Apartment Hunting, Part 2

So, did you find a place?

Yes! Well, sort of.

Part 2 of our Great New York Apartment Hunting Venture (or GNYAHV for short) was, well, a little odd. I, Greg, drove up to the city first thing Monday morning, after having beseeched everyone who would listen the day before to pray for us to find an apartment, because, as I kept saying, "Once we find an apartment, everything else will start falling into place." 

On Monday I saw exactly one apartment. One. I did have the strange feeling as I walked in that I had already seen this one -- the previous time we'd come up to the city, though we saw it with a different broker. I think. Am I seeing this place twice for a reason?? It was decent: quiet enough neighborhood, parked pretty easily, fourth floor, 3 bedrooms. Hm.

I absolutely wanted to see more, but each broker we encountered lamented our limited budget and told us they didn't have much to show us.
Yep, that's right: $1700/month is a limited budget. Sheesh.

Tuesday I saw a couple with a different broker (who has been exceedingly helpful to us the whole time), but no real options. I told him about the aforementioned 3BR apartment, and his immediate response was “Why didn’t you get it?” Hm.

Lots of discussion, prayer, waiting, and simply a dearth of any viable alternatives led Bethany and me to conclude that this was the one to go after. On Wednesday I made copies of all the documents I needed (driver’s license, Social Security cards for all five of us, W2’s from last year, 3 recent pay stubs, and a letter from Priority 1 confirming our employment and salary), and was ready to meet the broker. After waiting almost the entire day, I ended up having to meet her down on 149^th when she was between appointments. I packed up my stuff, drove carefully down 32 unfamiliar blocks, met her, and filled out the lease application in my car, idling by the curb as rain began to fall. I signed, shook hands, heard the words “ten to fourteen days,” then whipped out my phone to figure out how in the world to get out of the city.

Crazy NYC rain

Sweet New Jersey rainbow

Rain fell harder and harder. I’ve only driven in such bad rain for such a long time a couple of times before, and this time I was trying to get out of New York City during rush hour. It was a stressful drive, but God gave me quite the light show driving home, complete with a New Jersey rainbow at 8:42pm.

Technically, our search is not over. We have to schedule a face-to-face meeting with the management company for the apartment, then presumably sign the lease. We’re hoping and praying that these things are merely formalities.

Will there be a GNYAHV Part 3? We’ll let you know.