Photo by micklerlop

You would think I would be good at this by now. You’d also think that I would know what I want instantly, and not have to view every apartment complex from here to China.

Let me back up. I have this constant desire to keep moving. It started as soon as I graduated high school, and has progressed into something more mature each round. First it was just moving out of my mom’s home and into an apartment shared by 3 other girls (ugh). Then, it was 4 different apartments shared with random people, mostly girls, throughout college. After that, a friend and I were supposed to move in together in Charlotte. That flopped and I lived with him and his step-sisters, 2 dogs and 5 cats for a summer… then I was back in school in D.C., living in another dorm apartment. Once that was finished, I moved in with the roommate from hell, who I thankfully only had to live with for five months. Then I found what I thought was a great place in Alexandria, except it was surrounded by idiots who don’t know how to drive and a population that consists of mostly non-natives. Headache.

During those 3 years of swapping apartments I was always hoping I would be able to move into a place of my own, and I was always scoping out and checking out places in the area for pure enjoyment. I like checking out the decor and stylings of apartment communities–Industrial loft spaces in Arlington, high rises in Alexandria, expansive garden style communities in Fairfax. Once I got into my own place, I began decorating immediately, but as time drew nearer to my moving date (2 months away!), I decided there was no sense in investing in the space anymore.

So finally, my lease is almost up. Over the past couple of months the boyfriend and I have been looking at place after place. This past weekend was no different. Of the four places we checked out for my upcoming move, I have not been able to narrow it down at all. I manage to remove one or two, maybe even get down to one last place and think I have made my decision, and then an hour later I have decided that no, no — I want all my options back, because the living room space was much bigger in that one place, but the kitchen hasn’t been updated. That other one has a large bedroom and a den, but the other one is a much nicer community and has a better floorplan. And then I manage to narrow it down to one — that one with the view of the lake on the top floor with the vaulted ceilings and the newly remodeled kitchen — and then I think about the gym, or how the living room is the same size as I have now.

My dilemma is, where do I make the sacrifices? One of the places had a huge, and I mean HUGE, living room, closet, bedroom and bathroom… But it had a kitchen that was 15 years old. But it was gated! And had a great gym! Do I sacrifice the kitchen to get more space?

It’s so difficult to make a decision.. I have about 2 weeks to make one, before my self-set deadline is up.

Do you have any tips on choosing the best apartment? What do you look for when moving into a new space/area?