start: great job, great team, wonderful city. All I needed was.... the perfect place to live. (Cue hunting music).

For the past month I have been scouring Craigslist and print classifieds, talking to friends and coworkers, taking walks in prospective neighborhoods, emailing and calling property managers, touring apartments and generally weighing the pros and cons of each of them. Fan? Shockoe? West End? Hanover? Chesterfield?

In my head, I had a dream scenario. My ideal place would have the following:

• Historic Architecture
• Not a large complex
• Bay Windows
• Decorative Fireplaces
• Safe Neighborhood
• Great shopping, recreation, etc. within walking distance
• Off-Street Parking
• At least some utilities included
• Within my comfortable price range
• Balcony/Porch/Some type of outdoor space
• Ample closet space
• Laundry facilities in the building
• Space I'd like to entertain in

During this time, I've found some places that were close but not close enough, some that were downright wrong and some that were perfect but snatched by someone else before I could get there (being out of town has been a disadvantage). Nearly two weeks ago, I saw a posting for what seemed to be the perfect place on Craigslist. I drove by it on my way back from a convention and then walked around the neighborhood and instantly developed an emotional attachment to a place I've never even been inside. I emailed the poster immediately upon arrival back home.

Like so many times before, I didn't hear back the next day, and knowing how rapidly these places in the Fan vaporize to a new tenant - I felt my heart bending a little bit (not quite breaking). I knew it was gone.

Fast forward to late last night. While combing Craigslist again (my major pasttime of the last four weeks), I found a little piece of magic - the unit was posted again. Could this be possible? It's not taken? I fired off an email right away and followed up with a phone call this morning... by lunch time I was on the road - and by dinner time, I had signed a lease. HOORAY!

Of the 13 items I mentioned in my "want" list - my new place has 11 of them. (I've already planned another post for how apartment hunting is like dating). I could not love the location any more. It's perfect. Absolutely. The space is great, and I find myself excited to reorganize myself and personalize the space. The landlords seem like incredibly nice people. All in all, I feel at peace and very relieved to have this settled.

I took a few shots of the place with my camera phone. These are the "before" shots with the current tenant's (the landlord's son) belongings. I'll post some "after" ones around mid-July. For those in DC, please start thinking about coming down to visit. :-)

(In order: 1. Living Room 2. Kitchen 3. Bedroom)