The Portlandite Is Moving To.......Georgia??

Wow, oh wow.
You know how they say that a good opportunity never just falls into your lap? Well in this one instance it sure does seem like that is exactly what happened.
While I did put effort in after the fact, I did not seek this out.
Back in August a series of events was unleashed when my current company decided to consolidate my department with our sister companies and was going to move us all to Seattle.
Long story short, a contact at a different company got a hold of me after he heard the news and asked if I was open to hearing about a job from their company. I thought about it and decided that wouldn't hurt to see what they had to offer..
8 months later an official offer has been made and it was too good to pass up.

I think that situations such as this go to show that in this current job market it is more about your connections and your reputation in the industry than anything. While I did need my degree to be seriously considered, I think it would have been highly likely for me to have been overlooked if I didn't have people on the inside.

So now here I sit, in my townhouse in Washington State, hoping that the East Coast will be as good to me as the West Coast has been. You cannot grow without change and without risk there generally is no reward.

Here is to new adventures! In Georgia!!

When in Doubt, Break Out the Pro/Con List.

We are thinking about moving into a house in Battle Ground. The first time I went and saw the place solo I couldn't wait to leave.. but then when Brandon was there with me he was able to sell me on the place. Now we are both doubting whether we will be happy there, but don't want to pass up on a potentially great opportunity without first thinking it through.

Pro:
House, almost an acre of yard, 2 car garage, chicken coop, Ethan will have a yard to play in, we won't have to tip toe inside, no one above or beside us for us to hear day in and day out, dog run, my dog will be able to play outside more often, creek in the back yard, river within walking distance, I can have a real garden (veggies and flower beds), inside was completely redone in 2006, have been told if we want to do any improvements on the property they would provide the materials at no cost to us (paint, landscaping, etc), low rent which will save us both quite a lot of money ($4200/yr for just me), outside of city limits so burning is allowed, there is a fire pit which Brandon is in love with, His commute goes down to 7 minutes, but he is looking for a new job so that could possibly only be a temporary improvement
(17 items)

Con:
Small (900 sq ft), only one bathroom, bedrooms are small, paint chipping from the outside, looks very old, the garage looks as if it is very unstable (we wouldn't be parking cars inside, instead it would be used for storage), no neighbors, very isolated, creepy in the evenings, ground level which causes me to lose the sense of security I have in my second level apartment, increased commute to work (in Portland) for me, 4 other applicants already and at $80 for us to apply for the place it could end up being all for naught anyways, floor plan less than desirable (but I know you get what you pay for), Ethan will have to change school districts, may end up paying more for after school care which will eat into the savings
(15 items)

Ok so from really looking over the list I like the location, the price and the benefits that come with living in a house, but I don't really like how isolated it is and the house in itself. If we move into a nicer house though, how will we ever be able to actually save the money needed to get a house of our own? I guess when it comes down to it, its either go to a place like that or just stay in the apartment for another year or two..
Decisions.

Moving: Just like day in the park, when its raining.

Right around the first of this month I found out that I needed to move out of the apartment that I had been living in for 3 years come July first. I have always been wanting to move, but wanting and doing are two very different things, especially with the level of rent that I was having to pay where I was (it was very low).
So I started looking.
I didnt look far when I found what I thought to be a decent house for rent from one of my distant co-workers. The price was very good, so it helped me to overlook many things about the place that I really didnt care for. The age, the size, the condition.. the height of the ceiling in the kitchen, the carpet, the roof, the look from the outside.. I could keep going.
So a couple of days before I was going to sign a lease I took B over to check the place out.
A part of me didnt want to show him, which says a lot..
Once we got there, it was decided that that was not where I was going to be moving to.
Ok, thats great, he saved me, but now it is the 7th of June and I have no leads on where I am going to be moving to in 23 days..
The days go by.
Nothing.
Not to say that I wasnt actively looking, I was! And it was grueling!
Finally, after scouring craigslist and newspapers for days, driving around different neighborhoods every day after I got off of work and calling everyone that I knew that had rentals I decided to give in and put in an application for another apartment. Sure, its the very thing I was trying so hard to get away from, but, well.. I need a place to live!

The next day I decided to go look at a townhouse in Salmon Creek that sounded very promising, but things that sound too good to be true typically are, with the owners of this unit deciding to raise the price after I already put in an application. $900 a month for an old townhouse in a run down apartment like community? For that price you can get so much more.
At this point I was wondering if I needed to lower my standards. It had been almost a week since I put in the application at the apartment and I had yet to hear from them. I started looking at apartments in parts of town that I really didnt want to live, and quite frankly, I don't understand the pricing on these places. They are the same, if not more, than what I had been looking at before and they are just apartments.. and why water, sewer and garbage is not included in the price almost anywhere anymore is beyond me.

Finally, 6 days after I put in the application at the apartment they finally call and tell me that I have been approved and with two weeks left til I turn in my keys I jumped on the opportunity.

Its a great apartment. 1100 sq ft, 2bd, 2bth with a fireplace, A/C and gas applicances. Even comes with a free automatic garage since they were all out of carports. Much better than where I am, and I cannot wait to move in :)

Now I am working on getting my application fee back from the property management group that swindled me..
Currently, I would advise to stay away from Premier Property Management in Vancouver. I have a feeling that its not going to be easy to get my money back.