Details: This place is the bottom story of a small two-story house (the top story houses a studio with a woman in her 40s who goes to theological school). It’s got a private entrance with a wide (5 or 6 feet) covered porch. You walk directly into the living room, and straight ahead you see the dining room through an arched doorway and the kitchen beyond that. The wall to the left is the outer wall to the house and has windows. The dining room has a bowed window. The kitchen is of a good size, with room for a large island or a small table and chairs. There is a stacked washer/dryer unit which may also fit into the kitchen. In the living room the door to a small bedroom or office space is on your right. Off the dining room is a door to a larger bedroom, a pair of mirror-front doors which enclose a very shallow storage space, and the door to the bathroom. The bathroom has a full tub. The apartment is carpeted throughout with a low-pile gray carpet. The kitchen and bathroom have linoleum tile, I think. There is a very tiny backyard with a fence.
Location: This place is located on a quiet residential street between two quiet residential streets in the South Wedge neighborhood in Rochester. It’s a walkable .08 mi from the Highland Public Library, 3 blocks from the Cinema Theater and other shops and restaurants on South Clinton Ave, half a mile from Highland Park (designed by Frederick Law Olmsted), and .07 mi from the weekly farmer’s market on Alexander Street. It’s 2 miles from Strong Memorial Hospital, where Kelly will be working, 3.5 miles from Kelly’s parents’ house, and 5 miles to the JCC. It’s within 4 miles of two different Reform temples, with two more within 10 miles.
Downsides/Compromises: The apartment has on-street parking, and it may be hard to find in the neighborhood. It means we’ll have to dig our car out in the winter again, and deal with moving the car every 48 hours due to Rochester’s horrible parking regs. The apartment also has oil (not gas) heating, so we have to buy the oil to fill the tank and monitor to make sure we don’t run out. It has carpeting rather than hardwood flooring, which means we need to buy a new vacuum. I am thinking roomba? The owner of the property is currently out of town so her niece is showing the place and will sign the lease (is that legal?). Which means, we don’t have a clue about what our actual landlord will be like in terms of niceness, responsiveness, etc. when she returns. The house is an older building and the owner purchased it 3 years ago. During the walk-through, the inspector found signs of mice, but the foundation has since been sealed and the niece is not aware of any complaints about mice from the tenants. When I asked how she would respond in case of pests, she was like, “it’s an older building…I can’t help that.” What’s the right answer there? We have seen no pictures of the inside or outside of the apartment, but it has not been described to us as cute. There is almost no storage space and only a few very small closets.
Upsides: The rent is $550/month and because it’s a smaller apartment than others we have been looking at, utilities might not be as high as other places (less space to heat). The apartment will be painted and cleaned and the carpets will be steam cleaned before new tenants move in. It gets good light.
Remaining Questions:
- What are the dimensions of the rooms, especially the two bedrooms?
- Is there a second exit from the building other than the front door or could a window be used as egress in case of fire? Are there working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors?
- Can all the windows be open and shut or are any painted shut? Do the windows all have screens and storm windows?
- Are the baseboards tight to the walls and floor or are there cracks or warped boards?
- Is there good hot and cold water pressure from all the sinks and the bath? Does the toilet have a strong flush? Does the shower have a detachable head?
- Do all the oven burners function?
- Is there a thermostat to control the heat? Is the heat a central furnace with floor/wall vents?
Gentle Readers,
What do you think? Should we snap this up, knowing that it is not perfect but it is very cheap and in a great location? Or, for those with children, do you think we need more space? Rochester readers, what do you think about the price/location? I think we’re going for it – I’ve asked for an application already. But nothing has been signed yet!
