This past weekend I moved out of my first post-grad apartment and into a studio in a cozy yet lively neighborhood near downtown Dallas. This is significant for me because up until this point, I took a passive stance on where I lived and left it up to whoever I was living with. I’m remarkably indecisive when it comes to things like the number of shoes I pack, the burger toppings I order, or where I sleep at night.
I tend to do things like this very last minute. For example: At the beginning of my final summer internship with IBM, I drove down to Austin, TX from Fort Worth with a car full of everything I would need for the summer, but no place to live upon arrival. A friend from TCU texted me an hour out connecting me with a friend of his that desperately needed to sublease her apartment on UT campus. I drove straight there, made her day, and checked out my new place. It ended up being one of the nicest apartments I’ve lived in and at a “I-desperately-need-a-subleaser” price. Sometimes things just work out. But I certainly don’t place my bet on it.
This time around, I played it a bit safer. With my current lease ending March 13th, I t started researching apartments on sites like Zillow and Apartment Finder. Being new to the apartment hunting, I was surprised when I was contacted by various locators after indicating my interest in certain listings.. Many of them reached out to me via text offering their assistance. At one point, I had four reaching out to me while I was at work asking if I’d received the list they’d emailed to me over to me. For me – This was overwhelming. I ended up becoming loyal to my locator Daniel. He bravely fought through my unrealistic expectations of prices, specials, and location. He even went to units and took iPhone videos of the apartments while I was confined to my office.
Setting up utilities is no exciting task – But setting up my electric turned out to be interesting. A leasing agent recommended I look at Green Mountain Energy. After mentioning that she gets free electricity at night, I was sold. Once at their website, I was amazed that this kind green energy provider existed.
Next, I started thinking realistically about furniture. Here’s the thing: I don’t own any. Well, that’s a lie. Up until 10 months ago when I graduated from college, I owned 0 pieces of furniture. My dad insisted that buying me furniture wasn’t a good investment so I rented from any unit that didn’t supply it. When I realized that where I was moving didn’t supply or offer rentals, I scored a free mattress from a friend and haggled for a used IKEA dresser. Now that I no longer have a roommate to supply things like couches, coffee tables, and floor lamps – I’m hunting for deals. Growing up, it was common for my dad to pull over and exclaim “We found you a new ____!” and heave something into the back of his truck. My dad never lacked the means to head to the nearest furniture store and purchase whatever he wanted, yet this was something he loved doing and it taught me the true meaning that “Another man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Some of my most prized possessions were picked up from a roommate’s donation pile or found on Craiglist. Stay tuned!
I ended up choosing a studio apartment that met most of my criteria – Plus I don’t have to pay rent until May 1st! I mention empowerment because there is something uniquely stressful and self-affirming about being able to find a place of your own. Even though I had to miss hearing from Elon Musk at SXSW and my apartment is an absolute mess – I am feeling more adult than ever.
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