Oh My!

Ever since we moved, I have been checking our old management company's website to see if they have rented the apartment.  I usually just Google it, and find it that way.  That's what I did this morning, and for the first time, I noticed that Google let's you write a review if you want to.

Our old management company has two reviews, and they are not good.

I could not agree more!  It's nice to know that we were not the only ones living in horrible conditions that they refused to fix.  I am so glad we were finally able to get out of there.  Have I mentioned lately how much happier we are now?

There IS A Reason For My Lack Of Posting Lately

Hello blog world! I feel like I haven't been around in forever. I know there have been some posts from me, but to tell you the truth, my heart just hasn't been in it.

I am totally stressed out about finding somewhere to live, and I am packing like it's an obsession. I want to be ready to go as soon as we find a new place, and that means that everything needs to be packed. The good thing is that I am totally organized (which is weird for me) and things are moving along great. This weekend I am going to focus on the bedrooms, and hopefully it won't be too long before I am unpacking!

And So It Goes

The place we were interested in has been rented. I am not worried too much, because it just means that we weren't meant to live there. I am a big believer in "what is meant to be, will be", and when we have the money in hand, I am sure we will find the perfect place.

We are actually toying with the idea of moving closer to my mom and sister. There are so many houses in that area for rent, with prices we can actually afford. The only problem would be that all the kids would change schools (it's a different district) and I'm not too keen on moving Ryan. With his ADHD, he has a relationship with the school nurse, and now that I am typing this, I realize that he will be going to a new school next year anyway, so what's the difference? But, changing at that age (14) has got to be hard.

I don't know...I have so much thinking (and packing) to do.

And They Picked Yesterday To Come Fix My Bathtub

I was standing outside yesterday afternoon talking to a friend of mine who had stopped by, and this guy walked up and asked if I had any leaks in the apartment. He said he was told my toilet continuously runs. I told him that it was my tub, not the toilet, and that he would have to give me a minute before he could come in.

Now, I don't know about how clean you keep your house, but with five people and one bathroom, I will admit that that room is not always "company ready", if you know what I mean. So I left the guy standing outside as I grabbed up all the clothes off the floor and wiped down the sink.

When I finally let him in, this is what he saw:
Yeah, I am pretty sure he went back and told the management company that we are leaving. Now, we were in no way sneaking out, but our lease is up in February, and if we can't find something by then, I don't want to HAVE to leave here, know what I mean? It ticks me off that my tub has been running, continuously, for the 18 months we have lived here, and they send someone out to fix it when I am in the middle of packing. Ug.

As he was checking out the tub, I asked him if he was only the plumber. He said yeah, but then asked why I asked. I started to tell him about the ceiling in the kitchen (and now bedroom) leaking and falling in, and he said he knew, because he was the same guy who put in the new water heater during the summer. He told me that he went back and told the management company about our problem, and then asked if anyone ever came out.

I said no, and he said he wasn't surprised. He said the only reason he was here was because they had to pay a huge water bill (remember when my water was turned off a few weeks ago? ) and they were pissed about it. So, until my ceiling actually falls in, they don't care. He then said he wasn't surprised that we were moving, because he wouldn't live like this either.

Oh, how I can not wait to move!

An Easy Way To Find Cheap Apartments

Junior worked until his usual 1pm today, and when he got home, we decided to play Santa, and deliver the banana breads I made this morning. My mom was keeping the kids tonight so that we could finish up our shopping, so we had some time to kill between playing Santa and dropping them off. We decided to ride around and see if we could find any cheap apartments for rent. I know we said we would never do another duplex, at least not one like this, but apartments are different. There are no yards to share. The down side of this is that there is no yard for the kids to play in. We would have to find cheap apartments in an apartment building that has a playground, and maybe even a pool.

I looked up cheap rentals online, and this site was pretty helpful. They offered pictures of the apartments, as well as nice descriptions. The only bad thing was that there aren't any apartments available where we want to live. I guess this means we will be back to driving around, seeing what we can find.

We did walk through a three bedroom trailer today. It was in the perfect location, has very reasonable rent, and would keep Brandi in the same school. The only problem is that it is too small, and I wouldn't be able to fit all my furniture. The two kids bedrooms wouldn't even fit a twin bed. They were that small. It was disappointing, but at least now we know it's not a good fit for us.

We'll keep looking, though.

An Easy Way To Find Foreclosures In Your Area

The trailer that Junior and I had our hearts set on is now rented. This means we have to search for somewhere else to live. I knew it was a long shot that the trailer would stay vacant until February, but we were hoping. Today on the way home from my moms, we drove around a little, seeing what else we could find.

