212to312's Profile

Neat find. Just wish there was some info on those bookcases themselves. My second set of office-supply store placeholders isn't going to survive the next move.

Hey, I have a navy upholstered daybed in my living room! And, yeah, it's a great color. Plays well with others, has a different feel in direct sunlight or when the room's dimly lit, looks "adult" but youthful at the same time. I dig it.

Re: paper files and electronic files. Keep paper copies of all your bills for a calendar year. Keep all your pay stubs and receipts for two tax years. When you swap out the old for the new, you can shred them or scan them (if you want to have the records long term).

A trio of mine I haven't seen mentioned above:

How thick are the walls/floors/ceilings? What are they made out of? (Landlords almost never tell you what the neighbors are like and if you're in a high churn city you won't be able to visit a building at different times. But you'll know in the first week if your lifestyle fits with your neighbors and by then it's too late. If the landlord / broker doesn't know, have them go into the apartment next door and the one upstairs and shout your name in each of the different rooms.)

In addition to the building being up to code, ask if there are any claims against the building or the landlord. (You may not be able to tell which party is at fault but you should get a better picture of what the landlord and tenants are like. And it saves you having to go to the County Clerk's office and look through legal records.)

If you need to move out mid-lease, will the landlord work with you to find a new tenant (sublet / lease takeover concept), charge you a fee to break the lease, or be inflexible? (For a serious reason, like you need to take care of a sick parent, you get deployed to a war zone, your company transfers you to a different city.)