Moving Foo: DC Metro People Please Read

[jarandhel]

I hate asking for help. It's a character flaw, I know, but I really like to think I can take care of myself entirely by myself, and I don't much like when I'm proven wrong. So often I'll be stubborn and won't admit I need help until I hit a breaking point.

I need help.

For private reasons, Dusk and I have chosen to separate, though we are continuing to date one another and are still very close. We're just not going to be living together anymore, at least not for the foreseeable future. He's already got a new apartment with some friends. I've been looking, but finding affordable apartments in this area is difficult. Until monday, I thought I pretty much had a lock on a new apartment with aekiy up in Greenbelt, but sadly that fell through for both of us. I've been able to get my current lease extended, though, and I've been told it can be extended more if necessary but I'd rather not do that except as a last resort since this place is fairly expensive to hold onto all by myself. So here is what I am asking you guys:

Does anyone either a) have an empty room in an apartment/house/whatnot that needs an occupant, or b) is looking for an apartment and would like to look for one together, since two or three (or more) people renting a single place can be cheaper than one person renting a place by themselves around here, even without taking into account the advantages of splitting utility bills if any.

Obviously, this needs to be within the greater DC metro area, since I work around here. (Will actually be working in Alexandria VA, as of the 11th, since my office is also undergoing a move.)

Frankly, my major plan at the moment, once I find a new place to move into, is to make a hard push to get certified in some of the areas I've been trained in but haven't tested on, and then make an even harder push on getting a job in the computer field. So a long-ish commute is not really even an issue, since my place of employment is not likely to be the ADA for much longer. So all you DC Metro outliers, this request is open to you too, within reason... I do not, for example, think I could commute from Elkridge MD to Alexandria VA every day, even temporarily. (And hey, if any of y'all are looking to move closer to DC, that's doable too.)

Comments

[aekiy.livejournal.com]

You can count me in as a candidate.

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

Cool. I actually emailed you privately on the same subject, since I wanted to ask you directly. :)

I've found a few apartments and such in the area that two or more of us may be able to afford. Still looking through listings, but here's a few examples of what I've seen so far:

MD:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/apa/322853356.html
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/apa/321145900.html
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/apa/318125024.html
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/apa/319958421.html

VA:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/321734722.html

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Craig's list is an excellent reference for home-hunting... aekiy and I were looking at some places from Craig's list a couple of days ago (he has those listings).

I think you can do better than the place you were considering before. Hopefully the place you end up getting will allow you to have more control over who's there and more more privacy, and you will be able to have friends over whenever you want. That 'no friends' rule bothered me. Walking through someone's bedroom to get to the laundry facilities also bothered me.

Proximity to a good sushi place and a possible new job for aekiy were pluses, but not deciding factors...

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

My last three places have been ones I found on Craiglist. It's definitely a good option, and generally a little more up to date than apartmentshowcase.com, though that can be a useful resource too. I do think if we pool our resources, finding an apartment in the area will be a lot easier. And yeah, I had a few concerns about the last place, but time has been rather pressing so I was willing to take whatever was offered and just work hard on getting the new certs and new job so I could afford to move out again fairly quickly if it became an actual issue. But if we can swing a nicer place that's just populated by us, and possibly our friends, that would be ideal.

[aekiy.livejournal.com]

The last one for MD (http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/apa/319958421.html) looks promising.. unfortunately the others are just out of my range. I'm working on the income thing, but right now can't really afford to pay more than $500/month.

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

No problem, I'll keep looking :)

[rhiannasilel.livejournal.com]

I already posted to aekiy's LJ regarding the min/max income caps on many of the apartments in complexes in Montgomery County, but that's definitely something you want to ask prior to looking at a place. I found my apartment in the Washington Post, believe it or not, there's a way you can sort for private landlords, so that's another source you may want to look at and you can find rental listings online. Many of the other places I had on my list when I was hunting were from Craigslist. I just happened to really luck out with this place.

[historychick49.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about your separation from Dusk. I know it's gotta hurt, although I also know it must be for the better. When I broke up with my fiance I felt a big mix of freedom and loss/grief.