Apartment Hunt Woes
A couple weeks ago, our landlord advised us that she will be retiring & selling our apartment building. Although we expected this day to come, we were hoping it wouldn't come until we could potentially move away from Canada.
It's been an emotional journey. The day after she told us, we went to an open house at a lovely modern purpose-built rental building. After two weeks of seeing places, we've decided this place is likely the one.
We are seeing it again tomorrow and applying on Monday, if we don't get cold feet.
Here are the pros/cons of the place:
Pros:
- It comes with a proper fiber run to the suite with a vented closet
- The suite also included a cat6 (or 7) punch-down block that is run to several places in the unit.
- Lots of amenities in the building such as dog wash, gym, terrace, co-working spaces, party room, etc.
- It's in a neighbourhood we love. Lots of great restaurants and pubs nearby. It's also close to the West Toronto Railpath.
Cons:
- Price Price Price. Our rent controlled unit really lagged behind this insane market. We also have to pay for parking & storage now.
- A lot less space. We'll lose a bedroom and lots of storage
- We'll have to donate/sell half our stuff, as per the above
- A less predictable commute for my wife in the winter
All of that being said, we devised a scoring system where we defined our top 5 attributes. We then individually rated the places and combined the score to produce a result out of 10. Using that system, this place beat the competition easily.
I'm anxious and nervous to move. But I'm just as anxious/nervous to wait around and get renovicted before Christmas.
Here's hoping for the best.