We're Movin' On Up...

...to the west side.

As you probably already know, The Guy and I moved in together last December after about six months together as a couple. Both our leases were up at our 1-bd places, and we pretty much spent all our free time together, so it made sense to compile rent checks and get a bigger, nicer place together.

After looking all over, I came across a brand new complex that I hadn't seen before. It was close to downtown, brand new, and had 2-bd apartments going for pretty reasonable prices. So, we decided to check it out.

Needless to say, we were won over, and we signed a lease that day. Our apartment would be brand new, with brand new energy-saver appliances, a deep tub in the master bath, a dishwasher, an ice maker, more closets than I thought I knew what to do with. The complex had beautiful grounds and a state-of-the-art 24hr gym. I thought it was perfect for us. It was for about the first month.

It wasn't until we moved in that we realized the flaws. First, they had built rather quickly, and rather poorly. They had painted the wall with cover paint, meaning simply breathing on the walls left a big black mark you couldn't get off. They used cheap pale carpeting, so it looked like we had lived there without vacuuming for years within the first month. They hadn't sealed the grout on any of our tile floors, so the floors looked constantly dirty. Our washer/dryer unit broke several times. There was virtually no air circulation in the apartment, so we had to run the air conditioner 24/7, thus tripling our electric bill. The neighbors were rude and didn't clean up after their animals, meaning Sandy had fleas by the second month and you had to step around landmines just to take her for a walk. However, that was not the worst of our problems.

Unfortunately, the complex had decided to build in an area that was...well...less than reputable. Think bars on the windows of the neighborhood shops, pawn shops left and right, etc. I think the original intention was to build there and sell the apartments as condo units, thus upping the property value and revitalizing the neighborhood. However, with the economy in a downflux and the real estate market in shambles, they were forced to rent and the property value continued to fall. When we moved in, I had actually asked the leasing office about the safety record of the neighborhood. They insisted it was safe, there had been no incidences of break-ins or legal troubles, and that (according to one of the office members) "I would move my kids in here in a heartbeat."

It was not a safe neighborhood, for sure. On more than one occasion, we would hear gunshots at night. There were several car break-ins during our time there, and at one point, we had a neighbor lose her television, computer, and other pricey electronics by someone in the complex. We would often hear police cars screaming by during dinner hours. I had been hassled by men a few times running across the street to Walgreens to pick up prescriptions, and at one point, was actually propositioned by a prostitute on the corner out front. I take it business is bad all over.

The kicker for us, however, was when I happened to be on the back patio working on my garden and noticed some police action right across the fence. Months later, I came to realize, while watching an episode of Police Women of Broward County, that a major drug bust had gone down, practically in my backyard. I watched the full show - complete with screaming women, police heckling, and throwdowns in a parking lot - go down as I watered my rosemary plant.

At that point, we began looking for realtors.

After several months of looking at single family homes and townhouses for rent (we wanted something a little more substantial and settled than just another apartment), we happened across a townhouse/apartment complex on the west side of town. A friend of mine had previously lived there and had highly recommended it to me years ago, but I didn't have the need to move at the time. So we went and checked it out. And signed a lease that day.

We ended up with a split level townhouse, with 2 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and a loft (soon to be my new home office!). Our new place will have a huge kitchen (with an eat-in area that we're contemplating turning into a bar/entertainment area) with tons of cabinet space (this was a huge problem at our old place - we had such little cabinet space, we were storing dishes in Rubbermaid boxes) and wood floors, a huge living room/dining room area, screened-in porch, and a laundry room with full-sized washer and dryer. The master bedroom has cathedral ceiling (at least I think that's what they call them) and a master bath. The guest bedroom and bathroom are well-sized, and loft is big enough to host a desk/bookshelf unit and table & chairs for consultations or visitors. There's more closet space than I know what to do with. The buildings are older, but everything looks in good working order and built of quality materials. We have tons of windows in the new place, and the townhouse in north facing, meaning we don't have sunlight pouring in in the morning or the evening. We're hoping this will keep the apartment cool and cut down on our electric bill a bit. We can even sleep with our bedroom window open! :)

The new place's floorplan...

The best part, hands down? The neighborhood. It's on the west side of town, towards the more residential areas of Fort Lauderdale, and it's in a quiet part of the residential area to boot. Lots of sidewalks, lots of trees, lots of park benches. One of the county parks is literally right behind the complex, and there's a dog park inside of it that we can take Sandy to. There's a few nice shopping plazas by the complex (one has a Pei Wei...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!) and a really nice grocery store close by. It's only a 15 minute drive to work, with no freeways involved. Every time we've been over there, to drop off paperwork or sign stuff, it's always been quiet and peaceful - exactly what we're looking for after a year of blaring gangsta rap and police sirens.

So, needless to say, I'm super excited. Our current place is, at the moment, overtaken by bubble wrap and boxes, and we get the new place (and can begin moving stuff in) on Wednesday. I seriously cannot express in coherent English how excited I am to be movin' on up to the west side....think of it as something like this: