We're Moving . . . .

Just to make things interesting; like we didn't have enough to do right about now.

When we were trying to buy the house last month, there was a point (about December 8th) where we had to give 30 days notice on the apartment or risk paying for an additional month. So we gave 30 days notice to be out by January 8th.

Then the financing fell through on the house. (Just as an aside, I noticed watching the "Flip This House" marathon on TLC last night that 4 out of 5 of their house flippers had also had their deals fall through in the last six months due to financing problems. Seems to be a trend.)

So we have to get out of the apartment; fortunately we can stay until the last week of the month. We have applications in at two other complexes and should hear back from them tomorrow or Tuesday. This is ultimately a GOOD thing. We had gotten pretty tired of the complex we're living in for several reasons:

Construction. We were given very little notice of the impending construction, and the duration of the construction means I missed several days of work at Nursefinders because I was unable to sleep during the day for the construction noise.

Trash and Debris. The laborers frequently left their personal garbage from snacks and meals, as well as construction debris and tools, in the walkways and parking areas of the complex, making it look very trashy for an two months.

Landscaping and Parking. The bushes and ground cover of the complex, which have suffered from the recent drought, took a real beating from the construction. Several of the landscaping timbers were dislodged and broken by the power equipment used by the laborers. This same equipment also rutted and potholed the parking lot in several places; increasing the trashy look to the complex.

Maintenance. During the summer we reported three problems with the apartment at different times: a poorly heating oven, a noisy and wobbly ceiling fan, and a leaky facet in one of the bathrooms. While the oven was finally fixed (we have had problems with this oven for almost our entire stay here), the ceiling fan and the broken faucet are still broken several months later. These were reported to the previous office staff several times prior to their departure, and when our son attempted to report them again to the new office staff, they were very rude to him and suggested he "have your parents call us."

"Private Balconies and Patios" As advertised on their website, the original wood balcony rails provided a great deal of privacy. More importantly to us, it provided a barrier to keep our cats from escaping. Since these have been replaced by the thin, skimpy wrought iron railings, not only have we lost any semblance of privacy on the patio, but our cat has escaped several times.

Swimming Pool. The pool was closed (apparently for cleaning; the water was green and littered with debris) from late August until early October; nearly two months. Today as I write this the pool continues to have a great deal of debris in it.

"Pet Friendly" While the signs on the fences advertise this, and the website says "WE LOVE PETS!," the Office door recently had a sign posted that requested pets be left outside the office because of staff that had "allergies." The previous office staff not only welcomed pets; they kept treats for the animals in their desks and loved to pet and scratch the dogs that came into the office.

Security Gate. One of the primary reasons we moved to San Antonio (and specifically chose Cape Cod apartments) is that we have had problems with a stalker who has threatened my wife and I several times; to the point that we have had a restraining order against this person. The Security Gate was a prime feature of our security. The gate was just fixed last month after seven months standing open.

So if I'm gone for a day or two, it means the lease has been approved and the computer is packed in a box somewhere I can't find.

We should be all moved by this time next week if all goes well. Whether the internet is turned on or not is another matter. I'll try to give you some warning when we start to move.

Maybe.

~~JD~~