Viewing houses

30th September, 2011

Today I flew to Minneapolis. I aimed to get the 6.30am train from Hampton Bays. When I got to the station, I found out that the train was cancelled. The next train wasn't for another few hours so there was no way I was going to make the flight. Sal kindly offered to drive me the 90 mins to the airport. I ended up being there very early. I arrived into Minneapolis and headed to the hotel. The bus I had to take was a very small one so when I got on with all my bags, the driver asked me if I was on the right bus.

I got to the hotel and looked up where I had to go in order to view the 4 houses I arranged to view today. Because people replied at different times so I had to go to one place, then further north and then back south again.

House 1: The first house was quite far south (close to airport). The landlord was very nice. He showed me around. The place was a little dingy. There were 3 tenants. The tenant in the basement was a drummer (which concerned me slightly). The area was a very suburban and next to a huge park. There weren't any shops or amenities close-by that I could see. The main thing going for this house was that the bedroom was pretty much fully furnished.

House 2: This house was in an area called Powderhorn. This was a very nice house and very high tech (there was a video camera at the front door and a separate door bell for each room. Two guys and a girl live there and the place is quite swanky. They had a really nice garden out the back with lots of flowers and a little fountain. They had a common attic area with desks for studying and a spare bedroom for guests. Overall it was a very nice place. The main disadvantage was the location and the fact that the room wasn't furnished at all.

House 3: This place was the worst place. It was just a few blocks form House 2. It was a very small lower level of a house. I would share with one guy. It was a strange setup because the guy sleeps in the living area and the bathroom is accessed through the room I would take. I wouldn't really like someone going through my room when I am asleep. This was the cheapest place but for a reason.

House 4: This place had the best location. Two guys live in the house and it has two bathrooms (so the best ratio). The two guys are medical and pharmacy resident students. They are both very nice. They are very busy so won't be around a lot. The guy who gave me the tour said that he only saw the last housemate about 3 times because he was so busy. This house was nice but a little less nice than house 2. The basement had laundry facilities and a little study/chill out area. The bedroom was a little equipped with a dresser and the possibility of a bed.

After House 4, I was again fooled by the scale of the map. Everything looks closer than it really is. It took me over 2 hours to walk home in the dark. I first had to get around the airport and then came across a main road that I had to go out of my way to cross. The photo above is the overpass over the road.

Which house did I choose?