What to Do? (Need Personal Advice on Home Options)
 

Ok, my car window got smashed for the second time in the last 5 months, and this time they stole some of my stuff (box of camping accessories and my only professional video tripod).

The apartment complex doesn't really care, because of the "park at your own risk" clause in our lease. Their only "solution" was to give us the parking space directly below our apartment (which there's another apartment below us, so we're technically two floors up), and give us permission to install our own surveillance system.

The cop suggested not to install the system, because it would be costly, and unless I catch the actual act on video, it cannot be used against the person, and the only place I could put it where it would show the whole vehicle is really exposed and accessible, so the thieves would most likely smash or steal it.

So, here are some options that I've been pondering, some of which were suggested by the police, and others by my parents. And, I'm quite torn on what to do:

1. Install a better car alarm system that detects impact to the windows. The cop suggested some good models that have the 2-way system with visual remote alert. It doesn't prevent the problem, but will deter it, and at least the stuff won't get taken. But, windows can still be smashed. However, when it goes off, I can take on the role of "crazy psycho bitch" and run downstairs, wielding a sword above my head, screaming like Xena, scaring the culprit into their next lifetime. ;)
2. In addition to number 1, move to the downstairs apartment. It is being completely renovated at the moment, but would allow us to be directly above my car. It also has other advantages like saving us on electricity, since we wouldn't get direct sunlight, and my mother wouldn't have to struggle with steps when she comes to visit. The landlady says it's $1,659/month due to the new appliances, cabinets and floors, but the website lists it $120 cheaper, so I'm trying to negotiate, especially on the fact that this is obviously becoming a high crime community (the cop told me that they are constantly dealing with vehicle break-ins here). My mom made this suggestion, and said she'd even hire movers for a couple hours to carry the furniture down. Moving could literally be done in a day, since nothing would have to be packed - just carried down and set back into place.
3. Move to another rental elsewhere, since our lease is up at the end of October. This would cost about $1,000 in moving expenses, plus deposits, neither of which we come close to having right now. It would also disrupt my business flow. However, it would give us more peace of mind, and also the comfort of a more efficient and modern home, and our kitchen is almost falling apart, and it's not well insulated, if at all anymore. Also, if we could get a rental with a garage, I'd have a studio in which to do some larger projects.
4. My dad suggested for us to try and get in on a foreclosure house somewhere near Redlands or that area, which is ludicrous, because we can barely afford our monthly bills right now, and going over $2,000 for housing is not an option. Not to mention all the added time and stress of home-buying while building my business. I'm extremely opposed to this option, but he seems to be gung-ho on it. I asked him if he's willing to buy it, and he told me not to jump to conclusions. Yeah, thought so. ;)

So, anyway, what the heck should we do?

I vote for moving to a new community. A little more in rent for piece of mind is worth it. I just finished apartment hunting and it's not easy, nor pretty but you can find stuff out there. If you want to PM me your price range & requirements I can let you know if I saw anything in that range when I was hunting a few weeks ago.

Stay away from buying right now. The market isn't finished going down and the mortgage industry is still in chaos. Concentrate on the present - look for a new apartment, move, get settled then look at buying while watching the market. The last thing you want to do is rush into a foreclosure property in an area you aren't sure about / loving because your lease is up. Once you are settled you can start saving/seriously looking to buy. A few thousand to break your lease to buy the dream home is better than rushing into a home you are unsure about "but the price is right".

FWIW, I believe there is currently a condo in our complex up or lease. If it is one of the two bedrooms (which I believe it is), you get a two car garage (otherwise, I *think* you get two one-car garages). If I recall correctly, it is around $1600.

It is a very safe neighborhood, you know at least somebody in the complex and you would only be about 4 miles from your favorite reptile store :)

How's the bacon supply there?

Adequate

I'll just put it here, in case anyone else knows of anything too. :) (Thanks for checking!)

