On the Hunt

I'm feeling like a predator searching out my prey. Luke and I recently received a letter from our apartment office informing us our rent is going up $200/month at the signing of a new lease. For what we currently pay, we could already get a 2 bedroom townhome instead of a two bedroom apartment. For less than what they want us to pay, we can get a 3 bedroom townhome instead of an apartment.

I just like to take this moment to say apartment complexes are the devil. I've now rented from one landlord and two housing offices. I much prefer the landlord. I feel a little bit bad for all of the people I referred to live here. I was so happy to be leaving the last place (where we were gutted even more than we are now) that this seemed like paradise. The shimmer is quickly fading as our rent begins to sky-rocket. I'm still trying to figure out how our rental company thinks the rent needs to increase, especially by $200, when the housing market is taking a hit in our area, yet again. I'm entirely confused.

Needless to say, we're on the prowl for a new place. Today, we are looking at our first townhome. I'm a little nervous since a lot of the cities/neighborhoods in the area can go from upscale to scary in about 10 feet but I'm hopeful. The place we're looking at today sounds AMAZING. Seriously, who doesn't want a jacuzzi and a fireplace? We'll be a little farther from a few people than I wanted to be but closer than I thought we would be if we move to a different community. And we'll have more room. With a baby on the way, more room is a BIG plus. I know if we moved into a townhome in this community, the electric bills are only (on average) $10/month more than what we currently pay (crazy, right? I mean, these townhomes are generally 3 floors that need to be cooled and ours is all of 1 floor of 1200 sq. ft). So here's to hoping the townhome is in a nicer area and the electric bill isn't bordering insane on a monthly basis. And that our potential landlord is willing to wait until mid-September for us to move in or that our current "landlord" is willing to allow us to terminate our lease early so we can move and be settled before I'm due. Right now, we're looking at a lease termination date of October 22nd and a due date of October 25th. Please, God, let these people be understanding!

EDIT/UPDATE:
We decided place #1 was a no go since it was about 10 feet (okay, not really. More like 2 blocks) from one of the neighborhoods that are off-limits to military personnel. I figure if the area is so bad that Luke could get in trouble for missing his turn and getting shot while turning around in the (insert term of choice for rundown housing area), it's probably not the place to raise a child.