Jun 05 2007
Apartments - A Choice to Make
Craig’s List has yielded a very promising apartment complex off Forest Ave in Portland. This new possibility leaves us contemplating the pros and cons though. The apartment we found over Memorial Day weekend is about three (maybe four) blocks from Back Cove. It’s a third floor apartment with 2.5 bedrooms (the small one will be a great office for me). It’s got great hardwood floors and a lots of light. There are washer and dryer hookups. About the only thing it’s missing is a dishwasher. And we even like the landlord.
This newest listing we’ve found on Craig’s List is a very different sort of place. It’s a two level apartment, very much the same feel as our current duplex. We like being able to go upstairs to bed. It feels more like a home that way. There are only two bedrooms, but the master is very large. There is a washer and dryer in the apartment, and a dishwasher too. These are all pros. However, the location is not quite as nice. It’s really probably only a mile and a half between the two apartments, but it’s an apartment complex rather than a house with multiple units. Our dog wouldn’t get to walk in the parks as easily–the difference is 2 blocks to Baxter Woods versus like 15 blocks. The parking situation doesn’t seem quite as good, and with that many neighbors, it’s a bit of a gamble.
We still have a month or so before we really need to sit down to sign a lease, so we have time to think. The Forest Ave complex is a slightly nicer apartment, but the location isn’t as good. The other place also has some character. From the pics on Craig’s List, this complex has a “built quickly to start making money on rent” feel to it. We may be way off base, but that’s the feeling the photos leave. Decisions, decisions…
Hi,
Our house is near the Forest Ave. Apt. Although anywhere off the downtown peninsula has a real suburban feel to it, the part of Forest Ave. where the apt. is located has a real traffic issue being just northwest of the bottleneck at the intersection of Forest/Allen and Stevens. So in my opinion it will be very noisy during the morning rush hours, which makes Forest Ave, quite congested. We get some of it since we are on Stevens just south of Forest but that location would seem much worse. You should check it out.
Hey Steve, thanks for the input. I hadn’t really considered traffic. The other place we’re looking at is on Walton St, between Ocean and Forest. I’d have to think that one would be a good bit quieter, traffic-wise.
[...] to an unwillingness on our part to sign a lease without seeing the apartment again, it looks like the keeper We reported last month may be on shaky ground. C’est la vie. Recent trips to Craig’s [...]