Apartment Search Advice

It took what felt like forever to finally find an apartment and it was a struggle to do the search for the first time in my life. I thought that maybe someone else reading this may be in a similar situation.

A little advice;

First thing: Budget. Figure it out, be honest with yourself or you won't be happy in your new place. You will need to account for a security deposit, some places need first and last rent when you move in, any extra bills entailed with moving, any rent due for your old apartment.
(This section could go on for days, but the most helpful thing I did here was just go through my bank statements online to see what I was spending and what I could afford to pay monthly towards rent with all the initial costs I mentioned above)

Be Nice to Everyone: even if the apartment isn't a fit they may recommend somewhere that works better for you.

Your always interested, but BE HONEST: This is part of being nice to everyone, if you are taking the time to interact with the person at least seem interested and then if your not just politely and honestly explain why. (This led to another great lead for me)

Be meticulous with follow-up and note taking: after about the 15th apartment I couldn't tell up from down and my notes helped me remember what places we liked and which where just dumps. Also, your expectations for a place may change through the search and the housing you passed on before may need to be reevaluated so having these notes is great for that.
-I tend to need a little more organization than other people so next time I would probably start an excel spreadsheet with my notes: availability, price, address, contact info, status, etc.

Where to look:
-classically the classifieds are a good place, the print versions are great, but look online because most local newspapers have an online addition of the classifieds that is easier to search.
-property management companies have apartment rental listings that you can get from their website, by calling (some times prerecorded), or by calling and talking to reception. Personally I like talking to someone because if its a large company with a lot of properties you can usually explain what your looking for and they have recommendations for you which saves a lot of your time.
-Drive By: Depending on the neighborhood you want to live in there may be lots of apartment complexes you can just drive by and stop if you like. This is much more time consuming and best when done during business hours because sometimes they have offices and can show you a place right then. As you drive-by these complexes write down any information on rental signs and call while your there because they may have a lock box so you can view on the spot.
-Myspace, Facebook, Social Networks: I put up bulletins, postings on all the market places and general information dialogues provided by the social networks sites I belong to. This led to a few emails of friends who had info and also my friends' friends who are in my network that I may have connected with otherwise.
-Tell Everyone Your Looking: A lot of opportunities come up when you talk to people, and if they are close to you or care at all they will keep you top of mind if they come across something.

About.com has good articles on the subject

I hope this helps someone, please leave comments with any corrections, additions or anything else you want! Thanks!

Reflection on Veteran's Day

The swarm of news coverage and media buzz surrounding homeless veterans over the past week comes just in time for this Veteran’s Day. The majority of these articles cite the study by National Alliance to End Homelessness from November 8th.

While reading about the fourth or fifth news article, all sounding off the aforementioned study, I wondered if this buzz will stick. I hope this does not have the charity surplus factor that occurs during Thanksgiving and Christmas and is more or less forgot about the rest of year by the majority of America.

Close to 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. The study, by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, found that about half of homeless vets are Vietnam veterans and at least 1,500 are newly returned from Iraq or Afghanistan.

As an American and a Humanitarian I am disgraced by this; shelter is a basic human need, we are one of the richest countries in the world and if we can’t provide proper support for men and women willing to risk their lives for us we fail big time. I hope that this attention paid to these Veterans today has staying power that creates action. I expect the government to put forth effort in assimilation for these people when they get back from deployment and rehabilitation for those who need it. The study does offer specific, and I believe, viable solutions to this problem.

This is not an issue of military consciousness; this is an issue of humanity.

Refugee Game: Play Against All Odds

"Rather than chasing ghosts or fighting aliens, Against All Odds guides the gamer through the experience of being a refugee.

The game was designed by workers in the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)." -Gamers get taste of refugee life, BBC article

Its amazes me what people can come up with as technology is integrated into society, or as society catches up with tech. This game, as the article mentions, is aimed at a younger crowd that often has skewed views of refugees. While I am not sure if the generalities made within the game are the best, the essence of this objective is honorable. Any way that we can broaden our culture's acceptance and understanding of people and struggles outside of our direct experience is valuable in my eyes.

However, the game does have some objectionable content for this core audience. I would use this at a high school level, due to some violence but quality derivatives, as a constructive teaching tool.

Check out the game here: http://www.playagainstallodds.com/

God Goes Web 2.0

"GodTube.com, a video-sharing site with Christian content, drew more than 4 million unique visitors during October." -Monterey Herald article

It's like Youtube for God, with an astonishing amount of web content and traffic for a new site. Complete with advertising and social networking. I can't help but find irony in the name GodTube. This site, while a great platform for Christianity, makes me wonder if technology will hinder or help religion. Christmas has already been consumed with secular commercialism, is the religion as a whole a commercial commodity in present day society?

Back in the little town I grew up in our church changed pastors and with that came a new look and feel to the good ole word. Power point sermons, photo slide shows accompany worship and choir, and the church website has been revamped and updated. With a majority of our congregation applicable for senior discounts and up to 5 generations of families this was less than favorably received.

Change is hardly ever received well by a faith rooted in tradition and history, but is this for the better or worse? I can see it being used in great ways to target younger generations, but while it alienates their parents and grandparents?

Personally, I find comfort in the church service I grew up with, old hymns and dorky reenactments of Christmas and Easter put on by church members. But as a tech/web 2.0 junkie I find promise in a compromise of both, I hope that web 2.0 doesn’t cannibalize some of my favorite things about church.

Hlaska.com: Wallets and Bags, Just launched!!

A fabulous up and coming designer has signed on with Hlaska and designed the majority of the line they just launched November 1st. And as in the nature of siblings this is a shameless plug for my sister. She also designed most of the women's line that will be coming out early next year.

The designs, though I am biased, are different than a lot of your average high-end wallets and bags. One of my particular favorites is the Evergreen wallet with wood detail. Also the Astronomy wallet is modeled after the Big Dipper with 3-D cutouts. (Images embedded) The wallets have amazing detail and all have a great deal of practical design components.


Go check out her designs and share the site with your friends! https://www.hlaska.com/