House Hunters Indiana

Finding a place to live in Lafayette, Indiana was not as easy as all of us thought.
The kids went armed with dozens of promising listings, and appointments to view properties, so it sounded like a piece of cake. Unfortunately, sounding good on paper doesn't necessarily mean its all that in person. Stephen has been keeping me updated on the hunt and those poor kids were exhausted and discouraged by mid-week.

They ran into all kinds of obstacles. Apartments that rent "by the bedroom" for college roommates. Places that sounded great but turned out to be a dirty hovel. They met one agent at a house that the guy didn't realize was still occupied. He apologized and asked if the kids wanted to reschedule a viewing later. The place was so run down and the yard filled with trash...real trash and old tires and stuff, so they politely declined. One Craigslist internet scam that the kids didn't fall for, but still, that was one more strike off the potential list. One place that seemed promising, had great space, a good location and decent price but turned out to have such a foul stench on the 2nd floor that Hannia practically ran out of the house gagging. The agent assured them that it would be cleaned and the odor removed before they could move in, but the kids didn't think it was even possible.

When I talked to Stephen on Wed. night I wasn't sure that he wasn't going to change his mind about moving at all. But then they found a place that suits them.
It's a 3 bedroom townhouse, completely new, and won't be finished until August 10th (which is pushing it because school starts on the 23rd, but it will work). Its smaller than they would have liked. There are 3 bedrooms, but they are really tiny. The kitchen and living room are also pretty small. Storage space is limited. There is no outside space to speak of. And its near the top of their budget.

But...on the UP side...being new, it is completely immaculate, up to date, and mercifully stink-free (LOL). It is in a great location downtown just a short stroll away from the Main St. shopping/restaurant area and a Farmer's Market. Its also on the trolley line that runs straight to campus. That's a big plus. And there is designated parking. Apparently that is not necessarily a given there as the kids ran up on places where you had to park wherever you could out on the street. They have decided that they can work with the space....and actually seemed to be excited now that the brutal search is over. Stephen said that this was the only place they saw that Hannia could actually picture them in. I think they are both satisfied with it.

And more great news...Hannia's bosses were so sorry to see her leave that they have agreed to let her keep her job thanks to all of these new-fangledy things like faxes and video conferencing and stuff. The kids are feeling relieved as not having any foreseeable income while job hunting was a little bit scary. It looks like things are all coming together, and they should be on their way around the 10th. I am going to miss them, but its going to be alright. I know in my heart that the kids need to figure out the right path for them.