Once upon a time, I needed a new apartment and decided to start looking by selecting an ideal location and then walking around the neighborhood in expanding circles looking for potential rentals. I started within a block of this location and saw a "For Rent" sign in the window. It turned out the sign had just gone up minutes before, slightly in advance of a subsequent craigslist post, and I was therefore the first caller. I got the apartment! With my boyfriend at that time, I moved all my things up the narrow, curving staircase to the top floor, having to carry the furniture essentially vertically in order to get it through.
It was funky upstairs - short brown carpet in some rooms, painted but unfinished wood floor in other rooms, windows that wouldn't open, bare bones kitchen. I enjoyed it none the less because it had so much charm and I felt privileged to live in such a charismatic home. Then one winter, the insulating window plastic I'd adhered to the windows was actually filling with trapped snow because the window frames had broken down enough that snow was getting indoors. I'd had a guest come to stay with me while he worked on a play, and I would come home from work to find him bundled in all his outdoor gear and a pile of blankets as he typed at his computer - hardly a picture of comfort! I gave up on all that charm and went searching for a place that could successfully protect me and my guests from the elements.
The landlord once told me, he knew he had to have this place the second he saw it. He walked up to the front door and knocked and offered to buy the place from the then-owner, who refused. The landlord went back again and again until finally the owner was willing to sell. He did love that place, but was focused on other things and neglected to make the investments that would have been needed to keep it livable, even to my modest standards.
That said, they didn't have any trouble getting a new tenant in! I hope that person had good winter gear.
The story of this house:
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, I needed a new apartment and decided to start looking by selecting an ideal location and then walking around the neighborhood in expanding circles looking for potential rentals. I started within a block of this location and saw a "For Rent" sign in the window. It turned out the sign had just gone up minutes before, slightly in advance of a subsequent craigslist post, and I was therefore the first caller. I got the apartment! With my boyfriend at that time, I moved all my things up the narrow, curving staircase to the top floor, having to carry the furniture essentially vertically in order to get it through.
It was funky upstairs - short brown carpet in some rooms, painted but unfinished wood floor in other rooms, windows that wouldn't open, bare bones kitchen. I enjoyed it none the less because it had so much charm and I felt privileged to live in such a charismatic home. Then one winter, the insulating window plastic I'd adhered to the windows was actually filling with trapped snow because the window frames had broken down enough that snow was getting indoors. I'd had a guest come to stay with me while he worked on a play, and I would come home from work to find him bundled in all his outdoor gear and a pile of blankets as he typed at his computer - hardly a picture of comfort! I gave up on all that charm and went searching for a place that could successfully protect me and my guests from the elements.
The landlord once told me, he knew he had to have this place the second he saw it. He walked up to the front door and knocked and offered to buy the place from the then-owner, who refused. The landlord went back again and again until finally the owner was willing to sell. He did love that place, but was focused on other things and neglected to make the investments that would have been needed to keep it livable, even to my modest standards.
That said, they didn't have any trouble getting a new tenant in! I hope that person had good winter gear.
Great story!
ReplyDelete