The Yo-Yo family is gearing up for a big move in late spring or early summer. Papa Y wrangled a new professorship in a city a few hours away, and we’re ready to leave our small town and enjoy some of the trappings of civilization again.
Alas, moving will mean leaving our cozy house. The fact that we found it was improbable – there are not a lot of real-estate options around here, and we never intended to buy a home in this ‘burg. But a colleague who was moving approached us a couple years ago to see whether we’d be interested in her house, and as we meandered through the lovingly renovated rooms, we knew it could be our oasis in a place where we often felt like fishies out of water.
Now, stop me if you’ve heard this, but the real-estate market isn’t exactly smokin,’ especially in rural coal towns. So we doubt our house will sell, meaning we’re not going to be in a position to buy in our new city for a while. (Insert sad trombone noise here.)
I’d rented my entire adult life until we bought this house, so it’s not exactly foreign to me. But now, especially with Baby Y in the picture, having to rent again feels like such a huge step backward.
Why? Some of it is practical. When we painted Baby Y’s nursery walls a bright aqua, we didn’t have to ask for permission. And we appreciated every inch of our 2,000+ square feet for our never-ending tide of baby gear. But a lot of it is emotional – something about home ownership says “nesting” and “family” to me. We brought our first born back to this house, and when we pull into our driveway after a long trip away, I love whisking the kiddo in the door and letting that “ahhhhh … home” feeling wash over us.
Still, those are the brakes. So we’ve got a few options: A big apartment complex, a city loft, or a rented single-family home. Of course, they all have their pros and cons:
- Big complex. There are a lot of pros here – we don’t have to worry as much about availability, and there are some pretty spiffy 3-bedrooms out there. Most of the newer complexes have pools and play areas, which would be great for Baby Y. But we’d have to downsize some, and we’d be back to crossing our fingers in hopes of quiet neighbors (and we’ll have a toddler to rein in, ourselves). Also, these complexes are never in walkable locations, which is something I’ve been pining for. I literally have to drive two minutes to work right now because it’s not safe to walk. I miss sidewalks!
- City loft. Of course, a downtown loft would be wonderfully walkable and close to Papa Y’s job, which are HUGE pros. We love the mix of historic details and modern appliances in most units – exposed brick and stainless steel = yes, please. But there are a lot of downsides: You don’t get as much space and certainly not much storage for your money, and we could probably only afford a two-bedroom, which would require even more downsizing – not to mention we wouldn’t have anywhere to put guests. Parking might be limited, and my mother is scandalized that we’d consider a place with no yard (though places for Baby Y to frolic would be within walking distance). Perhaps the biggest con, though, is that many of these places are on the market, meaning we could be kicked out (with a month or two notice) if a buyer comes along!
- Rented single-family home. It seems like the best of both worlds, and is in a lot of ways. We wouldn’t have to get rid of a ton of stuff, and it would have that intangible “homey” feel. Plus, Baby Y would have an actual yard to play in! But places that meet my admittedly picky criteria – updated but in a walkable older neighborhood – are proving hard to find, and we would probably have to pay a premium for such a place. Also, we may still be dealing with the remains-on-the-market quandary.
I’m a little discouraged about what my searches have turned up so far, especially because I may be spending a lot of time at home as a new-to-town SAHM once we move, unless I can find a job right away.
When kids are in the picture, what are your “must haves” when it comes to an apartment or home? What would you do in our shoes?
clementine / 878 posts
One thing you might want to consider with option 3: put in the rental agreement that the house is off the market for the majority of your lease.
We had our house on the market for 9 months with no bites, so we decided to become landlords (using a property management company). One of the requirements was that the house would come off the market. As long as our current renters want to renew their lease, we’re happy renting it out and not dealing with the hassle of showings. In fact, we plan on offering a “rent to own” purchase the next time the lease is up for renewal. If the renters are interested, a portion of their (slightly increased) monthly rent would go into an escrow account that would be put toward the purchase of our home. If they choose to not by the house, we get to keep the money.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@Goldilocks1107: Good advice. We’re responsible tenants willing to pay a decent sum for a nice place, so it definitely couldn’t hurt to ask if that’s the main sticking point. Especially with the market the way it is.
guest
We should chat since we just went through this! We selected a 1,000 sq ft 3 bedroom/1 bath apartment in a very close in suburb right on the little “main street.” We are so happy and don’t anticipate needing more space until baby #2 is potty trained. The kitchen isn’t as updated as the one in our house was, but it’s usable. The lack of yard is no problem – parks, library, gymnastics classes, etc. are in walking distance. Sasha loves being able to walk with us to run errands (and check out the bakery and toy store). We are renting a garage which we’re using for storage and have realized most of the things in there we never really used anyway. Plus as an added bonus there is a very sweet family with a preschool age girl right downstairs with us.
guest
Oh, one other thought – since you’re so far from needing to worry about school districts, this is your chance to live it up in the “city” even if you don’t want to stay there long term for school. Enjoy the walkability, restaurants, etc. of the city while the baby is so young. We would have totally rented in the city vs. the burbs if we didn’t need to register for kindergarten in a year.
honeydew / 7968 posts
we actually have the same dilemma. we’re moving in a few months. we already have a home we can’t get rid of in another state (what a pain!). so we don’t really want to weigh ourselves down with another house. but the interest rates are so low, prices of homes are low, considering…. i don’t really want to rent a house because you pay ALL the utilities plus you’re paying the same (or more than) you would a mortgage! but if we have a house, i can bring my dog. whereas apartments won’t take her cuz she’s part rottie. =( there’s definitely less space in apartments. eh~….
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
My mom rented throughout my entire childhood and we moved a lot, so I can give a sort of kid’s perspective. I did not like the big complex. It didn’t feel as safe and it was a lot less homey. I liked the small complex/condo much better, but would have loved a house. I always wanted our own mailbox (strange that that’s what sticks out to me) and a yard so we could’ve had a dog and/or a swingset.
I’m glad Mr. TTT and I have a house of our own and no plans to leave any time soon (though I’d love to get out of LA one day). Sure it’s small and old and there are things I wish we had (garage connected to the house or real laundry room instead of closet), but it’s home and I’m so glad it’s ours.
Best of luck on your search!
grapefruit / 4120 posts
We own… an apartment! Don’t count out apartments — there are some that are very homey! Also, they are more secure under many circumstances.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@mrs. tictactoe: I prefer smaller places too, or stand-alone rentals … but in certain neighborhoods, and it’s just so hard to find places like that when you’re not in the area.
@tequiero21: We’ve found a few pretty sizable three-bedroom options, but even they are still going to require a fair amount of downsizing.
@sloaneandpuffy: I don’t! But it is a smallish city and the variety that I am otherwise used to just isn’t there, sadly.