Apartment Search Results

After the nerve-rattling event last night, it took us quite awhile to settle down in our hotel room; it was nearly 1 before we finally crashed.

The hotel provided a mediocre continental breakfast and we were off by 9 for a full day of looking at apartments.

We first dropped by the Pavilion, the new fancier apt, that was quickly referred to as "The Shining Hall." On each floor was an extremely LOOOONG hall, with doors on each side, lowly lit-- kind of spooky. I totally was thinking "redrum". The apartment itself was really nice; we liked their 2 bdrm/2 bthrm layout. Drawback was that it was so new that we would be taking a risk with its management team, since there was absolutely no history to refer to, nor was the property at all "lived in".


After "The Shining Hall", we drove to the much anticipated Fontenelle Hills-- the apts w/ the large decks and natural setting. The pictures looked so promising, but the actual property couldn't have been more of a letdown. The property itself needed a manicure as well as some maintenence work. The complex layout was confusing, congested, and potentially treacherous in winter. We looked at 3 apartments, and they all were unfinished/unclean, needing work before move-in, therefore we had no indication of what the finished product would be like. They were built in the late 60s and needed updating in the worst way. The last apartment on that property that we looked was marginally promising because the layout was so interesting, but it did not have washer/dryer hookups. Total bummer, but at least we could scratch it off the list.


Two of the apartments we were interested in were closed Saturdays, so those were scratched off the list as well.


We had lunch at Ruby Tuesdays, discouraged with our latest stop. Stephen and Beth brought in their laptops, so we gathered more apartment info and planned the 2nd half of our day. We really had no idea where to look. Toward the end of our meal, we chatted with our waiter and explained to him we were moving to the area. He became very excited and recommended his apartment complex, Midland Heights. He and his wife are completely pleased with his unit and the management team. My heart gave a little leap; a personal endorsement of a complex meant so much at that point, and it sounded promising. I felt that this might be it, but of course, I didn't want to verbalize, because who knows?


Next, we toured Summit Apartments. THIS looked like our best bet. The 1200 sq ft second floor 2brm/2bath had everything we needed, looked excellent, management seemed dependable and friendly, and I felt very confident that we'd go with it. We decided we'd check Midland Heights, just to make certain we wanted to go with Summit.


Midland Heights wasn't as gorgeous as Summit, which was newer and a little bit ritzier, but the price was right. At Summit, we would pay approx. $950.... at Midland Heights $790, the exact same as what we pay here in Pella. Despite Stephen's raise, we wanted to keep our rent the same.


The 2nd level layout was just as functional and comfortable as Summit, but it also had a gas corner fireplace, which Summit did not have. I got the impression that the management staff was competent and professional, but they were also family owned, so I felt like they would be more flexible, personable, and available than a company. Most of the apartments we toured had a clubhouse with all the ammenities, but Midland Height's was extremely modest with a small kitchen and a tv. No pool, no workout room, no work-spaces-- but this is not an issue for us since we rarely used those things here in Pella, for which I am glad because that is probably how our price was so nice! We are renting a garage, with a door opener, that is just a few feet from our apartment. Another neat plus is that this complex is situated right next to the complex where Stephen's old roommate Chris and his wife Kim live; we have built-in friends merely a few hundred feet away! We were going to quickly tour Chris's apartment, but then realized we probably won't find anything better, and we filled out the application and payed our deposit right then and there. Here are a few pics of our new place:

I love all the counter and cabinet space in our kitchen. We will be using their appliances. Our refrigerator will be stored in our garage, as well as our microwave. The laundry room is off of the kitchen. We are getting rid of our washer and dryer, and intend to purchase new or lightly used machines when we need them in a future home.

Stephen and Beth in front of our fireplace in the living room area. The first picture is taken from the dining room wall. The area is much bigger than our Pella apartment.

Beth modeling the dining area. To the right is a small counter that would be excellent as a service counter for food, a place for photos, or a place to pile junk. The possibilities are endless. We are talking about getting a small breakfast table for this space so we aren't eating in front of the tv when company visits or when we want to feel civilized. We will be setting up our upright freezer next to the fridge (behind Beth).

I took pictures of the baths/beds and closets, but those pictures would probably mean nothing to you guys. The bedrooms are ample enough for our needs. Our master closet is massive and would probably store everything in our current master and spare closet, and then some. We have a shower stall in our bathroom, and a tub/shower in the spare bathroom. There are two closets in the spare bedroom.

So, I will totally have to seek out our Ruby Tuesdays waiter (named Creighton) and make he and his wife some banana bread or brownies as a thank you for the tip.

On our way back, we stopped in Des Moines and ate supper with Kristen and fam at Dickey Doogins.

Above are Beth and Kristen being entertained as my five year old nephew Adam was "tattling" to the restaurant manager that Uncle Stephen was throwing peanuts at him. It was a hoot to watch.

She told him to throw some back at him. Adam had to contemplate the morality of this for quite some time, but ended up throttling a fistful of peanuts in Stephen's face. Unfortunately, my camera was too slow to pick up that action-packed moment.

Monday, Johnson and Son Moving and Storage is coming by to give us an estimate on how much it will cost to move us to Papillion (oh I forgot to mention, our apt is not in Bellevue; this only adds a mere 4-5 min. to Stephen's commute). When I talked to them today, they anticipated that moving us would be a two-day process, and that Friday, Nov. 28 works best for them. This would normally be perfect, but we found out today that Mom and Stan got tickets for a Siberian Orchestra concert in KC, with us in mind, for the 29th, so we are doing whatever we can to work around that so we can make the concert. So, right now, dates are not set in stone. Hopefully we will have a clearer idea of when we will move by Monday night.

There is talk of Stephen moving into our apt Nov 1, instead of a hotel, but this depends on if he can get his hands on a stipend from Alltel by then, and if Midland Heights is fine with it. It would be easier on Stephen, me, and Alltel if we could get it worked out this way. I anticipate Stephen living in a Microtel for a month would be very depressing for him.

We have a busy few weeks ahead of us. This week we need to notify our current landlords and iron out moving day and details. I will be busy turning out schoolwork/papers/projects as quickly as possible so as to leave ample time to pack the latter half of November. My last day of work is next Thursday; Stephen's last day will be this Friday.

Beth, Stephen, (and Zoe) are wiped out in front of the tv, and I am fantisizing about bed myself. Ahhh, my own bed sounds great after an exhausting couple days.