If you’ve ever lived in an apartment, then you undoubtedly have stories to tell – about property managers, neighbors, or the moving process itself. Several years ago, I never dreamed that the moving process would become an adventure.I moved into my first apartment when I was in college. Living on campus was too expensive. I was working a lot while going to school, so I didn’t have a lot of time to hunt for a new place.
Many of the available apartments I saw were totally trashed. I couldn’t believe the owners would show the units without cleaning them. For me, this said a lot about the property managers, and what it said wasn’t good.
I lucked out when I finally found a studio apartment for a steal. All utilities were included in the rent. Cool!
The building was small. It was in a nice, quiet neighborhood, not far from campus, and the owner was on the premises every day. The tenant turnover was low, so it wasn't often that the owner had apartments for rent I was so thrilled when I signed my lease. I paid for six months rent up front.
Fast forward to a few years later when I decided I needed a bigger place. I decided to move in December. What was I thinking?!
Just a few days before moving day, the temperature dropped dramatically. For several days straight, the temperature (factoring wind chill) ranged from -30 to -50 degrees. The city was in a deep freeze!
On moving day, I couldn’t find a guy to pick up the moving van for me, so I went to get it myself. Two things made my experience with that truck memorable – the vehicle's heater didn't work, and it had manual transmission. I could drive a stick, thank goodness, but imagine trying to go through the gears when everything is frigid. It took all the strength I had to get the truck home! I didn’t actually move until nightfall, since I was counting on friends who worked during the day.
You really know who your real friends are when they show up to move you in minus 50-degree weather. You can bet I was happy when I finally settled into my brand new warm home!
