10-Step Countdown to Your First Apartment

May 10, 2007 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

So, you’re looking for your first apartment. Follow these steps and you’ll be on your own before you know it—even if you’re currently living in your parents’ basement. (The good news is that our polls show two thirds of first-apartment hunters will find a place within three weeks once they start actively looking, which happens…

How to find that first apartment, one more time…

April 24, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

It’s hard not to have an big ego when deciding where to get that first apartment. Mostly, because it’s such a mark of independence. It’s your name on that lease and it’s going to be YOUR apartment. But, if possible, try not to go all presidential–think what a mess the country’s in because someone got…

Craigslist Easy as Pie

March 6, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

It’s come to my attention that a faux pas has been made. Specifically, I’ve dropped the ball, lost the leash, and any other apt colloquialism that would express regret and incompetence. Why, you ask? Because while I’ve mentioned Craigslist on many an occasion, I’ve neglected to teach you to really use Craiglist. I mean, pump…

“It must have gotten lost in the mail…”

March 2, 2007 | By jen t. AuthorMy First Apartment

Tomorrow is moving day, and we’ve been changing addresses like crazy, which leads us to our next preparation pointer: Make a checklist of all the institutions and organizations that have your address on file. Then let each one of them know that you’ve got a new mailing address. Doing this will take some time, but…

Moving day: T-minus three days…

February 27, 2007 | By jen t. AuthorMy First Apartment

We apologize for not posting much lately, but this Saturday is moving day, and boy, have we been busy. Shopping for a TV. Shopping for a couch. Packing. Trying to take care of all the tedious, “administrative” stuff. And the list goes on. Here are a couple pointers for ya: 1) Decide exactly how you’ll…

To Move Out, or Not to Move Out, that is the Question

February 27, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

And what a doosy it is! On one hand, free rent, free electricity, free food! On the other, free phone calls at midnight asking you where you are, who you’re with, and when you plan on returning to the cradle. It may shock you, (or perhaps validate you), but more than ever, young 20-somethings are…

U-Haul, eek, part 2

February 16, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Well, I now am the proud owner of a 7-year-old peach and beige fabric sofa. How did the move go, you ask? More or less smoothly. Or less. The movers arrived forty-five minutes late and they didn’t have any quilts to cover the sofa with, so I had to improvise with sheets. To be fair,…

Moving and a Shaking( U-haul or I-haul?)

February 7, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

I’ve been looking up moving companies for a week now and have found all these companies with cute-sy allusions to ‘dancing’. There is nothing ‘cute’ about my dad barking in my ears to ‘BEND YOUR KNEES!” But, admittedly, I have enjoyed scanning craigslist to the likes of “Git-R-Done” local moving company and the “I like…

We signed the lease

February 6, 2007 | By jen t. AuthorMy First Apartment

It sure was nice not to have to spend last weekend looking at apartments. That’s right–we decided to go ahead and take the place in the Mission. In the end, just thinking about passing it up seemed like a bad idea. I mean, the only thing on our wishlist that we didn’t get was guaranteed…

That was fast…

January 30, 2007 | By jen t. AuthorMy First Apartment

Jason here. Remember that Mission apartment Jen mentioned on Sunday? The one with the huge garden? Yeah, it’s awesome. It was the first one we looked at, and I don’t think we’re going to find another one that nice (for the price–$1875). It’s one of seven units in an old—but recently remodeled—Victorian house. The unit…