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davis_square2010-12-18 06:53 pm
junesrose.livejournal.com) wrote in davis_square2010-12-18 06:53 pm
Entry tags:
Curiousity killed the landord?
Hello all,
I have a question, an informal poll of sorts.
I'm at the beginning stages of remodeling my mother's house (she's not living there anymore). It's a two family home. The downstairs apt right now is a one bedroom.
Here's where your sage wisdom/expertise comes in:
I have the ability of making this space a nice, big, one bedroom apartment with a huge eat-in kitchen, large living room and bedroom; or I can take that "extra" room (the kitchen, believe it or not) and turn it into a second bedroom, and make a smaller galley-like kitchen, open to a common room/living room area, which, overall, would not be that big.
I know that it's difficult to visualize, and ultimately, it's my decision, but I"m just looking for what YOU ALL would be looking for in an apartment as a single renter, or with one other roommate.
As a single renter, is the kitchen important to you? The bigger the better? I know that kitchens in homes are massive these days, but do you all look for that in apartments too? Do you young'uns spend time in the kitchen like us old folk?
And, if you were to move in with someone else (have a roomate), how important is a larger kitchen for you? Do you consider the size of the living room/common space or are the bedrooms more important when sharing an apartment (these two bedrooms would be a good size).
Ok, I'm being redundant on both questions, just humor me.....
Also, in general, how important are laundry facilities on-site (ok, I think I know the answer to this one, but I'm throwing it out there as well...)??
Thanks in advance!
:D
~@~@~@~
ADDENDUM-DUM
Er... I know I should be asking a realtor this question, and I have fair idea, but what's the going rate these days for a large one bedroom apt close (VERY CLOSE) to Davis sq?????
I have a question, an informal poll of sorts.
I'm at the beginning stages of remodeling my mother's house (she's not living there anymore). It's a two family home. The downstairs apt right now is a one bedroom.
Here's where your sage wisdom/expertise comes in:
I have the ability of making this space a nice, big, one bedroom apartment with a huge eat-in kitchen, large living room and bedroom; or I can take that "extra" room (the kitchen, believe it or not) and turn it into a second bedroom, and make a smaller galley-like kitchen, open to a common room/living room area, which, overall, would not be that big.
I know that it's difficult to visualize, and ultimately, it's my decision, but I"m just looking for what YOU ALL would be looking for in an apartment as a single renter, or with one other roommate.
As a single renter, is the kitchen important to you? The bigger the better? I know that kitchens in homes are massive these days, but do you all look for that in apartments too? Do you young'uns spend time in the kitchen like us old folk?
And, if you were to move in with someone else (have a roomate), how important is a larger kitchen for you? Do you consider the size of the living room/common space or are the bedrooms more important when sharing an apartment (these two bedrooms would be a good size).
Ok, I'm being redundant on both questions, just humor me.....
Also, in general, how important are laundry facilities on-site (ok, I think I know the answer to this one, but I'm throwing it out there as well...)??
Thanks in advance!
:D
~@~@~@~
ADDENDUM-DUM
Er... I know I should be asking a realtor this question, and I have fair idea, but what's the going rate these days for a large one bedroom apt close (VERY CLOSE) to Davis sq?????
no subject
Remodeling a kitchen is HUGE expense. I'm sure your aware of that. My mom's house was built at the turn of the century, and the kitchen is probably half that age. Sometimes, in these older homes, you just can't do what would be "better design" because the structure of the house doesn't allow for it without spending $$$.
[For example, the old chimney in my mom's house runs through the middle of house, and takes up a lot of space in the kitchen. The current stove is gas and is vented through the chimney. The chimney and stove stick out a bit and are in the way, and really impossible to work with in re-designing the kitchen without removing the chimney all together. That's a huge expense and a ton of work. Not everyone sees the need or has the finances to do that. With the help of a ginaormous loan, I am going to try to make this kitchen livable, but it's a one shot deal; I'm not doing this again. My kids can remodel if they like. :/]
However, when my mom lived there, she refused to put any money into the house unless it was absolutely necessary to keep it from falling down. So, remodeling the kitchen was not something she would even consider.
She was alone in the house, and had help from neighbors when she needed it, but was very independent in making decisions about work needed (i.e., she wouldn't listen to me...). And, I'm assuming that most older people who own the homes around the area feel the same way. They're going to do what is necessary, and no more. Spending $10K on updating a kitchen is not worth it if you're not going to get that back in rent. Especially if the rest of the apartment is in OK condition. Besides, this would mean having a vacant apartment for the duration of the renovation. And if the landlord lives there as well, they maybe cannot afford to lose that monthly check. You may see it as an investment, they may see it barely making ends meet that the end of the month. That extra "$5400" that you mention may be going to higher water rates, and taxes, things that a lot of tenants don't think about, but are incorporated into the rent. And if you've paid the same rent for 3 years, I think that's a pretty good deal.