Moving during the holiday season is a huge pain in the ass. It was our choice to move, so I have nobody to blame but myself and maybe Joe. Our lease was up and we decided we didn't want to stay. There were many factors that came into play but the real surprise was not realized until we did the final walk-through and we saw how, although we left the house in the same condition minus normal wear and tear (the vertical blinds were old when we moved in and had been falling one-by-one all year, carpet was cream colored and slightly dirtier upon move-out but there was no clause stating we had to have it cleaned, etc.), the landlady, whom I never once met in the year we lived there was going to come in and pick apart every tiny carpet stain (that was there upon our move-in) and crack in the toilet tank (also there upon move-in, but never caused an issue).
The fact that we were out was a relief when we tried to argue that they were charging us for issues that existed before we got there and that normal wear and tear is to be expected. I kindly suggested that they put a clause in the next lease if they expect their tenants to have a professional clean the carpets and entire house upon move-out. They didn't like it, but it's the truth. Also, don't tell me you're not a professional contractor but you intend to charge us for your services when you fix-up the house. No. Hire a professional, give me an invoice and I will happily pay for anythiing that we ACTUALLY did to the house outside of normal wear and tear. We did cause one carpet stain. We did not remember to clean the fan blades or wipe down the kitchen bay window that housed 2 house plants. There was a bit of soil. It could have taken me 3 minutes but we were rushed and completely missed it. I am an honest person and I'm not going to lie about what we did and didn't do, but call me a liar and I will come back and argue my point. ANY honest person would. I pride myself in that.
After all was said and done, we got royally screwed on our deposit. We got $600.00 of the $1,500.00 deposit back. We basically paid for them to fix up the house. I hope their next tenants trash the house. I shouldn't say that because it's mean but it's also karma and I believe in that to some degree.
Now we're over that chapter and in the new house. The new house has 4 bedrooms, the old house had 3. The new house has a smaller living room and the dining area is in the kitchen. While the kitchen is larger, the kitchen and dining space combined is smaller than the old house so it's been tricky to set up home in there but I'm figuring it out. The living room is smaller than the old house but I'm actually finding that I like it better. It's warm and cozy and I am finding that we hang out in there more now than we did at the other house. The living room and kitchen/dining area are not separated by a wall like the old house was and that is really nice, as well. I feel like although we're in separate rooms, I am still hangingin out with my family while I'm making dinner, etc. I can hear the tv from the kitchen and I like that too. Some things you just don't notice until they change and make themselves apparent.
We do have a little too much furniture for this space but I'm hesitant to get rid of anything because we plan to buy a house in the next 2 years and it will likely be larger. Even though we have a designated office space (extra bedroom), we haven't set it up and there is a futon AND a large, stuffed, leather, loungy tub chair in there as well as the dog's crate (he's a large dog so it's a large crate) and a floor lamp so it's getting crowded. I'm thinking we'll need to ditch the futon and get a very small desk for the computer so we will still have some space in there. The baby's room is not completely put together yet because 2 important pieces of hardware for the crib were lost in the move. The dresser is rather large and the crib is standard size but other than that, the only other piece of furniture is a bookshelf so everything will fit perfectly once the boxes are unpacked. With a 6 month old, these boxes are being unpacked at a snail's pace.
I've gotten around to hanging wall decor and setting up tabletop and other decor which makes it feel more like home. The bar is set up but still unused at this point. The living room has a couple of end tables hanging around that don't belong there and the dining table is half-covered in miscellaneous decor and mail. I'm hoping to get that put away this week.
Other than that, we're happier here than we were the last year at the old place and that is wonderful. We lost a little space here, even with the extra bedroom, but the layout is better for us. The back yard is bigger for the dog. The garage is smaller but honestly that works for us. The master bathroom shower is very nice... it has a larger shower (the same size as a bathtub stall) with two shower heads and is all tile. The guest (aka older daughter's) bathroom is about the same size as the old house but has a larger, older (read: not plastic) bathtub. The guest bathroom also has a window and the old house did not. Bathrooms without windows are kind of gross, harbor mold and never get fresh air. That's gross for a bathroom.
The kitchen has new granite counters, stainless steel sinks, stone backsplash around entire kitchen and two new windows. The cupboards are older but the hardware is new. I like the fusion of modern and vintage in ANY home as it matches my decorating style. Some things need to be updated in homes (plumbing, windows, closet and bedroom doors, paint, hardware, etc) but the solid, good things should remain and give the home character. That's my opinion but I just don't like brand spankin' new homes. They seem cheaply made and cookie-cutter to me. A lot of plastic and not a lot of sturdy. Anyway... this home is a pretty good bland of both and that works for us.
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