Househunting
Pretty much since I got here (which is only just over two weeks ago!), Christine and I have been looking for a new, bigger place to live. This studio apartment is sweet, but definitely not big enough for two people and all their stuff to coexist without driving both parties totally mad.
I've already told you about the first place we looked at with the crazy, domineering landlord... an eye-opening way to be introduced to the American system of property rentals. Things are so different to back home in Australia, where the rental market is very regulated and you deal almost exclusively with real estate agents acting on the landlord's behalf.
Not here: you talk either to the property manager or directly to the landlord and there's very little regulation. Depending on the property or the whims of the landlord, application fees can be between $15 and $50 and you may be charged a huge "moving in" fee as well. Security deposits can vary wildly in size and it seems like its a lot more difficult to get it all back at the end of your tenancy as the landlord keeps a hold of it instead of a neutral party like the Rental Tribunal Board back home. Their word against yours, in effect, and they hold the cash.
Anyway, the next place we looked at was just off NW 23rd Ave, which is one of the most happening areas in Portland. So we were quite excited at the prospect of a little two bedroom townhouse just around the corner. And then we met Mike, the property manager from hell. First off, he ignored us completely as we waited outside the property, making us call him on our phone! Once inside, he made no effort to explain any of the features of the property or even show us around. Then we got the lecture about keeping the noise down at all times, which was mainly for his benefit I think, as lived in the unit next door. This ended with the dire warning, "your first party here will be your last!" Yeesh! Not even the obvious attractions of the neighbourhood could make us see past this awful, petty little man.
Then we thought we had really found something great. A brand new apartment that had been constructed in the basement of a beautiful 1920s apartment block in inner SE Portland. And when I say new, I mean NEW. The rooms were a bit of an odd shape at times as they'd been shoehorned into the basement, but it was very, very livable and only a few blocks from a funky restuarant area as well. We applied, were accepted and only had to go and sign the lease document when we found something even better!
A fantastic two level townhouse in "NoPo" (North Portland) with a wonderful, friendly hippie landlord/manager. She has been doing up the townhouses in the complex herself over the last six months, giving them a very fresh, funky, retro feel without raising the rental prices to astronomical levels. It has a balcony off the main bedroom as well as a little garden area out back, and there's a real sense of community about the place as well. We fell in love right away and asked for an application form immediately. We dropped the application in this morning and should hear back about it in the next few days! Fingers crossed!
Posted in: chaosboy, portland on May 31, 2007 at at 3:59:00 PM