Housing question: Which would you rather have?

[eyesroll]

Property one: Beautiful. Modern. Completely remodeled. Great paint. Spectacular kitchen. Lots of built-ins, and character. Remote-controlled ceiling fans, high-efficiency furnace, new windows. Free DirectTV. Pool table. (IN OTHER WORDS: The better apartment.) Aloof landlord (lives upstairs) who advertised that the place took pets, then balked at your cat, and took 2 or 3 days to respond to simple phone queries. Told you occupancy would be March, then shifted to April, and says he needs more time to decide between you and the three or four other applicants. And then he leaves town again, leaving you to wonder exactly what would happen if the heat stopped working at 3 a.m. when he was away.

Property two: Nice, but not quite as swank. Beige walls. Serviceable kitchen. Nice big bathroom. No built-ins (no pool table :D) but decent storage space. Very spacious. Heat and a washer/dryer included. A block from an enormous park. Landlady (lives elsewhere; a sushi chef lives upstairs) took only a few hours to return your call (and she had to ask the current tenants for permission for a showing), and when you got there complimented your SO's daughter's cuteness (they have a son around her age) and simply asked if the cat was litter trained. Told you up-front occupancy would be April. You found out knew a lot of the same people, and in fact the husband of the landlady writes for the same publication as your SO. They are active in the neighborhood association. They enthusiastically let you know they would be checking references but they very much wanted to rent to you over the other applicants (IN OTHER WORDS: The better landlord.)

Prices and locations are similar (Property One is cheaper, but doesn't include heat, so it evens out).

(Note: I'm not asking you to make this decision for me -- it's already been made -- but I'm wondering how everyone else would react.)

[flamingyouth]

1. I would take the better landlord.

Property #2. I think the sushi chef clinched it for me. :D

[eyesroll]

4. As long as the chef doesn't roll the maki to "Hallelujah," it's all good.

The upper tenants were described as "long-term, quiet and clean."

This is a nice contrast to my current neighbors.

[LaraMN]

2. Number two. A good landlord is a major virtue.

We had a crazy one once. He was alright with us, but it scared the piss out of me, the way he treated the tenants before us. I was nervous about him until we lived elsewhere.

[eyesroll]

6. My current one is absentee.

It's great in that he never bothers me, but it's horrible when you need something. If he answers his phone right away, he'll answer questions quickly, but he won't call you back. I'm probably going to need to threaten to take him to small-claims court in order to get my deposit back in a timely fashion.

[LaraMN]

8. Aieee!

We have a great landlord right now, and I know well enough to appreciate her!

[MissMillie]

3. I would love to have a sushi chef living upstairs.....

a good landlord is a thing to cherish

[AllegroRondo]

5. That settled it for me.

I'd invite him/her over for dinner a lot.

[eyesroll]

7. Heh... do remember that neighbors can move.

(And I can make reasonable maki.) But, yeah, that was nice to hear.

[AllegroRondo]

11. Maybe you can ask for some lessons?

[jane_pippin]

9. Better landlord, heat included, a playmate for the kid and adults you

can talk to--I'd go with that one.

Sounds like the first one has more potential for headaches with a landlord like that. And, maybe the cool landlady would let you paint the place.

[eyesroll]

12. Even if she won't -- J's got some good artwork for the walls.

It's still pretty neat, and spacious.

(In case anyone couldn't figure it out -- we were offered the apartment by the nice landlady, and we've decided to take it and not bother asking for an update from the other guy.)

[LynneSin]

10. I love in the other option and I'm so glad

Sure, I could have gotten an apartment in the 'hip' neighborhood of Wilmington but I would have paid $300 more per month, not have heat included, probably have some place smaller and no W/D, Dishwasher or Garbage Disposal.

I had a friend comment on why I lived in the neighborhood where I live (which is more ethnically diverse between African-Americans & Hispanics) and I asked him how he saved any money knowing he was spending the extra bucks on the location, the laundermat and his heating bills (electric) in the wintertime.

Ironcially in the past 2-3 years more young white people have been moving into my apartment complex because they realize that what you get for the apartment is so much more worth anything over in the 'hip' neighborhood which really is only about half a mile away

[DS1]

13. Free heating could be crucial next year

I'd go with that

[eyesroll]

14. My bills were obscene this year, because the aforementioned absentee

landlord dragged his feet on getting the boiler (which is original to the house, and was retrofit from coal to natural gas) replaced. He took a bit off my rent, but it was still disgusting.

I hear ya on that one.

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. I'd take the hundred wild acres with an eco-friendly compound for

my family.

Other than that, number 2 sounds decent. :)

[eyesroll]

16. If you find 100 wild acres in Milwaukee, let me know.

:D

We're city dwellers.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. I'm not likely to find that since I am in Maine. *g*