Requirement: 2 bed/2 bath, $1,350-$1,600, allows cats, AC/heat, dishwasher, patio, anywhere safe between northern OC and Long Beach
Prefer: washer/dryer hook-ups, downstairs, garage

No kidding. My dad finally admitted to that later tonight. I think he just loves to be complex sometimes. :rolleyes: So, now he's also pushing towards option 3, and I think they'll help with deposits/moving.

Oooh, neighbors! GusGus and I could spend the afternoons carrying out nefarious plans. :evil: I love your place, too. Would you mind checking on the one that's available? :)

Thanks. :D

So far on Craigs List, I've found a condo at $1,500 just down the street from us that comes with a 2-car garage and all hardwood floors. I'm going to call tomorrow. I know the neighborhood - it's really nice.

Ooooh. I kinda want to check out this place in Costa Mesa:

http://www.rentnet.com/apartments/fy...urce=1xxctb079

They have a community "media room" that would be perfect for client screenings, and the den is right off the living room, making it a perfect office. :D

Maybe you can rent in your current place month-to-month, until you can save up for moving costs. That will also give you more time to hunt for better, safer places to live.

If you pick the above place, make sure they don't have a problem with using the media room for commercial purposes.

I recommend the car security system used in "For Your Eyes Only".

This looks like a nice place, but you'll still want to have a talk with the management and/or the police about the crime levels. If the place takes HUD residents, you might be more at risk. Also, before you count on that media room, make sure that you'll be able to use it for commercial purposes. At my last apartment, the lease prohibited running a business out of the apartment. Of course, a bunch of us did, but nothing that involved extra people coming on the property in obvious ways. How that would have been policed, I don't know, but if you have to tell the management what you want to reserve the media room for, you might have an issue.

And if dad didn't say it, I will: don't leave stuff in your car.

Not a bad area at all. But there might be a lot of college students due to the proximity to OCC.

Something that was recommended to me was to drive around/through the complexes you are looking at after the leasing office is closed (Fri and Saturday nights/Saturday afternoon) to see how people really are. Also good to drive around at night to see the parking situation.

A good site to look at is apartmentratings.com. Yes, it is mainly negative reviews but you can get a feel for the community as well. Is everyone complaining about bugs? Or are they just griping that the management gives them a hard time for paying rent late and partying all the time.

If you plan to check it out, my advice on that one is, how much is the media room? That can get pricey if you actually have to rent it.
At my fathers place the media room is $100 a pop for a day, and they dont do hourly rates.

So you can pay $100 for 9-11am, then someone else can pay $100 for 6-12pm

Or you can have it all day for the same $100 you used in the morning.

This doesn't solve the problem of broken windsheilds but, um, don't store anything valuable in your car in any neighborhood.

Just a thought.

There are a lot of car dealerships in that neighborhood as well. They have bright security lights in their back lots. This may seem a little more secure, but it also makes midnight as bright as noon. My first apartment ever was in that area and I didn't think about things like that. I never needed a lamp in my room.

Like BTD said, drive the neighborhood at night and other random times to get a feel for noise, parking, security, etc. Good luck!

Our VP of sales had his laptop stolen out of his rental car because he left it on the seat. In "daylight" in a business district. We told him cars aren't invisible in daylight! And thieves are going to case it looking for electronics left out.

Well, lend us some good prayers/energies, please.

For $1,550 per month, I have found a newly renovated (they gutted it to the studs) pet-friendly condo rental in a nice neighborhood. Some of its features:

• 2-car private garage in a gated lot
• 2 bedrooms/2 full bathrooms
• fireplace
• all new plumbing (pipes and fixtures)
• all new appliances (including fridge - guess we'll just stow ours in the garage)
• our choice of flooring, since it hasn't been installed (either hard wood or carpet or combo - the landlord is really easygoing, and said he'd be happy to let us pick)
• 50' x 12' patio (new cement being poured tomorrow)
• all new cabinets/countertops
• paid water, gas, and trash

Cons:

• no AC (but it's a ground floor unit in a 3-story complex with lots of shade)

The make-over won't be finished for another week or so, but we can still take a look tomorrow. I'm a very visual person anyway, so I should be able to envision how it will be. (And yes, I'll take photos.)

