Mar 14 2009
Non-traditional student goes from landlord to tenant
….and it bites!
Have not made the transition yet, of course…. that will happen, most likely, this fall. But I’m already hating the thought.
We have 2 houses - the pictures are views from my deck ….. I love living on the water. Our other place has tenants living it; there’s a 3 bedroom, a bachelor, and the store below, which is currently vacant. The biggest problem with our houses, of course, is that they are in the wrong dang city…. I need a place in Peterborough. 
Will be there for a minimum of 2 years - after that, can go elsewhere to work while I do my thesis, or so I understand … although it is still funded, so ….. hmmm…. that is something else I should probably check into
We have talked, hubby & I, about the possibility of buying rather than renting….the market is SO depressed right now that it seems that that would be the way to go ….
There are issues with that too though, of course…. we don’t really have enough of a down payment for starters… although given that we have a lot of equity, we probably could come up with one if we really wanted to….
But at this point, we are pretty much focused on trying to find someplace cheap, functional (has to work for me there on my own without my ‘chauffeur‘ ) and reasonable.
It irks me that rentals come with so damn many rules though…. I don’t shive a git about noise/parties - which was the one that the person who showed us the residence apartments yesterday stressed…. we don’t DO parties, and even on the rare occasions that we have (our wedding, and New Year’s) we are very boring partiers :)
But they pretty much all say NO pets, NO smoking & they want a minimum 1 year lease. I want my dog, I smoke (although clearly, I need to quit), and I don’t really like the idea of paying for 4 months/year when I don’t need it, although that doesn’t matter as much this year, since I’m committed for 2.
Oh, and I am perturbed about the need for references as well…. preferably from past landlords… I don’t have any of those - at least not any that I still have info for years later…. will tenants do?
This is one of my favourite sunset shots (I have hundreds
Victoria Harbour is not called the home of the beautiful sunsets for nothin’)
…. totally unintentional, but I love that the camera focused on the leaves at the front of the shot.
We’ve talked about selling the one we don’t live in …. but the market isn’t great right now, so we’re unlikely to get as much as hubby would want for it
He’s not enthusiastic about selling it partly because he only works half the year - for the remainder, it is the house that brings in what he sees as his only contribution to our income
Me, I think the fact that he chauffeurs me around and all that fun stuff counts for something…. and that if we did sell it, we’d wipe out our debt and have $$ left over would more than make up for that.
I think buying a “fixer upper” in Peterborough would be a fine idea. It would keep Ross occupied at something he loves, would be a good investment when things improve (and I believe they will) and still provide you a place to stay without replacing the home you love (where your dog is.
Transitions can be difficult, but I hope your home or apartment hunting goes smoothly. That is a beautiful view from your deck!
Davida
Sorry to be off topic, but I just saw your post at the traffic tips on the forum. Can you help me?
Tell me more about entrecard. Ijust started that and am having some trouble with it. Should I just forget it? Do you know anything about hub pages?