I was thrilled when we found a cute little house that is for rent, and it is a three bedroom. Junior is going to call the number on Monday to see how much it is. It is also for sale, so we are thinking they might offer us a rent to own option, which would be awesome. I tried looking it up online when we got home, and after an exhausting search, I finally found it. It is listed for about $95,000, but it didn't give the rental price.

My mom has become the expert at finding houses online. She used to scour Foreclosure Listings before she bought her house. She was convinced that a foreclosure was the way she wanted to go. Sometimes I think Junior and I should go that route, too.My problem is that I have a hard time finding things online. Having a site that lists foreclosed homes, like foreclosurepatch.com is a great way to find listings in your area. I searched my town, and found quite a few nice forclosure homes that were really inexpensive. The only problem we will have is qualifying for a mortgage. But, if we stay on the path we are on right now, in a few short years we shouldn't have any problem buying a home, and trust me when I say I am really looking forward to that day!

Finding Rent To Own Homes In Our Area

It looks like Junior and I have made the decision to look into finding a house that we can rent to own instead of just finding a trailer somewhere. I am tired of just paying rent, and having nothing to show for it. I have heard that there are very nice houses that are rent to own, and I am curious to see what we can afford. The last house we lived in was supposed to be rent to own, but we were buying it from family, who convinced us we didn't need anything in writing. That was not a smart move, and we lost the house because of it. This time we will go in with our eyes open, and legal papers signed.

I am excited to find a place we can call our own. I found a very helpful guide to finding rent to own homes. It lists a bunch of frequently asked questions, with answer, that I found very informative. Junior and I definitely fit into the category of renters who want to improve credit issues while still paying money towards a home we will someday own. I was also able to check out some rent to home in our area, and make a list of the ones we are going to check out.

I hope this is a step in the right direction for us.

I'm Taking It All With Me

When we moved into this apartment last year, there were no window treatments. No shades, no blinds, no curtains. I went out and bought venetian blinds, and I plan on taking them when we leave in February. In fact, I plan on taking every little thing we put into this house when we leave.

I wish I could figure out a way to take paint off the bathroom walls, and make them look like they did when we moved in. Trust me, they were hideous. They were white, with pink and purplish splashes of paint. To make them look better, the previous renters decided to paint blue and yellow fish on the front of the cabinet and the back of the door.

I hope where ever we end up next doesn't require any painting.

Drip, Drip, Drip

I am sitting here, and the house is quiet. The kids are in bed, the television is on low. I am listening to an old episode of Friends. Occasionally, I hear another soothing sound. It is a sound that can lull me to sleep if I allow it.

You want to know what it is, right?

It's the sound of water dripping into the five buckets I have scattered around my kitchen and living room. I have been listening to it all day. This happens every time it rains. Talk about an apartment that needs some Home Improvement Help. I think they should start with the roof, and then maybe throw in a new Bathroom Design. Right now, I think we hold the record for the smallest bathroom, ever. You can't take two steps into the bathroom without stepping into the tub.

The problem with having improvements done is that they have to go through the management company. Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know how much I hate them, because they refuse to make even the simplest repairs, hence the buckets catching rainwater. They would probably do a Do It Yourself Home Inspection and let the rest of the world believe this is a great apartment. They are very honest that way.

Not.

New Landlords?

Some of you may not know that Junior was married once before me. It didn't last long, and it didn't end on good terms. A few years ago, we ran into his ex-in-laws, and discovered that his ex-wife, their only child, had died. I think they were looking for someone to love, and my kids filled a void in their lives. I know some people will think it's weird that I let them have a relationship with us, but I am a firm believe in the fact that my kids can never have too many people loving them.

For the past year, this duplex we live in has been for sale. The other night, Junior's ex-mother-in-law called and asked for the number, because she is interested in buying it. She was asking us all kinds of questions about the condition of the apartments, and we told her that they would need Home Improvement Help. The roof desperately needs to be repaired or replaced, and the ceilings fixed where there is water damage. She was talking about removing the wall between the apartments, and making it one huge living area. She said we need four bedrooms, which is true enough. Of course, to make a hallway between apartments, we would need to remove the bathrooms. That means we would need a new Bathroom Design for the other side. It would be pretty cool deciding the new layout. Of course, she wants Junior to do as much of the work as possible himself. He is even looking into a Do It Yourself Home Inspection . I just hope she is able to get on touch with the people who own it, and they accept her offer. It would be awesome to make this place more of a home.

Junior Did It

Junior resigned our lease today, but only for six months. I can admit now that I was a little worried, because of the whole dog issue, that they would ask us to leave instead of resigning. But now I can breathe easier, and not worry anymore.

On another note, my garden has shriveled up. No matter how much I water, my cucumbers won't grow right. Instead of being green and prickly like the were at the beginning of the summer, they are now yellow and almost swollen looking. My tomatoes are still ripening, but my peppers are rotting on the plant. I never got a single one harvested. The zucchini is still doing great, and there are a few squash still growing, but nothing near what I had. I had such high hopes for my little garden. At least I was able to enjoy it for a little while.

Our Lease Is Up

Tomorrow Junior and I have to go and resign our lease on the apartment. I am pretty sure we are going to resign, just not for a full year. We have the option of signing for six months or a year, and I am thinking we are going to do it for the six months. That way, if they don't want to do the Roof Repair this apartment desperately needs, we can move in February, when we have our tax refund to help with moving expenses. I have a feeling they may just suggest Roof Cleaning but I don't believe that will fix the problem. I think we need to have Roofing Contractors who know what they are doing come out and take a look. The maintenance man they have sent out in the past patches the hole, but it never lasts long. I don't understand why they don't just fix it properly, and then there won't be any more problems.

I also want to request that they send in someone to paint over all the water damage, or reimburse me for buying paint and doing it myself. I have water streaks all over the ceiling and walls, and to be honest, it's kind of ugly to look at. I hope they will make these repairs, because as cramped as we are, I don't want to move right now. I like our yard, I like the kid bus driver, and I don't want to pack up all of my elephants again. Do you have any idea how long that takes?

What Complaints?

I learned something new today. I knew that there was renters insurance out there, and that we desperately need to get some. I had no idea that there was landlord insurance, where the owners of a rental can insure the place from tenant damage. I guess it's just another form of homeowners insurance.

I was surprised when our landlords agreed to let us put up a pool without having to fence it in. I was almost positive we would have had to put some kind of enclosure around it. Their only concern was that it not be visible from the driveway coming in, so the people in the apartment next door couldn't complain about it. Apparently they have been trying to complain about us ever since they had to get rid of the demon dog, but the landlord knows we haven't done anything wrong. They just don't want to give the neighbors something else to try and complain about.

Hopefully by this time tomorrow night, the pool will be swim ready.

I hope.

For Sale

A woman that Junior works with asked him to fix her car. I think it needs a radiator and a water pump. Junior is really good at this kind of stuff, so he agreed to do it. I like the fact that this will be a little extra money.

The woman and her husband dropped the car off this afternoon, and stayed for a while talking. They were saying how a friend of theirs was in the area the other day looking for rental property to buy. I told them that our unit was for sale, and they seemed pretty interested. I told them that both sides need work, but that the asking prices was really low. I know for a fact that this side needs a new roof, new ceiling in the kitchen and bedroom, and the bathtub needs a new faucet. The other unit is in better condition. They don't have any leaks that I am aware of, and their ceilings are fine. The only bad thing about that side is that there are no windows in the bedrooms. I, personally, would never sleep in a room that didn't have more than one exit. I mean, what are they going to do if there is a fire? they would have no where to go. If someone buys this place, the current owners will have to get some Chicago Windows installed. I don't think the house will pass an inspection the way it is right now.

Calling All Plumbers

I know I have told you all about the problems with my bathtub. A couple of months ago the faucet started running all the time. No matter how tight you turned the knobs, the water would still be running. Not a lot, but more than just an annoying drip. The tub is also not draining properly, which means by the time you are done showering, you are standing in a couple of inches of water. It's extremely annoying. We called the management company a couple of times, but they never sent anyone out. I would have called Cincinnati Plumbing myself, but I didn't want to get stuck paying the bill.

Last week when I went to the management company to talk about the dog next door, the owner asked me if I knew why our water bill was so high, and when I told her about my bathtub, she said she would make sure someone came out on Tuesday.

Nobody showed up, and I was here all day.

Thursday morning I went back to bed once the kids were on the bus, and when I got up around ten I found a note on my door saying the plumber had been by. If he had rung the doorbell, I would have heard him. I guess he just knocked. Now I have to call the management company again on Monday and reschedule. Maybe this time the guy will show up on the right day.

Rentals

The best decision we made when we moved was to rent from a management company. In the past we have rented from individuals, and it was always so hard to get anything done. Real Property Management manages over 20,000 units nationwide, and while they are not the company we use, I am sure they have the same standards. If you find yourself in the position of having to rent, I would highly recommend renting through a management company. I would also recommend putting your rental property in the hands of a management company. Let them do the work for you.

Drip

This little winter storm has really hit us hard. What made it worse was our leaking roof. I had three bowls collecting the drips in my kitchen and bedroom. We were not home when the rain started, and Kasi's bed was soaked when we discovered the leak. The good news is that the management company is responsible for the repairs, so we don't have to worry about finding the money for that.

That is one of the best things about renting. You can get a place to live through Real Property Management and they are responsible for all repairs and upkeep. You just have to make sure you pay your rent on time.