With the updated appliances, etc., our utility bills will be almost nothing compared to what we have now. This will save us a lot of money in the long run. :)

So, anyway, if it looks like a good place, we'll apply. My biggest worry is if we'll qualify, since our credit is really not good. But, I hope they'll look at my rental history and see that it's been perfect for the last 13 years.

I'll post some pics tomorrow if we like it. :)

I like option 1 combined with a 12 guage pump action shotgun. There is no mistaking that "chick-chick" sound for anything else on earth.

Fingers crossed for you DP!

What area is this new place in?

It's about 2 miles from here in a really quiet residential section of Garden Grove, near Main St. :) I've already called the police department and there have been no crime reports at that neighborhood in the last 5 years. :D

Leave the windows down and both problems are solved.....


...although when I do this sometimes I end up taking the cat on my errands with me:eek:

BTW: the rental unit in our complex must have been taken as the sign was not there over the weekend.

I think the one you were talking about sounds good.

Heh. I just thought of something fun.

I've never had hardwood floors before, so it will be new to all the pets too. :evil:

I'd so do a video montage to "Wipe Out". ;)

Dphile: I have some boxes I was just about to haul out, but I could save 'em for you, if you'd like.

Enough talk! When's the apartment-warming party?
:D

We should be ok. Ken can always pick up a couple from the pharmacy, if needed. But, since it's nearby and we should have a good-sized overlap of time, we'll mainly be doing a transfer/unload with the help of a few plastic bins, rather than fully packing/unpacking. Thanks though! :)

OoOooOoOoh! Well, gotta see the place, fall in love with it, and get approved. Although, I'm almost in love with it already. ;) I keep looking at the remaining bits of shattered glass in the bottom of my car, and it's really pushing my spirit towards a new home. :D

After 11am tomorrow, I'll see what could become home in a few weeks. :snap:

WE GOT IT!!! WE GOT IT!!! WE GOT IT!!!

The deposit is going down tomorrow. Move-in date is October 9th, with about 2 weeks overlap at our current place, making moving a breeze. No packing/unpacking at all - just haul stuff over, and put it away. :D I'm going to set up an appointment for this Wednesday to go see it again to get measurements so I can make my floor plan schematic to pre-configure the furniture layout. (I'm always anal retentive when moving, and like it to go smoothly.)

So, here are the pics that I took when I last saw it, right after they finished the new plumbing. Talk about a fixer-upper! ;) (You'll have to use some imagination, since the place was a wreck.)

From the front gate:


I Photoshopped what it will look like once they knock that old fence down, and extend the concrete all the way back:


Just inside the front door. That's a large outdoor closet where they stuffed the old insulation. To the right of that, there is about a 10' x 10' space, perfect for one of those inflatable hot tubs.:



The living room (the window overlooks what will be the extended patio):



The other side of the living room:



The kitchen:


Dining area and coat closet:


The office:


The back wall of the office (that little niche is 3' deep and 5' across):


The other side of the office (the toilet isn't connected there, of course):


The office bathroom:


The bedroom:


Other view of the bedroom:


Dressing area:


Master bathroom:


Yes, the place looks like an absolute dump, since they didn't have the walls and ceiling redone before my visit.

They are adding real hardwood flooring through the entire place, and vinyl in the kitchen and bathrooms.

The garage is about 25' x 18', so has plenty of storage and parking space, plus the manager doesn't mind if I need to use it as a studio on occasion.

The patio is GINORMOUS! The back stretch is 10'x50' connected to the front porch area, which is about 20'x20', and the little 10'x10' niche. It's located down a private hall at the back corner of the complex, with only upstairs neighbors (it is bordered by our patio, the private hall, the hall leading to the garages, and our garage), and the porch is gated, with the doorbell outside the gate.

The office is perfect to invite clients over, because I can close the inside door, and welcome them via the sliders. It really gives the separation of home and office space.

The party is tentatively scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend (possibly Black Friday), or the weekend prior, if most people can't make it then. It will be a Homecoming Thanksgiving Party. :)

Fan-effing-tastic!
Congratulations!

