Remember, I share a post about things I’d like in my future home? Well, now that I’m looking for a rental, some of these might be ‘for real’ soon enough. Though I think the fireplace is highly unlikely in inner city Sydney apartments…
Here’s the list I drafted with the BF
- sunshine: my dark loft is just too dark. Sunshine makes me happy
- train station proximity: we both prefer trains to buses, and my work is on a train line
- 2 bed or 1 bed + study: the premise for moving from my place to our place is to gain some space (or a location I can escape the snoring!)
- crazy: the bf’s way of saying x-factor or character. Something that makes the place better than ordinary
- car space: the bf’s car is lovely, and street side parking has already resulted in some damage
- grocery adjacent: given how good I’ve got it now, I know I’m unlikely to enjoy such an easy walk to all the shops!
- secure: my current neighbourhood isn’t known for it’s safety! The bf wants to be sure we feel safe
- storage: I’m used to a full height pantry AND a linen closet, and then a storage niche. I’d like to be sure I can relocate all these items easily into a new place
- big kitchen: we currently trip over one another when cooking in his U shaped kitchen, so it’d be great to have something more open
- cross breeze: the bf’s rental had a great summer cross breeze, that beats any fan. I don’t like the chances of finding the same again, but it’s something to be mindful of. And I would love a bathroom with a window, but realise they are uncommon in inner city apartments
- air conditioning: I think that snuck onto the list when I wasn’t looking. Tut tut. And we’d talked about double fans (when we combine ‘stuff’)
- easy to move in/out: yeah, no body loves moving, but this isn’t our ‘forever’ home. If it’s easy to move into, it’s easy to bring groceries home…
The bold options are the non negotiables and a starting point. The rest will act as a guide. But, guiding as they may be, places go FAST in Sydney, so we might need to up our ante. I started looking on Monday morning, and when I called Tuesday morning, the place had two offers and they wouldn’t consider more applications, or show it again. Talk about fast! They didn’t even list an inspection time online (which is usual). Anyhow, I did ring her, offer to drink with her (it was in context) and otherwise befriend her – cause there’s no harm in building rapport!
This was going to be the end of the post, but then we looked at two properties (one is pictured above). Both are in warehouse conversions, but in neighbouring suburbs. Both happened to be on the building’s top floor (3rd or 4th story, not super high) For my thought process, I’ll share these with you:
Daytime property viewing
Positives
- lots of light, especially downstairs
- good kitchen storage & gas cooktop!
- a linen closet!
- a block to the train (and opposite my close friend’s house)
- 2 bathrooms
- both bathrooms have windows (light + ventilation)
- exposed wooden beams upstairs in the bedrooms and bathroom
- beautiful wooden stairs and entry
- vacant – could move in anytime
- air conditioner in the bedroom
- cross breeze possible downstairs
- within our discussed budget
Negative
- midget sized wardrobes – due to
- sloping rooflines
- small bedrooms
- a bit of a walk to grocery store
- no window coverings
- no power, so couldn’t check light fittings (known to be bad in this building)
Evening property viewing
Positives
- HUGE generally
- new kitchen with drawers
- new bathroom
- more wardrobes than I could imagine ever needing
- new wooden floors in living areas
- warehouse conversion
- close walk to a shopping centre
- lovely leafy neighbourhood (I’ve always said ‘I want to live here’)
Negatives
- just ‘a bit too far’ to the train station
- may be dark (we’ll go back for a daytime viewing)
- priced a little higher than we budgeted (but not above what we could afford)
- small bathroom
- no dryer provided (yet)
- difficult to access washing machine taps (just a one time bother)
- carspace less safe
- small bedroom windows
So which way will we go? Or will we abandon both and look at some more? Either way, I’m sure to share photos of my new home in due course! Oh, and pick which one you think I prefer…
