House Hunters

There's a TV show on 9Life at the moment called House Hunters.  Basically, the people on the show are looking for somewhere to live, either as a rental or to buy.  The agent shows them three properties, and they have to choose between them.  I think it's quite a weird set up - because, what if they don't like any of them at all, and then they have to buy one of the three?

Anyway the whole point of that description is that I went to three house viewings today (to rent).  A 2 storey townhouse (duplex to those of an international audience), a 2rd floor unit, and a house.  They all had plenty of pros and cons, and I've now written a list and am looking at it, perplexed.

All three places are of similar price (the house is ten dollars more), they all have hard-floored living areas, and they all have single garages.  That is where the similarities end.

Let's talk outdoors.  The unit doesn't have an outdoors, being two floors up with four steep flights of stairs.  Its garage is separate, so you have to walk outside to access it.  The townhouse has a little paved/graveled and fenced courtyard which would be low maintenance, with the garage opening into the house and a second parking space on the driveway outside.  The house has quite a large garden with lots of trees (high maintenance) and the garage opens into the house.  It also has a leaking gutter that would have to be fixed.

Location: the house and the unit are both located within a couple of minutes of the local shopping centre, and fifteen minutes from work.  The townhouse on the other hand is twenty minutes from work and ten minutes from the shopping centre.

The only one out of the three properties that has air conditioning is the unit, which has two A/Cs, one in the living area and one in the master bedroom.  However the only property with a dishwasher is the townhouse, and while we're on the subject of kitchens, none of them are particularly impressive.  The house has a gas cook-top which is a definite bonus but the rest of the kitchen is dingy with the sink area urgently needing repair.  The unit has a modern electric stove & cook-top while the townhouse has a very old electric stove and cook-top duo with dubious functionality.

Did I mention, I just put in an application on the unit and the townhouse... but neither has even been looked at yet so why am I even comparing?  I might not get a CHOICE which one I take !!!

Oh, and the unit is available now and the townhouse might not be available until 5 May... I've pretty much discounted the house at this stage.

To be continued...