Now you're imagineers in your own home with that blank canvas to work with! :cheers:

I have to say, in this day, why do they still do galley kitchens? I'm not even sure I could fit in there! ;-) It looks smaller than mine, and I have a small kitchen!

Oh, yeah. The kitchen is even smaller than our current one, but I think if we mount a shelf along the back wall of it, then I can use that to put the numerous canisters and such that take up most of our counters now.

I'm so excited, especially about the garage! We can be so organized and uncluttered! :D

And Oswald is going to literally flip over the patio! She's gonna take one look at that 50' stretch and be hopping all over it like crazy!

Hooray!! I can't wait to see the final transformation once you're moved in!

Congratulations DP! :) Another window of opportunity has opened for you. :snap:

I can just see your style on that place in a few months! AWESOME!

Congratulations! I hope they get it finished before you move in :D

okay, I have to warn you about that not packing and unpacking thing 'cause we tried it once and it was a real disaster.

It was a LOT harder than we thought it was going to be.

I packed things room by room, moved them to the apartment and unpacked. Then I went back with the same boxes and loaded them up again.

It worked for a little bit... but then I just ended up packing everything anyway. Things that I could put away in a set place (dishes, kitchen stuff, clothes), I did first over other "little" things.

Quick! Get some cables in for surround sound while the ceilings are still open.... You know you want it.


I'll be looking forward to the un-photoshopped after photos!

Happy happy joy joy- I am so glad that call came!

Congrats and I can't wait to see it in just over 5 weeks!

I concur. I just did that. Great in theory. Huge PITA in reality. Rena's "room by room" method is probably a lot more efficient. And you can re-use the boxes.

I also recommend you get your cable and internet turned on ASAP so you have minimal down time. Trust me. :rolleyes:

Yeah!

I'll third the non-packin move nix. Nightmare.

I'll fourth the non-packing nightmare. We moved within our complex once from a one bedroom to a two bedroom. Took forever. I'm also a huge fan of just getting movers. By the time you rent a truck etc in my experience it's not a huge amount more and it's done. I've found they take about a 1/4 of the time as doing it yourself/having friends help.

Y'all are funny. I've done the non-packing thing twice now, and both have worked better than when I've packed. :p

The first time was when I needed to move away from this nutjob without him knowing, and the team consisted of a guy with a pick-up, a girlfriend, and me. Once the nutjob left for work, we started hauling using plastic milk crates, which would be immediately unpacked and the contents put right away on the other end, and then brought back for another hauling. By 5pm, we had everything into place (including the furniture) in my new home, which was two miles away. And, I pretty much had the exact same stuff that I do now. ;)

There's a way to organize it, and the two-weeks of overlap totally helps too. Since I've done it in a day, two weeks is easy.

By last night, we already had most of the game plan configured for maximum efficiency.

The floorplan will be measured and drafted tomorrow (they'll let me visit again), and then I take measurements of all the furniture and create icons for them, and then move them around on the screen (I do this in Excel, so I have a grid that represents 1 square to 1 foot). Besides the furniture, all closets will also be measured.

Here's our drafted game plan (with everything being put away/in place on the other end in the same day):
October 9th & 10th - move closets, move my workstation, have cable/phone connected
October 11th & 12th - move kitchen, transfer all collectibles from furniture into old kitchen cabinets and the closets (since they'll be empty)
October 13th - movers transfer the furniture and set into place, dress the bed, transfer pets
October 14th - dust furniture, transfer collectibles
October 15th - 20th - transfer any remaining stuff, mostly storage

Remember that all of this is being mapped out beforehand, even the wall art. ;) I did that with our move from the valley to here three years ago, and the movers loved it. I handed them the chart showing where all the furniture went, and they moved it right into place, with everything fitting perfectly. For the non-furniture items, it will go much smoother and quicker, since the new place is 5 minutes from here, instead of over an hour.

Yeah, I'm a geek and a little bit OCD. But, sometimes, that's a good thing. ;)

Scary- but you know, after seeing you plan and organize your wedding (including the BOOK of instructions) I am sure you can carry this off!

Very cool!