gimme shelter

Last fall, just before school started, Matt & I decided to move out of the apartment we were living in. A lot of changes were going on there due to a new owner, and we had a strong feeling that we needed to get out of there. My brother Paul was kind enough to take us in, so we moved into his house just shortly before Kirsten started first grade. A few months later, I drove by our old apartment. It looked completely vacant. It seems they made everyone leave so that they could work on rennovating the place. So, we made a good decision to leave when we did, before they forced us out.

The plan now is to move after school ends in June. The dilemna is where to go. Do we try another apartment? Or condo? Or a house?

1. Apartment: Matt thinks I'm hesitant because of bad experiences we've had. The last place we were at (for over 3 years) had a history of never fixing problems, and I didn't quite feel safe there, in spite of the fact that it was only 1/2 mile away from the city's police headquarters. Matt feels there's plenty of other places out there that are cleaner & safer & all-around better. The biggest hesitation I have with renting an apartment is fearing that we'll get stuck. One year could quickly turn into three, then five, then ten, then that's it. I don't want that. I want a yard. I want a dog again someday!

2. Condo: Rent or buy? There's association fees that would add to the monthly cost. Condos do have the benefit of giving us more of a home-like feel than an apartment would, but I think the cost might be too high.

3. House: Renting a house doesn't look all that possible. I haven't found many that would be in our price range. Buying brings the fear of hidden problems. What if we move in and suddenly the furnace breaks? Or the roof leaks?

With whatever decision we make, I would really like us to stay in the same school district that we're in now. I really like it. Kirsten's been here for 4 of her 5 school years (yes, she started at 3 yrs.old! but she needed it & really benefited from it!), and they've had some excellent programs that she's been a part of. Part of me is leaning toward renting something for another year. That would give us a little more time to save, and work on knocking our debt down more (mostly all medical bills).

We meet with our mortgage guy again on Tuesday. Hopefully, whatever he goes over with us can give us a clearer picture of which route to pursue. I just can't wait to have our own place again. I miss having company over. I want to let Kirsten have friends over - even sleepovers sometimes. I miss having our photos out in the living room. I miss burning candles. I miss dancing around to fun music with Kirsten. Soon enough.

Any thoughts or opinions?