Apartment Hunting in Seattle is a Nightmare

 

My last blog post here was nearly a month ago. Wow, time flies when you're super busy! Our time spent in Tacoma involved eating way too many pizzas from Hank's (once it was safe to go outside again) and binge watching a lot of Buzzfeed Unsolved while applying for any and every job that looked like it could be a good fit.

Without much surprise, D found gainful employment before I did. He started his new job two weeks and it's definitely lifted a weight off our shoulders since now we can start looking for a place to live in earnest. (I'm waiting to hear back on two different positions that look promising right now, wish me luck!)

Apartment hunting is a lot of things - but fun and easy it is not. Since most buildings are only offering virtual tours it's very difficult to get a proper sense of size and scale in most units and, frankly, the only options really in our budget are units 500 square feet or smaller. But hey -- I've lived the tiny studio apartment life before and I can do it again. We're also at an advantage right now since we have no furniture and aren't bound by the size of a sofa or a bed. 

Here's what we've looked at so far:

Moda Apartments

Moda Apartments was one of the first complexes we reached out to and a leasing agent got back to us really quickly to schedule a virtual showing. The guy panned his phone around the apartment, showing off a very tiny space (less than 400 square feet) that boasted a separate bedroom and juliette balcony. 

To be honest, I was kind of intrigued by the idea of living in a micro-unit like this. The price was right, and even though parking in Belltown is an absolute nightmare, we applied for this unit.

So my shock - we were approved. 

206 Bell Apartments

Low key, I really loved these units. D and I toured a few of their floor plans in person a few days ago and I just fell in love with the frosted glass sliding door to the bedroom, the full size appliances, and the amazing windows. These units are also slightly bigger than Moda's and could fit a small couch and a dining table! 

Unfortunately, they didn't have any available units left within our budget but I am keeping an eye on their website since prices seem to fluctuate daily out here. Maybe we'll get lucky and one will open up that we can snag! 

Chroma SLU

Chroma is a little further away from Belltown and the core of Seattle, but their floor to ceiling window situation and residential-heavy neighborhood really spoke to me, initially. This place took forever to get back to us and at that point, I didn't even bother to set up a virtual tour with them because....

We got an apartment! 

Alto Apartments

Alto Apartments are just a few blocks away from the places we originally looked at, but the bonus is the proximity to the Space Needle and the incredible views from the rooftop. It also feel neatly within our budget. The square footage on the unit we finally landed on is just over 500 and it ticks all the boxes:

• In-unit washer and dryer
• Dishwasher
• Separate bedroom
• Bathtub 
• Wired for good internet
• Underground parking

We move in a few weeks, and so the things we are stressing about now include making sure internet will be ready to go and utilities are set up. Seattle City Light seems to hold the monopoly here and I've tried both calling and using their online renter's application to make sure the utilities will be in our name at the commencement of our lease - with no luck. Fortunately, Xfinity was much more amenable to getting my internet services set up with no fuss. I've been using them for years with little issue, a fact I made sure to bring up with my live agent on a chat today. And frankly, I'm just glad I don't have to use Wave G - a service provide I've heard only mediocre things about. 

I am really excited that we finally found something comfortably within our budget and also in a great location, so I look forward to moving in and really making Seattle a home.

Stay tuned for apartment updates and photos!