Just got the keys for the new apartment...

[Anonymous]

And I did a quick walkthrough last night with my friend Andy and it is beautiful.  It's a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment home about 1300 sq feet, fireplace, vaulted ceilings, super super spacious.  Reasonable price, about 870, but it doesn't include any utilities. 

But I looked around the living room and the first thing I see is a turkey-platter sized brown stain on the carpet.  And it looked like they really tried to revamp the apartment.  They probably figured because I'm so young and energetic, I would just overlook something like that and put a throw rug over the spot...um...not for 870/month.  I want the carpet replaced.  But it seriously looks like someone took brown watercolor and smeared in ground up sandstone and then ran it over with a vacuum cleaner and walked away.  They did try to clean the rug, I can tell.   Because I knelt down and touched the rug.  And it's crispy.  It's completely brittle.  The rug feels like fried Ramen noodles.  It should be slightly plush.  Feels like someone poured rubber cement on it.

I'm going to the landlord today to see what will be done about the carpet.  Also doing a final walkthrough today to point out all the faults.  I'm not being held responsible for other's damages.

[Anonymous]

congrats!

as for the carpet and 870 a month, well our home is just over 1000sf and we pay 1750 a month including taxes and insurance.

[Anonymous]

Congrats on new apartment!!!!  where are you? Here a 2/2 cost about $1400, and that would be well under 1000sf.

Always take pictures before and after!!!!!

Message Edited by HappyDays on 12-30-2007 10:18 AM

[marty56]

Did they have you do a walktrough in the aparetment  so you xould mark all the problems in the apartment so they dont blame them on it when you leave?

That is done here in Texas

I would not speculate on the soruce of the brown stain.  Hopefully there were no pets in the apartment prior to you moving it. 

[haulingthescoreup]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Always take pictures before and after!!!!!

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Absolutely! Get one that shows the date and time on it and print it out, and see if you can get the landlord/ apartment rep to initial and date it. It's amazing how landlord amnesia kicks in when it's time to move on.

Sounds like a nice place --congrats!

[haulingthescoreup]

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@marty56 wrote:
I would not speculate on the soruce of the brown stain.

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LOL

[Anonymous]

I live in Greensboro, NC.  It's really not that bad of a price when looking at the prices quotes above!

Apparently the woman who lived there before was there for several years and was not a smoker and she had no pets.  I made sure to ask beforehand.  I'm just so curious as to what the brown stain is...

hmm...

Oh and it's on the second floor and the stairs are carpeted as well.  And there's black marks on the stair's carpeting closest to the wall...  Now, I expect a little dirt, but I'm so going to pitch a fit this afternoon!

[Anonymous]

Oh, good tips about the pictures.  I really think I should buy at least a cheap polaroid to reference small things that could get pinned on me.

I'm doing the walkthrough today with two other people.  We're each going to have a checklist.  I'm going to get on my hands and knees and search EVERY inch of that apartment.  I know that's over the top, but I have OCD.  hahaha

Oh, I'm also going to check in cabinets and closets and so forth.

[haulingthescoreup]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Oh, good tips about the pictures. I really think I should buy at least a cheap polaroid to reference small things that could get pinned on me.

I'm doing the walkthrough today with two other people. We're each going to have a checklist. I'm going to get on my hands and knees and search EVERY inch of that apartment. I know that's over the top, but I have OCD. hahaha

Oh, I'm also going to check in cabinets and closets and so forth.

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Look for other dumb things like strike marks where door knobs hit the drywall, self-cleaning ovens that won't clean because you can't lock the oven door, stains on the first-floor ceiling under the upstairs bathroom, ripples on flooring under the water heater, sinks, tub, and toilet, fans that don't work, windows that don't open or won't stay open, entry door locks that don't work or have scratch marks like someone tried to break in, and on and on. Bring a small lamp and plug it into every single electrical outlet to see if they have juice. (And look for scorch marks on the outlets.)

They don't all have to be fixed; you just don't want to have them all deducted from your security deposit when you leave.

Wow, have fun in your new home! I'm feeling all nostalgic for the simpler life.

[Anonymous]

Ooh!  I'm printing this page out hauling!  thanks for the tips.  Some things up there I never thought of looking for!

The simpler life?  Nah, I want the mortgage already!  I'd rather be tied down then get no credit for my monthly rent payments.