Home is where the heart is.

Recently I started researching and scrutinizing apartments to find a new home. I'm not moving far, I haven't changed jobs, nothing like that. I just feel like after living in the same apartment building since my last year in college maybe a change would be nice. So I have begun scouring the Internet and itemizing my budget to figure out what I want and what I can afford. Why is that so difficult?

I have some musts... Such as must have windows. Not something that many people think of as an amenity when searching apartments, but after living in a windowless apartment for four years, I need windows! Second and a bit more luxurious, a dishwasher. Ahh, to have a machine to wash my dishes for me. That would be the life. In that line of luxurious amenities, I would also like a washer/dryer in my own apartment... yes, my own clothes washing machine. Something that needs no coins and my neighbor, the roofer, won't put his tar filled clothes into. I don't think that is asking too much.

My search has only started, I haven't seen many places yet. But last weekend, my boyfriend and I went to look at three in the Alexandria area. We started off with what we felt at the end of the weekend, was the best. Which was unfortunate for the later two, it had a lot to live up to. The first place, Riverside, had awesome amenities (not just windows, it also had a fitness center with aerobics room and classes!) and it was super pretty! Which you know is very important when finding an apartment. The only problem with the Riverside was that I haven't decided if I want to pay that much for rent yet. I guess I'll have to figure that out after I see more places.

The second place was cute and the amenities were cool, everything just seemed a little less polished as the Riverside. Plus with the extra fees it felt a bit like I would be nickel and dimed to death. The last place was the worst. The apartments themselves weren't horrible, they were actually cute and very affordable. It was the halls and the outside of the building that gave me a very distinct feeling that I might be bludgeoned to death near my car or raped in the hallway. Also every single hallway had its own distinct mixture of the aromas of old buttered popcorn, curry and gym socks and a few other things that could not be distinguished.

At the end of the weekend, the first of many apartment hunting weekends I'm sure, I feel slightly more unsure of where I might be able to find an affordable, yet non stinky safe apartment with the three things I need.