You Don't Always Get What You Pay For: Apartment Hunting

Obviously there's a huge difference between New York City, anywhere in Virginia and cities like Seattle, Washington (for the record, I absolutely adore the Emerald City). I mean New York is in a world of its own. There's no place like my hometown the "Big Apple." I love New York but I hate the cost of living.

I mean it's bad enough there's wall-to-wall people, rats as big as cats, deviants blending in with "regular" New Yorkers and the cost of a piece of fruit, but add in the price of renting a one-bedroom apartment the size of college dorm room and you're talking mucho dinero.

Five hours down Interstate 95 sits Norfolk, Virginia. I spent a minute there and I hate to say it, but I'd rather be somewhere else. No offense. Virginia Beach was breathtaking, but Norfolk left a lot to be desired. The rent, however, didn't seem that bad...for what you got. Now let's take Seattle: You have Mount Rainier, Mt. Saint Helen, peaceful lakes, Seattle...Kirkland...did I say Mt Rainier and Seattle?

Yeah, it's a little dreary but who needs sunshine every single day? And you're not far from Alaska: igloos, ice-fishing...nearest neighbor 50 miles away and they sometimes fly your mail in depending on where you live. Special! The cost of living is high, but you earn a decent living depending on what line of work you're in. Still, I'd love to live in Seattle again.

In the Bronx, New York you'll get 900 (no, that's not a typo) square feet of this...

for a cool $135,000. Don't forget the ten percent down payment for this (and this comes directly from the ad) "very charming, spacious, sunny and bright one bedroom cooperative apartment with a front view." No, it's not bad and it's cute, but I mean come on! 900 square feet?!
In Norfolk, you get this...

for $135,000 and it's "just minutes from all surrounding cities, bases, shopping and more. The ad says the house is in a neighborhood with "strong civic league" and has a lot of "potential." That usually means a semi-dump you'll spend an arm and a kidney updating it from that 1970s theme. Just my opinion, but I bet that's it.

Did I forget to mention that the Bronx beauty, which is a cooperative apartment, has a waiting list for a garage/parking space, but there's a "common" laundry and is run off electricity, steam, hot water and oil (hey, I'm reading the ad). Here's what got me, for $135,000 and 900 "spacious" square feet, my cooling system, per the advertisement, is...the window. It literally says that. I think you'll end up paying Con-Edison in this apartment. If so, look at forking over another $200 a month because you're probably going to have to buy an a/c unit and maybe a few heaters for New York's bone-chilling winters.  All in all, it's steep but it beats a rat-infested tenement where your neighbors may be one of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted.

A "motivated seller" in Seattle's Melrose Terrace is selling a cooperative apartment for $225,000. For that you get one bedroom, a bathroom with new tile, cast-iron sinks with Pfister faucets (que fancy) and an refurbished Lanai. From the pictures, it doesn't look like a bad deal. See...

 I'll admit, I'm a sucker for a beautiful kitchen (love the stainless steel) but you have to be careful. As Tracy Chapman says, "Don't be tempted by the shiny apple." Everything that glitters isn't gold. In places like Jacksonville, North Carolina they're renting out apartments for more than $900 a month by playing up the stainless steel and black appliances but you don't realize that you've rented a utility guzzling, flimsy dwelling until you move in. By then, you're stuck in a one-year lease and out $1800 bucks.

Good apartment hunting.