I think I've posted about my apartment situation.  To summarize, the
landlord sold the building to a real estate agent who set off my alarm
bells immediately when I met him.  He sent me a lease he wanted me to
sign, with the most ridiculous restrictions and punitive fees I have
ever seen in my life.  The worst was the pet part:  $250 pet fee
(refundable, but I doubt anyone will ever see their money again); $10
added to the rent each month for each pet (yeah, like I can afford both
a rent increase AND $90 to cover my cats); have to pay to get the
apartment defleaed and de-ticked when moving out.  There was a whole lot
of other crap in there, but I'm most upset about the pet policy (oh,
yeah -- no pets over 35 lbs., and no pet under two years old!).

I've asked people I know who are landlords or are likely to know
landlords.  Gary, my most recent landlord, told me he'd be happy to act
as a referral, and told me he had a friend who owns apartments in the area.

I called him, and he showed me two apartments in the area.  Really funny
sidebar:  The first apartment was my ex-husband's and my second choice
when we were looking and found this apartment.  And the guy that got the
other apartment ended up working the same place ex-DH did AND had lived
in the apartment we took!.  I'm still laughing and shaking my head over
that one.

Anyway, the owner is going to take out the washer/dryer hookup from the
first one, and we need that, so it's out.  But the other one is fairly
decent, a lot like this one actually, but a bit smaller.  More unpainted
wood, though.  We're a little concerned about the area it's in; even
though it is pretty much one block over from here if you drew a straight
line, the block is all commercial except for two houses, including this
one.  But it is set back aways, and covered with ivy, and it's almost
like it is hidden.  So even though it's between a carryout and a bar, DH
and I think we can feel okay there.  The neighbor we met had a wind
chime collection (as I do), one being a cat!  She says she watches
things carefully, and stays up late, so that made us feel even better.

The apartment is $70 more than we are paying here, but we have not had a
rent raise for years, and there is no way we could find a two-bedroom,
large apartment for what we're paying now.  The guy was charging $50
more for this apartment, but Gary talked to him, and he is willing to
come down $50 on the rent (it will be very tight, but I think we can do
it), and only charge us $150 for a deposit, as long as we take it
"as-is" (and there's not much wrong with it).

Problem is, Gary told him we have cats, but not how many.  I filled out
the application on-line, and it asked what kind and how many, so I had
to be honest.  Plus the app said he charges a refundable one-time pet
fee, too.  :-(  So I have no idea if he's going to freak out and say "NO
way" or sigh and say "Okay!"  Hell, I'm not sure how we are going to
come up with what we need financially to make a move, even.  I'm just
praying that we can somehow.  And that he's not freaked out about 9 cats!

Any purrs to help him be amenable to our needs, and that we somehow find
the wherewithal to make this move, and that it is a good move and we are
safe there (whew!) are appreciated!

Thanks so much!

Ginger-lyn
NOT looking forward to sorting through 21 years of accumulation and
having to be absolutely ruthless in throwing things out . . ..