After looking at 7 apartment complexes, we have it narrowed down to 2 options:
-Move to another complex that has a unit with 1 bed/1 bath + a study.
-Stay in our current place.
We have been wavering on this decision since Wednesday and keep on going back and forth. Right now, we're leaning towards moving but here is a list of the benefits of each choice.
Moving Benefits
- Separate study. Now our desks are in the same room as our living room/dining area (yay open concept floor plan) as you can see here. As I will be studying for my comprehensive exams full time starting in May, it would be nice to have a separate area that I can escape from when I'm not studying. After comps are over, then dissertation starts which is a whole new beast to conquer.
- Double sinks & walk-in closet. We really don't mind sharing a sink but I'm not going to say no to a double sink. Then a walk-in closet would be nice so I don't have to store my out-of-season clothes under the bed anymore. Fringe benefits but benefits nonetheless :)
- Possibly better insulation. Our current place has really bad insulation which makes the electric bill real fun during the winter/summer months. This other complex is newer and might have more insulation. At the very least it is a non-western-facing unit so we wouldn't get the brunt of the summer sun!
- New management. The management at our current unit isn't always the most positive or helpful. While we have no idea what the management will be like when we move in, the reviews are a lot better than the current place we're in!
Staying Benefits
- Saving money. We wouldn't be spending as much which is always nice.
- Moving is a pain. From physically moving to changing addresses, these aspects are something we are not looking forward to and will take time away from studying.
- Our current floorplan works for us and I could probably make studying for comps and dissertation-writing work. This place feels like home and I've been successful in grad school thus far so I could probably be fine for studying here.
- Both cars are covered. At the new place only one of our cars would be covered which is unfortunate for random north Texas hail storms.
As I said before, we're currently leaning towards moving. Though I could probably make studying work in our current place, I don't know for sure. I've never done anything that will involve this much stress over the long-term so having a separate room where I can leave studying behind sounds beneficial for many reasons.
One of the hard things though is we haven't seen the actual unit recently. We saw it last year when we toured apartments but they didn't have one available to see last week. They should have one available within the next week or so, so we're hoping we'll be able to see it before we have to make the final decision. There are a few measurements we want to do to make sure our furniture and washer/dryer fit. We have to give notice to our current complex by the end of the month so I will be sure to keep you up-to-date!
Have you faced a hard moving decision before? Any tips to make moving and changing addresses faster and easier?
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| We need to make some friends with strong guys I think... source |
Good luck on your search for a better apartment. It must be stressful to look for one nowadays. You have a long list of changes, which you want to take place. I hope you get what you want, especially proper insulation. I can only imagine how bad winter had been in your current apartment. It's good you're weighing the costs between going and leaving. I hope you finalize a decision soon. Take care! :)
ReplyDeleteNatalie Baldwin @ Envirotech Insulation