Out of all the apartments we viewed, some were better than others, some were plain awful to be quite frank! The first apartment we viewed looked better and more appealing from the outside and in the photos but, it did meet all the above requirements. When we first entered the building it was old and it had a stale curry smell. The type of smell that was instantly off-putting. It made me think that the building would forever smell that way. Also, the laundry room which was separate to the apartment was dirty and dull. When the laundry room is dirty, this is a really bad sign! How can you be expected to clean your clothes in a room or using machines that are not clean either. In hindsight, we were probably never going to take the first apartment we viewed as, you want to go ahead and view as many apartments as you can in order to make comparisons.
The second apartment we viewed was in the Sunalta area which, I think is a really nice area of Calgary. It was much nicer than the first, cheaper even and had it's own balcony. Just one small problem, it had no furniture whatsoever! The advertisement for this apartment was a bit misleading as we had expected it to be furnished. Arguably, the apartment didn't need to have furniture. It is entirely possible for you to furnish your apartment for next nothing! Many Irish people use a popular website called "Kijiji", essentially the "DoneDeal"of Canada! It could have been done but it's just a lot of added stress and effort.
The next viewing we had was actually three different apartments in the same building. We didn't know there was three on offer until we got there. We were delighted, it gave us more choice without having to leave that building. The first one we saw was small and untidy, dirty really in fact. The apartment didn't really have a great flow to it. The living room, kitchen and bedroom were all the one room because the bedroom didn't have its own door. It was the same for all the apartments we viewed in that building, none had bedroom doors? We didn't find this appealing, downright weird if I'm honest. I suppose we don't really *need* a bedroom door. It's just going to be the two of us, living together but, it's a bed*room* so, it should have a door. Everyone needs their privacy from time to time. Just to be able to go into the bedroom, close the door, have a nap, read a book, listen to some music.... Plus, myself and Larry sleep with the bedroom door closed at night so, we did find it strange. We were making plans to hang a curtain of some kind as soon as we saw each apartment.
The second apartment that we saw in the building had a nicer flow to the first apartment. There was an island separating the sitting room and kitchen so, we loved it instantly! Again, no bedroom door but we were willing to make a compromise for this apartment. The third apartment we viewed was the exact same as the second only, it had a balcony. The balcony wasn't great though, the door was old, rusted and difficult to open. We didn't really find that it added anything to the apartment and it was going to cost us $100 extra so, we were happy to go without it. We had every intention of submitting an application for this apartment the only issue was, because we were newly living in Canada and therefore have no credit history, they wanted us to pay the first and last months rent and a security deposit, three months rent upfront essentially, that's over $3000! We do not have that kind of money to spend in one go! We didn't know what we were going to do to come up with it, we really liked the apartment. Very unfair to put us in the same box as other tenants who may have lived in the apartment before and who may not have treated in with the respect it deserves. The next day we were scheduled to view another apartment so we told the building manager that we would go ahead and view it seeing as I had made the appointment but, we would contact her in regards to taking the second apartment.
The next day, later in the evening, we went to view apartment number 6 out of a total 7 viewings. The moment we laid eyes on it, we fell in love! It was perfect! Good layout, pretty decent size, fully furnished, included all utilities, the laundry facilities were located separately downstairs but, it looked clean and well presented so, we didn't mind that and had its own parking spot. Also, in the same area as my sister, I am literally a 5 minute walk away from her which is great! As the rental was a private one and there was no rental agency bullsh*t to go through the security deposit was just €700 and then pay the first months rent and that was it! The owner of the apartment was so laid back and nice and understood our situation. He was renting out his apartment so he could attend school in Europe so, he was going to have to do the exact same thing we were doing and find a place to live overseas. We were sold and offered to take it later that night! As I did mention this was viewing 6 out of a total 7 so, we did actually end up viewing a final apartment after that and, it to was lovely, it had in room laundry facilities and parking space but, this one was located way further out of town and away from my sister. So, in the end we probably shouldn't have bothered viewing it at all but, I didn't want to seem rude and there's no harm in keeping your options open.
We've been living in our new apartment for just over 1 week now and have been loving it! You guys may be thinking why did she get an apartment before she got a job but, I hadn't planned on doing it this way either! It just sort of worked out that way! One piece of advice I would give you all is give yourself as many options as possible and don't leave things to late. As I right this, it's March 16th and for those of you who may be apartment hunting, you may be to late to have a place secured for April 1st? Things are snapped up fast here! Particularly in Calgary! All in all, it's been a blast getting used to our new surroundings figuring out the quickest way to get home by bus that involves as little walking as possible! Calgary living has been an adjustment but, we've really been enjoying it so far. Now that we have our own place. it's really starting to feel like home...
That's all for now! More to come soon about my job hunting experience...
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Ciara.
