Homehunting

This is going to be hard to explain.

So you know how I was gone for two weeks for the Extend-a-Family Overnight Camp when I had half a month to find a place? I put my faith in my roommates and they didn't disappoint. They found a central location in a century home with two bathrooms, all-inclusive at a reasonable rate in a neighborhood with many of my current and former coworkers, right by where my cousin lives, and it even came furnished. To the point that it had live plants. It seemed too good to be true.

...And it was.

Turns out it was a sublet situation. I mean, I knew I was subletting from one of my roommates as the primary leaseholder, but I didn't realize that she as well was subletting from the original owners. And the original owners decided to move back in in January.

So I've been scrambling to find a place for the New Year.

Last week I had four viewings. I had one at a high rise apartment building behind Fairview Park Mall, where many recent graduates of Conestoga wind up. A general trend for Conestoga students is that they do a year in the Residence, get tired of the high rent and move into student housing. Then when they graduate they move behind Fairview Mall because it's only one bus terminal away from the college and therefor familiar, and the rent is pretty reasonable. There are six high rises behind Fairview: William I, William II, Gresham I, Gresham II, Cedarwood, and Highpoint. I think technically they all have unique names (William I is also called Georgian?) and Cedarwood and Highpoint are a pair in the way that William I and II and Gresham I and II are pairs. If I hadn't gone with my roommates, I was planning on following the trend and getting a place in one of these six buildings.

It would be like moving away from my coworkers and back into my college community, now in the form of recent graduates.

Good accomodations. Gresham had a swimming pool, sauna, gymnasium, leisure room (with ping pong and foozeball), and a tuck shop all located within the building (in a strange section connecting the buildings called the "link"). William had all that plus ensuite laundry (but they had no spaces available)

When I did the tour of Gresham, they asked me if I wanted hardwood or carpeted flooring, and if I would rather be higher or lower in the building, suggesting they had a selection. Then we went to do a viewing and we went into one, which my tour guide said was dirty from previous visitors, and so she led me to another vacant apartment on the same floor, further leading me to believe that there were a number of vacancies.

I submitted an application on a Wednesday and they said they would get back to me on Friday. I called Friday and got someone saying that there was no business that day because of an office party so I should call back Monday. Called back on Monday and they had apparently lost our application (what were they doing at that party?). Promised to get back to me the next day. The next day they called to let us know we had been rejected.

I asked why and the woman said she didn't know, because she just sends it away to get checked and it comes back with a confirm or deny. She said it usually has something to do with credit, and  that no, there was no one I could speak to about it.

I'm comfortable speaking on that, because I know my credit is immaculate. I've been living independently for two years and have paid rent on time without exception. I have a credit card and phone plan, both of which I've had for about a year and have never failed to pay on time. My only blemish is that I'm not as established as some.

But this pulled up certain fears. If an invisible entity that even the person choosing applicants doesn't know is calling the shots, does that mean this same entity is casting judgments on everywhere we apply? And if it is, won't it give the same answer no matter where we go?

I picked up the pace. I applied for an apartment, but half an hour before the meeting, and me being on the bus headed toward it, I received a call saying it had just been sold. I applied to another apartment, and when I got there, it had sold it's last two-bedroom before I arrived. Places were being advertised, toured, and applied to within a 24 hour span.

 I saw an ad for a place going at $700, all-inclusive including Internet, with 3 months rent free. Seemed good to the point of suspicion. It's near the Waterloo Universities, so it might be kind of a student hosuing area, but at these stats who cares? I contacted them and they got back to me within two minutes, asking me to visit immediately. I say yes, but I'm worried I might get beat up or something.

I show up and it's a beautiful building, with all the accommodations you could ask for. I enter a proper office and meet a fellow who gives me a tour. Place isn't sketch in the least.

...Except the rent isn't $700, it's $1600 to $1900. Don't know where $700 came from. I'd say it was per head, but $700x2 is $1400, not $1600, which is their lowest rate.

...And also, they changed their availability from January to February... during the time it took me to bus over. The guy pitched a February spot hard, to the point he extended the three month free rental deal for me and contacted me today, even offering to contact my landlords to try and convince them not to move in until February, or to get me to couch surf until February for a place there. Yeah, not happening.

And those were those four viewings! I also viewed a building on Queen Street, which had everything Gresham had, plus a proper gym (weight room and cardio) and a hair salon, and I viewed a place of Forest Glen Plaza, where I picked up the interesting piece that rent is determined by the floor of the building. The higher the apartment, the higher the price. Strange, because I always favoured lower apartments. Less travel time, usually closer to the laundromat, and less likely to get killed by a tornado. Also, I'm afraid of heights, so the view isn't exactly an advertising point.

I had another set of four lined up and a couple more strategies... but I have a place! I was the one who found it, and it's a proper lease. I won't do too much elaboration, since I don't reveal my exact location on my blog. But you can know that it's not at William, Gresham, Cedar, Highpoint, Sage, or Queen apartments. Probably narrows it down quite a bit actually, haha.