Thank you, busdriver. The apartment I thought I had fell through (they gave it to someone else, even though they had already approved me). But that may be a blessing in disguise, because I was shown a two-bedroom apartment this afternoon, just a 10-minute walk from where I am now, for $2200/month (the other one was almost $2700), that I like much better. The broker has already confirmed that the landlord is willing to rent it to me for a year’s rent in advance, so long as my application (which I’ve already filled out) is OK and my credit report is decent (I already know my credit score is around 800, which I’m told is pretty good). The apartment is in a pre-war elevator building on a quiet street less than two blocks from the nearest subway station, plus it’s been recently renovated with new kitchen cabinets and appliances (including a dishwasher, which I don’t have in my current apartment!) and bathroom – in fact, the bathroom still hasn’t had the sink put in! It’s about 1000 square feet (the other one was something between 500 and 600 square feet at most; my current apartment is a one-bedroom with about 900 sq ft., and I was even shown some tiny one-bedrooms in not-so-great neighborhoods which were only about 400 sq. ft., which I found unbelievably depressing). The kitchen is actually a separate room big enough for a table and chairs, and there are five big closets. Also, unlike the other apartment, it’s rent-stabilized, because the rent is under $2,500, which means not only that rent increases are limited, but that I’m entitled to automatic renewal and don’t have to worry that if God forbid I should still be unemployed a year from now, I’ll be in the same position of having to be approved and possibly having to move again. I know the heat works, because the radiators were on when I visited. The only disadvantage is that there’s no laundry room in the building, which isn’t great – I haven’t lived in a place without laundry facilities since 1979! – but there’s a laundromat around the corner.
The best thing, perhaps, is that this would be the first time I’ve lived in a place with more than one bedroom since my former spouse and I separated more than 14 years ago, when my son was 10, so he would finally, finally have his own room whenever he’s with me, instead of having to sleep in the living room on a pull-out sofa. I have always felt so guilty about not being able to provide him with that.
I should know in a couple of days whether I’ve been approved. If I am, given that I’m the only applicant (since the apartment isn’t even on the market yet in the sense that it hasn’t been publicly listed), and that the real estate broker I’ve been using has a prior relationship with this landlord (which he didn’t have with the other one), he’s positive that I’ll get the apartment. So, fingers crossed for the next couple of days. If and when this situation is resolved, I’ll be able to focus again on finding a new job, which I haven’t been able to do for a while now.