The second apartment we viewed was in the Sunalta area which, I think is a really nice area of Calgary. It was much nicer than the first, cheaper even and had it's own balcony. Just one small problem, it had no furniture whatsoever! The advertisement for this apartment was a bit misleading as we had expected it to be furnished. Arguably, the apartment didn't need to have furniture. It is entirely possible for you to furnish your apartment for next nothing! Many Irish people use a popular website called "Kijiji", essentially the "DoneDeal"of Canada! It could have been done but it's just a lot of added stress and effort.
The next viewing we had was actually three different apartments in the same building. We didn't know there was three on offer until we got there. We were delighted, it gave us more choice without having to leave that building. The first one we saw was small and untidy, dirty really in fact. The apartment didn't really have a great flow to it. The living room, kitchen and bedroom were all the one room because the bedroom didn't have its own door. It was the same for all the apartments we viewed in that building, none had bedroom doors? We didn't find this appealing, downright weird if I'm honest. I suppose we don't really *need* a bedroom door. It's just going to be the two of us, living together but, it's a bed*room* so, it should have a door. Everyone needs their privacy from time to time. Just to be able to go into the bedroom, close the door, have a nap, read a book, listen to some music.... Plus, myself and Larry sleep with the bedroom door closed at night so, we did find it strange. We were making plans to hang a curtain of some kind as soon as we saw each apartment.
The second apartment that we saw in the building had a nicer flow to the first apartment. There was an island separating the sitting room and kitchen so, we loved it instantly! Again, no bedroom door but we were willing to make a compromise for this apartment. The third apartment we viewed was the exact same as the second only, it had a balcony. The balcony wasn't great though, the door was old, rusted and difficult to open. We didn't really find that it added anything to the apartment and it was going to cost us $100 extra so, we were happy to go without it. We had every intention of submitting an application for this apartment the only issue was, because we were newly living in Canada and therefore have no credit history, they wanted us to pay the first and last months rent and a security deposit, three months rent upfront essentially, that's over $3000! We do not have that kind of money to spend in one go! We didn't know what we were going to do to come up with it, we really liked the apartment. Very unfair to put us in the same box as other tenants who may have lived in the apartment before and who may not have treated in with the respect it deserves. The next day we were scheduled to view another apartment so we told the building manager that we would go ahead and view it seeing as I had made the appointment but, we would contact her in regards to taking the second apartment.
The next day, later in the evening, we went to view apartment number 6 out of a total 7 viewings. The moment we laid eyes on it, we fell in love! It was perfect! Good layout, pretty decent size, fully furnished, included all utilities, the laundry facilities were located separately downstairs but, it looked clean and well presented so, we didn't mind that and had its own parking spot. Also, in the same area as my sister, I am literally a 5 minute walk away from her which is great! As the rental was a private one and there was no rental agency bullsh*t to go through the security deposit was just €700 and then pay the first months rent and that was it! The owner of the apartment was so laid back and nice and understood our situation. He was renting out his apartment so he could attend school in Europe so, he was going to have to do the exact same thing we were doing and find a place to live overseas. We were sold and offered to take it later that night! As I did mention this was viewing 6 out of a total 7 so, we did actually end up viewing a final apartment after that and, it to was lovely, it had in room laundry facilities and parking space but, this one was located way further out of town and away from my sister. So, in the end we probably shouldn't have bothered viewing it at all but, I didn't want to seem rude and there's no harm in keeping your options open.
We've been living in our new apartment for just over 1 week now and have been loving it! You guys may be thinking why did she get an apartment before she got a job but, I hadn't planned on doing it this way either! It just sort of worked out that way! One piece of advice I would give you all is give yourself as many options as possible and don't leave things to late. As I right this, it's March 16th and for those of you who may be apartment hunting, you may be to late to have a place secured for April 1st? Things are snapped up fast here! Particularly in Calgary! All in all, it's been a blast getting used to our new surroundings figuring out the quickest way to get home by bus that involves as little walking as possible! Calgary living has been an adjustment but, we've really been enjoying it so far. Now that we have our own place. it's really starting to feel like home...
That's all for now! More to come soon about my job hunting experience...
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Ciara.
Wow! You're very lucky to have quickly found an apartment that's completely right for you. The plan might've been to find a job first, but sometimes life doesn't pan out the way we want it to. Oh well, looks like the fruits of its spontaneity can be super thrilling for you. Have fun at your new place, Ciara! All the best to you! :)
ReplyDeleteSheldon Ward @ Brett Halvorson & Associates
Congrats on finding an apartment that’s just right for you. Despite the fact that it is really hard to find a better one, you still managed to find a great deal quickly. Well, I hope you are enjoying your stay there, as well as you enjoyed your apartment hunting experience. Have a nice day, Ciara!
ReplyDeleteJoel Miles @ DISC My Realtor
Congrats to you for scoring that apartment! I’m happy to know that the place seemingly suits your needs and standards. So, how's your stay there? I’ll be glad to hear more updates from you. Thanks for always sharing your significant experiences. Have a great day, Ciara!
ReplyDeleteWinfred Herrington @ Sold Team