Downsizing: A Move from the ‘Burbs to the City

After a move from Minnesota to Illinois, I have spent the past year living with my in-laws. Yes, you heard that right, living with my in-laws. Do not get me wrong, it has been a great experience in regards to spending quality time with my husband’s family. It has truly been a unique experience. And trust me, we will have so many stories from this year to tell our future children. But alas, I miss my stuff (which has been in storage) and we miss our privacy. Also, I hate my commute, which is more than an hour into and out of the city every day. Blah.

Due to a change in roles at my company and thus a change in schedule, it became necessary to move sooner rather than later. Thus, the time has actually come for us to move into our own place (again)! The challenge is finding a place that fits our criteria and stays within budget.

Finding a place:

For anyone who lives in or has recently lived in Chicago, you know that the rental market is incredibly competitive and expensive in the popular neighborhoods. It becomes even more challenging to find a place to live on a limited budget and with specific criteria. We narrowed down our neighborhoods to Bucktown/ Logan Square (close to family) or the Near North (close to my work). Our criteria included:
• Allows beasts (The four-legged dog variety)
• At least one bedroom (Preferably two)
• Close to the train
• Central air and heat
• Laundry in-unit or at least on-site
• Hardwood or hard surface floors (I am allergic to everything)
• Relatively updated kitchen with a dishwasher (We cook a lot)
• Storage space

It is hard to find accomodations that allow beasts such as this one.

With our criteria nailed down, the searching commenced. (Well, let’s be honest, I had been searching for a place to move into from the day that I moved in with my in-laws. My introverted self could not help but hope for a more private space.) 

The confirmation that I would be changing jobs a few weeks ago necessitated the move so I began looking for a place. I did not have high hopes as all of our fellow Chicago friends and renters said that we would have no luck finding a place to rent unless we used an agent.

Success!

But my diligent searching was fruitful on my very first try! I found a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment meeting all of our criteria and in our budget on a rental website. The landlord I contacted got right back to me, we scheduled a showing and she accepted our application all within a few days. Terrific!

The catch? We have to wait more than 60 days to move in. The agony continues. However, my type A personality has lots of time to plan the design of our new rental.

Next week, design inspiration and planning . . . narrowing down the options (and trying to convince a husband that teal is a great color).