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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…

Sorry I haven’t written in a while. We’ve been away dealing with a death in the family. Family funerals are always a time for mixed emotions–it’s wonderful to see family members you’ve not seen in a while, but the reason for the impromptu reunion is not a happy one. In this case Her grandmother’s battle with cancer is finally over, and we know she’s gone up to a better place, so we take comfort in that.

Anyway, We have continued our apartment search and think we may be on to something. We were discussing our apartment hunt with some family we saw at the wake and were lamenting the difficulty of searching for a place to live two-plus months ahead of time. Her uncle suggested the following strategy, and it seems that we have found a few landlords who are interested.
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It was hot today in Maine. I mean really hot. We saw a couple bank thermometers in the mid-90s. Today was about apartment hunting, so We turned on the A/C in His car and trudged on. Except for a few stops. Like the beach. We took a ride out to Prout’s Neck to check out our dream home (pictured above) and passed the Scarborough State Beach and thought we’d dip our toes in the water to see what it was like. The beach was nice, and fairly busy actually. But the water was decidedly not warm. We got in up to our ankles, but that was about it. Several intrepid souls actually got their whole bodies in, but I think we’ll need to be Mainers a while before we go swimming in May.

We did get to see several neighborhoods and a few actual apartments today. So far the most promising is an apartment on Spring St. in Westbrook, about 15 minutes from downtown Portland. The more time we spend in the Portland suburbs, the more we’re not sure we want to actually live in Portland. I think if we can find anything in Westbrook or Scarborough that fits our needs, we’ll probably jump on that. The Portland neighborhoods we looked at included Woodfords, Deering, and Libbytown. All of these are on or near Back Cove and are fairly nice. We have another viewing in Libbytown on Saturday, and got a lead on a place on Back Cove from a waitress in Old Port. If we’re going to live in Portland, I think it will be around that area. We took a look at some places in the East End and also one in West End and were not thrilled with the neighborhoods. I think if we didn’t have a dog, they might be nice. But we do, and so we need a place to walk her.
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Time to put the bags in the car and get on the road. It’s about 275 miles to Portland, so I’m hoping we’re looking at about four hours on the road. Here’s hoping I-495 isn’t too busy at 7:30.

Three apartment appointments so far, plus a realtor or two. I’m hopeful we’ll find a place. Either way, I have my camera, so we’ll bring back some pictures.

We finally are making some progress in the apartment hunt. I’ve heard back from two different landlords and have been in touch via email with three or four others. Craig’s List even has a few listings now for August 1st availability! We’ve also heard back from the real estate agent we met with when we were up in February and will be meeting with him on Friday I think. It’s looking like our trip this weekend may be very worthwhile after all. Only two more days of work until we leave…I’m counting the hours.