A new place for living?

I just made this as a blog post, but I would like to post it here to to see what you guys think. Story with pictures .. then questions.

So I went out last night to look at a place that my boss recommended me look at. I was planning on moving out by the end of this year, probably and apartment and something just big enough for me. The place my boss suggested is a rental house. It's like the size of a small apartment, but it's a standalone .. little house.

Pluses

+ Ground Level

+ Affordable

+ Space for a washer and dryer

+ Big enough for me and my stuff

+ No yard work

+ Nice Landlord (Cool enough guy, and he is willing to take me . and my snakes.

+ NO NEIGHBORS! (Well, the apartment kind. I still have neighbors, but they are neither above nor below me ... and not directly next to me)


Negatives

- Not exactly great timing

- Not up to my "High Class" taste

- Needs paint

The place is almost perfect for me. It is a shack though. I mean, it's not like third world, but it's very un assuming from the outside. I kinda like that though. And, I think is this cas ethe positive far outweigh the negatives.

Plus, I could name it the "Bachelor ShacK" with funky lettering and everything! I have emailed the owner a couple of times now, and I think I am going to just go for it. He is willing to work with me on the timing thing also, so I can make this work .. I think.

PICTURES!

http://www.centralexotics.com/images/home/1small.jpg


http://www.centralexotics.com/images/home/2small.jpg


http://www.centralexotics.com/images/home/3small.jpg


http://www.centralexotics.com/images/home/4small.jpg


http://www.centralexotics.com/images/home/5small.jpg


http://www.centralexotics.com/images/home/6small.jpg


http://www.centralexotics.com/images/home/7small.jpg


http://www.centralexotics.com/images/home/8small.jpg

QUESTIONS!

How important are looks and features of the actual house to you?

Do the pluses in my case out weigh the negatives?

Thoughts?

It's not very up-to-date, but it looks clean. And a little paint can do wonders. I say go for it!! :gj:

Well, it might need a little TLC but home is what you make of it, right? With some paint, new furniture and decoration, it will look great. Just give it a really good scrub down with some buddies before everything gets painted and moved in. I definitely think the positives outweigh the negatives but then again, I'm not you. Take some time to think about it. If it feels right, do it.
Good luck :)

It's a house not an apartment, it's decent other than it needs a bit of painting (see if you can trade rent for painting it) and the landlord doesn't mind if you have your snakes.....

GO RENT IT QUICK! :banana:

P.S. It's not out of date or old....it's "classic" or "retro" :)

Well, lets see: It has hot and cold running water, indoor toilet, kitchen appliances, window air conditioner, different rooms....what more do you want??

This is a rental- you're not purchasing your dream house ;) If it feels good to you then you ought to do it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

P.S. It's not out of date or old....it's "classic" or "retro" :)

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* takes notes *

Looks like an alright little place. I agree that with a bit of cosmetic touch ups, it'll probably be a nice little house.

Seriously, my oldest daughter's first apartment was kind of old so instead of worrying about that she went with a total retro look. Very "That 70's Show" which fit in with the general age and look of the apartment complex. It was a lot of fun, ended up looking great and didn't even cost her all that much to do. A bit of imagination and some paint and that little house could be just fantastic (besides it's a HOUSE and your landlord doesn't mind snakes.....go rent it quick! LOL)

I have already setup a meeting with the owner for signing the stuff.

One other plus that I forgot to mention was there is no lease. I just pay month to month and leave when I want. The outside need more work that the inside .. by a lot. Like I said, it is very un assuming from the outside. I have a picture of that too, but it's a really wide angle shot, so I have to do some fixing on it.

He said he will paint the outside, but is kinds waiting for both this little house and his house to need it at the same time so he can do it all at once. The little house for reant needs it bad .. and right now .. but whatever.

hell id get it just cause of the shag carpet. yah baby yaaah

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shiftto5

hell id get it just cause of the shag carpet. yah baby yaaah

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Nice. That is one classy post.

^.^

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cuda

One other plus that I forgot to mention was there is no lease. I just pay month to month and leave when I want.

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I agree with what everyone else is saying. It's a temporary sort of place as you work toward someday buying something you really love....and in the meantime, you can use your imagination and a little elbow-grease to fix it up as nice as you'd like it to be...including the outside if it's worth it to you to trade your own efforts for nicer curb-appeal.

The statement I highlighted here though, I wanted to point out that I don't think it's a "plus". A lease is there to protect not just the landlord but you as well. If you can "leave anytime you want" then he can also MAKE you leave anytime he wants. You also leave yourself without any contractual obligations from your landlord other than the barest minimum that the state sets forth its in landlord/tenant laws. Even if you both agree that a "month to month" is the best sort of tenancy for all involved, you should still have a signed contract that protects both parties.

