Apartment choice assistance, please? (Dark Horse appears on Page 5)

Because spnited hates it when people ask for help on this board for decisions they should make on their own...

I am moving in three weeks. I am moving to a place I have never spent more than one weekend in, and don't know very well. Thanks to this site, I have two people who have gone to look at places FOR me after I had called and gotten all the information and felt it was something I would like.

I generally don't move to places I can't actually see before moving in, so I can give you guys general ideas of what I'm looking at and I'm trying to see if I'm missing or undervaluing or overvaluing any aspect of either place.

1. A newer complex (one person would have lived in the apt before me). 910 sf, with a large balcony and a very open kitchen with an island. Large bathroom with plenty of counter space. Gated parking, with the spot on the same level as your apartment. Resident said it had thin walls, but it's an apartment, so that comes with the deal.

Pros: 1-minute walk from a Box Store shopping center (Walmart, Petsmart, TJ Maxx, etc.) and less than 5 minutes from work. I love the floor plan, and my two site friends said it was a very nice place. Washer/dryer (fullsize) included.

Cons: View isn't great (looks out over some older office buildings). Nightlife isn't as strong (restaurants close by, but not like the other place).


2. A renovated hotel from around the mid-60s. Gated parking, keycard access, 22-story building. Apartment faces East, with bedroom window facing South. 750 sf, no washer/dryer (have to go to the ground floor to do that). Public transportation very nearby, which the company offers incentives for using. Just as closer, if not closer, to the office.

Pros: Smaller community (118 units) so the rental manager said everyone knows each other and it's a good place to be. Better view (overlooking more of the city). Closer to small shops/delis/parks/etc. Sunroom with a ton of windows to enjoy the view/nice days. Cable included in the bill.

Cons: Older, smaller apartment. REALLY small bathroom/kitchen. No balcony, just the sunroom. The laundry thing is a deal, because that's an extra $20-25 a month I'm spending, plus the inconvenience of hauling it back and forth.


Rent on No. 1 is roughly $125 more than No. 2, but that's with the $60 parking included on No. 2. So I guess what it boils down to me is "Is $125 worth it for a larger bathroom, walk-in closet, nice balcony, in-unit w/d and ease of Walmart/boxstore shopping, or would I prefer a hipper, more artsy location with small shops and boutiques and stuff like that with a great view?"

What am I missing, or what would you guys do?

Also, I won't out the board folks but if they want to chime in with their takes they've already shared with me, they're more than welcome. I left it vague on purpose to protect identities.

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

No. 1

This caps it for me...

And since you said...

It makes perfect sense.


Plus, for a little extra money, you can get a little bit more. Space is nice to have. If it's not going to tax you too much to get the bigger place, why not go for it?

Nightlife would only be a short drive away.

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

That's the way I was leaning, Rumple, but my debt is a MAJOR problem right now. So I'm trying to follow the 60-30-10 plan my friend suggested, and $125 less a month on rent, plus no cable payment, would really help keep me under 60 percent on my living expenses.

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

The laundry is a huge deal for me convenience wise and combined with the much bigger unit would easily push me towards the first one assuming you can afford the additional cost.

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

D_B:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/76902/

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

Piotr, I have a couple passes I was going to e-mail you....

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

I'm not in the know about the whole 60-30-10 plan. Care to enlighten?

If money is a major concern, then maybe lean toward the cheaper one, but why be cramped if you don't need to be? Could you make some cutbacks here and there (easier said than done) and roll that way?

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

That $125/mo is a big deal. That's why I moved out of W.Hartford into my little slice of paradise here. Its taken a while, but I was able to pay off a majority of my debt (Nearly $50,000) in the past three years. So I guess that means I would downsize.

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

60 percent living expenses, 30 percent toward debt, 10 percent toward savings of your monthly income.

With the more expensive place, guessing (of course) on the utilities since I don't know the area, I'm at about 65 percent if I count my car loan in there. I vote that counts as debt, but I've been shouted down.

So I'm close, and there are some benefits to the larger one in terms of incentives and move-in specials etc. I mean, I was leaning toward No. 1, but I always shop larger than my wallet would like me to, so wanted to run it past others who may be more fiscally responsible.




BB: You're my hero. I moved out of an $1100 place in Farmington to my $800 place in New Britain, but the increased utilities cost has broken me nearly even.

To be fair, by my count, my total monthly bill at No. 1 would be approximately what I'm paying for all my bills now. So assuming I can stick to the budget I should be able to pay some down.

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

Washer and Dryer is huge. Hauling clothes is a big pain in the ass.

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

Oh . . . um, that wasn't me.

The wife has been duly admonished for using my login to harass you.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

(Please don't hurt me)

 

Re: Apartment choice assistance, please?

My utilities, including laundry (in basement) are less than my rent in W.Hartford. I also bought a new car (which I really should have waited for another year, but the Camry had 275,000). To pay off my debt, I did the snowball, pay off the smallest one first, and when that is done take the money and put it towards your next bigger one. Its just such a relief to see those bills get zeroed out one-by-one.

P.S. if you need help, you can PM.