Friday, March 06, 2009

What a week!

Monday
In the evening we met with our homeowners. They dropped the bomb. We would have to move. She works at home and her business is doing so well she needs to hire a staff also they want to get a nanny for their two small children. The nanny will probably be a live-in nanny so they need our space.
Yes we were in shock. They have always said we could stay as long as we like. I guess they forgot to say "or as long as we like." We thought we'd be here until we bought our own place, but I guess not. They said we could move out any time in the next few months and our last month here will be free. Here's to never agreeing to a month-to-month scenario again.
I'm mostly upset on having to leave the garden sooner than I anticipated. I did tell them that I would have to take some of the garden with me. They don't care since they don't garden so that's okay, but who knows what I can and can't take.

Tuesday.
The immediate shock has subsided and I'm just kind of numb at work. I actually work very little that day. I may have looked like a somnambulist.
That night we start browsing craigslist and make notes.

Wednesday.
I went for a run to help clear my head. My calf is bothering me again so I can't run too far or downhill (a bit of a problem here). My day off and I email and phone people to make appointments for Thursday and Friday. I book two places for Thursday evening after work.

Thursday.
db borrows the car from work and picks me up. We visit our first place that is offering a reduction in rent if you look after the garden. It seems like a good deal and it's just on the other side of the park from where we live now. The place is okay. It's ground floor with lots of windows. The woman is very nice and has three cats and two kids so we know it'll be a friendly and lively place. My gut says, "nope" and I sense is that it's going to be a long hunt for a place to live in if this is what's out there in our price range.

We see our second place, closer to where we're living now and right next to a large park with lots of hiking trails. The older couple renting the suite are very nice. db and I both really like them and the suite is quite nice as well. It's got lots of storage. They described it as a "1 bedroom + den", but it's really a one bedroom with an alcove. I'm not sure what the den was in reference to. However, the main living area is similar to where we are now with a big living room kitchen open space. It has big windows and patio doors that open onto their shady backyard where all you can see are trees. It's like looking into a west coast forest (oh wait it actually does look into a west coast forest). There's a covered patio where we could sit out. The view is what sells me on the place. It's very cozy feeling. It's a quiet street and I can imagine us sitting in the living room and looking at the trees. It's a little funky in the layout otherwise, but I know we can make it work.
db and I are pretty sure and we can tell that they are really keen to rent it to us. However, I don't want to make a decision until db and I can talk about it.

We drive past another place where I booked an appointment for Friday night, but it's so far up the mountain there is still a ton of snow up there. I can imagine hellish commutes so we axe that idea. It would be beautiful up there, but we don't own a car and I don't want to spend half my life waiting for a bus that may or may not show up when the snow falls.

Back at home we talk and I can tell db is just waiting for me to agree. It doesn't take long to make up our minds. I'm already deciding where to put things in there and thinking about painting it. db calls them to confirm that we'll be by Friday to make a deposit on the place.

It all seems too easy. I've never found a place so easily.

Friday (today)

I wake around 4:30 am and cannot sleep. What if we jumped into an agreement too quickly? What about all the little things that I keep thinking about that I didn't ask when we were in the suite? Doubt tosses around in my head and keeps me awake. Am I settling for something that's not ideal because I'm in a panic about having to move?
Prima seems quite content sleeping on my head. She doesn't seem to mind me tossing and turning. She sleeps peacefully until db gets up for work. I tell him all my doubts and fears and then somehow feel better. Until...

I see new pictures posted on one of the places we were interested in and instead of it being listed as Westwood Summit (which suggested to us that it would be too far of a commute and up in that snowy area again), it's listed as being just up the street from us. And it has another photo that is selling me on it. There'd be a lot more light and I think the cats would really like that as well as us. We could grow tomatoes in the back (I think). I guess I should see it first. Uh-oh. So now I'm waiting to hear back to see if I can view the place this afternoon and I'm feeling horribly guilty for having arranged to meet with the other renters, the nice older couple, and sign a lease. Oh what have I done?




2 comments:

mister anchovy said...

Any way you look at it, moving is traumatic, and even more so when you don't do it on your own terms. I hope you find a perfect place with a good vibe and a nice garden!

Wandering Coyote said...

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear your landlords have done this! I know how much you love the place. Don't feel badly about the older couple you sort of said you'd rent from; look out for you. I'm sure they won't have a hard time finding good renters at time like this. Just find a place that feels good for you. And good on you for going with your gut on the first place.