Good and Bad Things About Our New Apartment

Amanda and I are on to our third home (already!), but we really only had to move because of the renovations undergoing at our old complex.  We also wanted to get out of Kirkland because of the high cost of living there.  We found a new place in Bothell, basically in Mill Creek.  It's certainly different from our old place.  I think there are more good things about it than bad, but I thought I'd share both good and bad things about it.  First, to get it out of the way I'll go over the bad things.

Bad:
- We can hear the upstairs neighbors too easily.
We live on the 2nd floor of a 3 floor complex.  We have neighbors above and below us.  We're used to having to not make too much noise on the floor (we've always lived on the 2nd floor), but at our last place, we didn't have any upstairs neighbors, which was nice.  We hear them walking a lot, and Amanda can even hear them talking and snoring or their TV.

- Longer commute
With moving to Bothell comes longer commutes.  Because of COVID-19, I am not working at the moment, but when I do go back to work, the commute to work will be longer than before.  Fortunately I do not have to deal with that yet.

- Less bedroom space
Our bedroom is a bit noticeably smaller.  Our living/dining room is about the same, maybe a tad smaller as well.  It's not a big deal, especially since we are using our space better.  At our last place, our couch was basically in the middle of the living room, because if it was against the wall, it would have been too far away from the TV.

Good:
- Best amenities I have ever seen
Literally the best amenities I have ever seen at an apartment complex.  Swimming pool, billiards, huge gym, coffee and tea bar, TV, brand new Apple computers, etc.  Just so many great things for residents to do.  Unfortunately the amenities are closed right now, but we'll get to experience them some day.

- Big balcony and outdoor storage
Our outdoor balcony area is the biggest we have had so far at our three places.  It's got plenty of space for a patio table, chairs, and even a grill.  And our outdoor storage is bigger than what we had at our last place.

- Deep pantries
We definitely have more space to put our non-perishable foods.  Before, we used to have space just for cups, plates, bowls, etc., but now we have a place for those things AND groceries.  And the pantries we have go pretty deep, so they can accommodate a lot of stuff.  We just have to be careful some food items don't get lost back there and go bad/expire.

- Valet garbage service
Because our complex is so large with only a few dumpsters, we have the option of a garbage valet service.  Five nights a week we have the option of leaving our trash and recycle out for a paid attendant to pick up.  All we have to do is put it outside our door.  It's awesome, and whenever we move out of here, I know I will miss this service immensely.

- Surrounding area/shops
I think the surrounding area is even better for us here.  We're still within walking distance of a Safeway, but we have more restaurants, a dollar store, and a Fred Meyer.  I also really like the surrounding nature, which we can see right from our living room window.

- Even better nature views
Being at "North Creek", there is a flowing creek and a bunch of trees in our area that almost make it seem like you're far removed from the city, which we're not, fortunately.  On our walk to the leasing office/mailbox, there is a bridge which goes over a flowing creek.  We also get a lot of bunnies around our complex.


Well, that's all I have for now, if I think of anything else, I'll be sure to add it here!

We're Moving!

After two and a half years at Scout (formerly Hunter's Run), Amanda and I are moving!  The main reason for the move is the massive renovations the complex is undergoing.  They rebranded (from Hunter's Run to Scout) and they've already replaced the roofs and windows of apartments.  Our lease we signed late last summer only went until the beginning of April, because Scout has to have construction guys remodel the inside of our apartment.  I've seen what they've done to other apartments; they completely gut them and replace everything.  It would not be possible to stay in the apartment during that.

They have not reached out to us yet (but I expect they will soon), but Scout will probably offer us a comparable apartment that's already been renovated.  Unfortunately with the remodel, they are raising rent in the remodeled units, a rent we cannot afford.  We've checked online and while the apartments are nice, we just can't afford it.

So we began our apartment search.  We found a place in Bothell called "Griffis North Creek" just off the Bothell-Everett Highway.  It's got the nicest amenities I have ever seen in an apartment complex.  To start, it's got:

- A pool table
- Swimming pool, large enough to do laps in
- Jacuzzi
- Full size gym
- Yoga studio (with hot yoga capabilities)
- Shuffleboard
- Full-size coffee and tea bar
- Brand new Apple computers for use
- Two gas grills anyone can use

And more.

But our apartment, where we'll be spending most of our time, is very nice as well.  It's got a kitchen with all new stainless steel appliances, a small pantry, a coat closet, walk-in closet, washer/dryer, and my favorite part: Garbage valet service.  Because it's such a huge complex, it's quite a walk to the nearest garbage dumpster, so they offer a garbage valet service.  Five nights a week, a trash person collects garbage people leave out in front of their door.  It's awesome.  Oh, also each apartment is fitted with sprinklers, so in case of a massive fire, our belongings will not get burnt and lost forever.

But for the first time, I will not call Kirkland home.  I have lived in Kirkland my entire life, but unfortunately it's just become too expensive to live in.  My sister moved out of Kirkland a few years ago.  My parents moved out just last year.  Now in just a few weeks, I will move out of Kirkland myself.  I love the city, and it will always have a special place in my heart, but it was time to move on and move out.  At least I will stay on the east side and within driving distance.

Our apartment is on the small-ish size at 659 square feet, but that's okay to me.  It will encourage Amanda and I to get rid of stuff we no longer need.  My plan in these next few weeks is to put all-non essentials in our storage unit we rent, and then as time goes on, make trips to the storage unit and decide whether to keep things and put them in our new apartment, or get rid of them.

My least favorite part will be our commute.  I did some research and when traffic is bad, it could take an hour to get to work, which I am not looking forward to.  Depending on how it goes (or if I can find an alternative route to 405), I might get a Good-To-Go pass so I can drive in the toll lanes.  We also might carpool on occasion, even though we work an hour apart (she starts and gets off an hour after me).  Unfortunately, the carpool requirements during peak hours is 3 occupants, so we wouldn't be able to use the toll lanes as an HOV lane for free.

I'm excited for this move.  We're going to get our keys and set up everything Saturday the 28th, and move our furniture the following day.  We then will use the following week up until our lease expires to move the remaining things and clean the old apartment.  I'm hoping that our current residence does not make us deep clean all the appliances and counters they're just going to replace anyway. 

I will probably post an update after move, sometime in April, about how the transition to Griffis North Creek has gone.  I am looking forward to taking advantage of the amenities when possible.  Wish me luck with the move, it's definitely a change for me!