House Hunting in Philadelphia

Now that the proverbially cat is out of the bag, I can finally tell you all about our house hunting adventure in Philadelphia!
The first and only time we rented a place site-unseen was when we first moved to Massachusetts – the house was terrific, but it was also smacked down across the street from a park where drug deals frequently went down. Gotta love the sketchiness that is Dot Ave. I digress. Last month, Jay and I with Reesie in tow, fled the post-snowpocalypse atmosphere of Massachusetts & headed down to Pennsylvania in search of a new place to live. I scheduled appointments to see several listings we found on Zillow, Trulia, and yes, even Craigslist.

As expected, we ran into traffic in New York & barely made it to our first appointment on time. Come to find out that the realtor was running late. We were somewhat relieved because it gave us time to take Reesie on a walk & canvas the neighborhood.

The outside of the building was beautiful- I loved the brick – but unfortunately, the charm ended there. A damp, woody smell (mold, maybe?) hit me the second I walked into the apartment. I was glad for the short walk through the living room & kitchen because the smell was getting to me. The backyard & deck was larger than I expected; and I was thankful for the fresh air. I could definitely see us entertaining guests on the back deck; and if we choose this place, we’d probably have to because the kitchen is so small it could only comfortable fit one person at a time. The upstairs level was decent enough with two bedrooms & a full-size bathroom. However, at that point, I think we both knew we would not be renting this place. On to the next, we went!

This place was gorgeous.

Exposed brick & duct work. Skylights. Spacious bedrooms. Two full-sized bathrooms. Stainless steel appliances. Granite countertops. Pet-friendly. Can you feel my excitement? We loved this place. Every time the leasing agent turned away, we showered each other with silent squeals & a quick squeeze of the hand. So, what’s left to be desired? The price tag. No surprise there. Our sensible sides prevailed – we grabbed the rental paperwork & half-skipped, half-ran back to the car before we could be talked into signing a lease. Because let’s be real, it wouldn’t have taken much coaxing. Off to the next place!

The entrance to the condo was beautiful. The front door was painted the perfect shade of red & it was outlined by several panes of painted glass. The owner’s cat tried to make a break for it & in the chaos, I forgot to snap pictures of the entryway. Stairs from the foyer lead to the second level of the condo, which opens directly to the living room, dining room and kitchen.

This three-story condo was incredibly spacious with a master & guest bedroom on the second level and an upstairs loft on the third level. Having the entryway into the condo on the bottom level somehow made me feel more secure. Both Jay & I love spending time in the kitchen, so while this one is a bit on the smaller side, the chef’s block & peek-a-book cabinet in the kitchen (swoon) reeled us in. Plus, did I mention the walk-in closet in the master bedroom? Pro. Like Option No. 2, it also had hardwood flooring & high-vaulted ceilings. Pro. With a fresh coat of paint, this place would definitely feel like home. So, what’s not to love? The no-pet policy imposed by the condo association. Obviously, a huge con. Monica, the real estate agent repeatedly assured us that this would not pose a problem, since the owners have two cats of their own & several neighbors own dogs. That made us feel a little better, but we were still on the fence. On the upside, this place costs significantly less than Option No. 2. Major pro. By the end of this viewing, we were really confused and exhausted, so we headed back to the hotel to mull over our options.

We realized that Option No. 2 or 3 would be our next home. So, we cancelled our appointments for the next day; and the conversation continued. After discussing our choices to death, we finally made a decision. So which one did we pick?

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Guess you’ll have to stay tuned to find out!
Yeah, I’m a tease like that.