After a few weeks of looking for love in all the wrong (and scary, and run-down, and too-expensive) places, I finally met an apartment that’s right for me. I hope it feels the same way, because I’m tired of looking and I’m ready to commit!
Why this studio is a gem of an apartment:
1. Rent. The rent is $900-$950 (landlord indicated willingness to drop $50 from list price of $950 for the “right tenant”) for a studio with a full-sized kitchen and bathroom. Best of all, the rent includes ALL utilities and laundry.
2. Natural light. Lots of natural light courtesy of huge windows in the main room and the kitchen. Out of the 4 walls in the main room, two have windows.
3. Six-month lease. YES! I have finally found the elusive 6-month lease apartment. And I didn’t have to plead and cajole for the landlord to even consider a 6-month, as was my experience with most other places I’ve seen.
4. Size. The studio is a nice ~400 sq. feet. The main room is a bit small, but it’s enough for just me. Ultimately I didn’t want to pay the premium for the extra space of a 1-bedroom.
5. Location. Close to work and close to shops, a movie theater, and an entire restaurant district. Also conveniently located close (but not too close) to the freeway.
6. Hardwood floors! Beautifully finished hardwood floors stained a glossy espresso with a just hint of red. I’ve read Apartment Therapy – all the stylish homes have hardwood floors!
A couple of things that are less-than-perfect but that I decided I can live with:
1. No designated parking. There’s enough street parking that I’m okay with the lack of a designated spot. The landlord did say that I can pull up into the driveway for the night if I can’t find parking on the street.
2. Not a secured access building. The studio is part of a 4-plex and is in a reasonably safe neighborhood that I feel comfortable not being behind a gate.
3. Small Tiny closet. Fortunately, there’s a linen closet that provides additional storage. ‘Tis okay – this will be a chance for me to edit my closet even more.
Also, I basically met the landlord’s entire family (wife, daughters, and dog) during my visit to the apartment. They were all extremely nice and warm. It was weird (I’m used to having a Faceless Random LLC as the landlord), but in a delightful way.
I’m going to fax in my application tomorrow. Please cross your fingers for me.
Well Heeled Blog 
Sounds like you found your gem 🙂
I like small apartments. Call me crazy.. 😛
Great news, i’m so glad you found hardwood floors! So glad I could help out a bit, that login has found 3 people apartments now!
Fingers crossed!! It sounds like an amazing deal. And your landlord sounds really nice which is priceless!
Crossing fingers for you!
Yay! Congrats! I agree with FB, by the way, that small is cool. I was mildly obsessed with Apartment Therapy’s small cool contest this year, as every year, and it has GREAT inspiration.
“1. No designated parking. There’s enough street parking that I’m okay with the lack of a designated spot. The landlord did say that I can pull up into the driveway for the night if I can’t find parking on the street.”
Can you get it in writing, say via email, from the landlord about re parking in the driveway? I just think just in case something happens.
Hooray! congrats on your find.
Congrats! It sounds like a great place!
Nicely done! 6-month rents ARE elusive for sure, esp if you’re not looking to get penalized up the a$$ from ’em 😉 Hope everything works out smoothly!
Fingers crossed for you! So much you can do with a small space, and you get to make sure you love what you have. Hardwood floors…sigh…, I’m hoping to install them next year. 😉
Fingers are crossed here!!
I just signed and am prepping for a move into a similar 400sq ft apartment with hardwood floors, but I have a walk-in closet 😉 The floorplan’s going to be a little weird to work with, but I’ll figure it out.
YAY! I love apartment shopping. Not seriously, but I go on Craigslist like I’m in the market for apartments when I’m really not and the hunt is invigorating. I’m glad you found something you like and $900 with utilties (and laundry) included is a STEAL!!!
Hope to hear from you soon that your name is on the lease and you’re unpacking!
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Congrats! I just moved in to my first big-girl, no roomates apartment and I am loving it!
I, too, am moving into my first big girl no roommates apartment! It’s really scary! My 1 bedroom isn’t much over 400 sq. ft. $900 is amazing. Well done!
Congrats on your new apartment! I used to rent and really liked the company that built my apartment building, so I started my search with their other properties when it was time for me to move out. The company was called Regan Development, and all of their apartments look enchanting with open spaces and large windows. They have especially nice communities in the Dutchess County NY area.