Also...regardless of what has been signed or not....or what has been verbally agreed to (almost impossible to prove in court when/if a dispute arises someday in the future)...I don't know of a single state that will allow you to just leave without a minimum of 30 days notice. And maybe you're already counting that in the "whenever I want" statement....but I thought I"d throw that out there for any young first-time renters that think they can walk out of a month-to-month without any notice. (I almost learned that lesson the hard way myself....WAAAAYYYY back in the days of my youth and first solo apt.)

Anyhow.....it really sounds like a good deal with lots going for it. Just be careful and don't be shy about asking for some things in writing. At the very least make sure you get receipts for all monies you pay out both initially and with each month's rent.

"Bachelor Shack":gj:Thats a cool little place.Major plus for not being an apartment building.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JLC

I agree with what everyone else is saying. It's a temporary sort of place as you work toward someday buying something you really love....and in the meantime, you can use your imagination and a little elbow-grease to fix it up as nice as you'd like it to be...including the outside if it's worth it to you to trade your own efforts for nicer curb-appeal.

The statement I highlighted here though, I wanted to point out that I don't think it's a "plus". A lease is there to protect not just the landlord but you as well. If you can "leave anytime you want" then he can also MAKE you leave anytime he wants. You also leave yourself without any contractual obligations from your landlord other than the barest minimum that the state sets forth its in landlord/tenant laws. Even if you both agree that a "month to month" is the best sort of tenancy for all involved, you should still have a signed contract that protects both parties.

Also...regardless of what has been signed or not....or what has been verbally agreed to (almost impossible to prove in court when/if a dispute arises someday in the future)...I don't know of a single state that will allow you to just leave without a minimum of 30 days notice. And maybe you're already counting that in the "whenever I want" statement....but I thought I"d throw that out there for any young first-time renters that think they can walk out of a month-to-month without any notice. (I almost learned that lesson the hard way myself....WAAAAYYYY back in the days of my youth and first solo apt.)

Anyhow.....it really sounds like a good deal with lots going for it. Just be careful and don't be shy about asking for some things in writing. At the very least make sure you get receipts for all monies you pay out both initially and with each month's rent.

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See, this is why I post here.

nuff said.

Yes, I counted the 30 days into the "Anytime". And you are right, that give him the right to kick me out too. A couple of things that make me brush that under the table as a non issue

1.) He is a good friend of my boss ... and not to sound arrogant, but my boss likes me. He would not match me up with the owner if he was not sure that he was a great guy to work with and would treat me right.

2.) I have parents in town. If it did come to that, I can always move back in with them. Not the ideal situation, but it helps with the security or not having the lease

3.) I am a good guy. Srsly, I am. At my last place my landlord wanted to work things out so I could stay .. and she went way out of her way to help me. When I asked why she was doing this she said it is rare to find a tenant like me.

Alright .. now I do sound arrogant.

The point is I respect people and their things, time, efforts, boundaries, rules. The owner would have to be a complete *bleep* in order to find issue with me, and I don't see that due to reason number 1.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WickedBalls

"Bachelor Shack":gj:Thats a cool little place.Major plus for not being an apartment building.

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I know!

OOH! Another +

+ It has two doors, one front and one back. Easy to sneak a "friend" out a door when the parentals pay a visit.

:b0x0rz:

I move in Nov 1.

Whoop whoop! Party over thurr. :banana:

It should serve nicely as a swinging bachelor pad.

Now why can't I find a place like that hear. :P Congrats on the place. Its really hard to find someone who accepts snakes.

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

Whoop whoop! Party over thurr. :banana:

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* rushes to buy party hats *

:fest::pinkele::fest::pinkele::fest::pinkele::fest::pinkele:

congrats on the new pad.. now get to scrubing and cleaning and painting it before you move in and especially before the snakes move in. :D now, when are the party invites being sent?!

When can I come see it?

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

When can I come see it?

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The next time you are in South Dakota.

which will be ... ??

I am here. I am moved in. I have started unpacking .. probably 40% done ... the Kitchen and bedroom are the two places that need the most work right now .. but as long as I have my PCs up .. and cable working, and Doritos for eating, what more can I ask for?

I am really tired .. time to curl up on the couch with a bag of Doritos and some SNL.

Side note - I am not done. The snakes are still over at my parents house. I wanted to make sure they digested their last meal fully and it was nice to not have to worry about them while getting their area ready.

TTYL!