Thursday, March 31, 2011

I'm Moving...And I LOVE My New Apt!

On Sat. Apr 2 I'm officially moving into my NEW APT!!!  Now I know you might be wondering what this has to do w/ makeup and why I'm blogging about it here.  Well actually it does in fact have to do w/ makeup and my career. 

This has been MTHS in the making!  I've been scoping out apts and checking out listing on craigslist literally since about the Summer but I wanted to at least stay in my current apt. for a yr plus I was really busy w/ weddings in the Summer and I didn't want to move during the Winter when the weather is all crappy and work is slow. 

Well now we're back into bridal season (did I mention I have 7 weddings booked for May alone!) and really my whole reason for moving is the fact that I needed more natural light then my current apt. was offering me.  I do a lot of bridal trials and it's not always convenient or economical to travel to them so a lot of times I host them and on a few ocassions I've even borrowed a friend's apt. w/ more light for the appts.  As kind as my friends are it's not always convenient to arrange bridal trials w/ them too therefore I knew I had to upgrade my current living situation. 

The crazy thing is that you usually have to give notice 60 days before you're going to move but most places don't list their apts until a mth before so it's like this whole nail biting, gambling game to see if you're going to find the perfect apt. in time to move!  Let me tell you getting this current place was a total nail biter! 

I had seen several places but nothing was really "thrilling" me.  They were okay.  Some were over priced IMO but mostly it was hard to find that combination of light, space, affordability and of course LOCATION!  I wanted to stay central on the subway line...either in the Annex or somewhere close by (esp. since so many of my friends live in the area). 

So about 2 wks into Mar. I saw a listing for what sounded like an amazing apt.  I asked to see pictures and again I was WAY impressed!  I asked about a viewing and Ellen the one in charge was actually having a viewing on Sun. when I was working.  I begged her if it was possible to see it Sat. and she made an allowance for me and luckily I was the first one who got to see the apt.  Literally secs after I stepped into the apt. I knew I wanted it! 

It has all just been freshly painted, the floors were just redone, the bathtub bottom retiled and they replaced the toilet.  The living room is a great size w/ 3 huge beautiful windows w/ TONS of natural light, a great little mock fireplace add so much character to the room!  The kitchen is a great size...esp. for a Toronto apt.  Great bedroom w/ air conditioning (hell I'm just excited that I'm getting a 1 bdrm...I was looking at bachelors as well)...and best of  all there is a HUGE and I mean HUGE patio right outside my bdrm doors and it's completely isolated from the street and noise b/c the apt. is a 3rd floor walk up (yes I'll be getting my exercise lol).  It's like my own little private oasis...perfect for those Summer get togethers (which I plan to have a lot of)!  Only minor downsides are limited closet space, I don't have much stuff anyway since Shanghai...in fact I've been buying furniture to fill this place as my current place is only a bachelor and no laundry (I don't have laundry now so it's not a big change or anything).  Oh btw did I mention the location and price - Yonge & Grosvenor (just south of Wellesley) - $850/mth (this is insane for a Toronto 1 bdrm...esp considering the area & the size!).  Plus now that I'll be using my apt. for business I can also write off part of the rent!

I immediately told her I was interested and  made sure to make nice and talk about my work and how I was just coming from a job (I had my kit w/ me)...also just so she knows I'm a "working" makeup artist lol.  Sometimes it's hard when you're self employed to get ppl to rent to you b/c you don't have "employers" for them to verify..thank god I have amazing credit and great landlord references!  She gave me the application and I had it filled out, scanned and emailed back to her in under 2 hrs...I wanted to show I was interested lol!  I followed up on the Mon. to mention again just how interested I was and she said she's be letting ppl know later that wk.  On Thurs. I checked in again...I was trying to be persistent w/out being a pest and she emailed back saying that she current reach my current landlord for a reference.  They were on  vacation so I emailed them and asked if they would personally call her and give a reference which they so kindly did. 

During all of this I had to of course keep looking b/c I knew competition would be stiff for this apt. and there of course was a good chance I might not get it.  On the Sat. I saw a really cute bachelor on Spadina just north of Bloor...great windows again and lots of character w/ TONS of closet space...it was actually more expensive then the other place - $890/mth but still within my budget.  I then again emailed Ellen explaining that I was still very interested but if she could let me know one way or another about the apt. in the next day or so b/c there was another apt. I liked less but didnt' want to lose in case I didn't get this one.  She called me a few mins later and said "Boy you really want this apt. don't you?".  I laughed and apologized for my harassing but persistant emails and I got the apt!

When I went to sign the lease this wk I asked if there were a lot of ppl applying for the apt. and she said "Yes, A LOT!".  Basically, I got it b/c she liked me and I was the first person to see it...which is so funny b/c literally the reason I've gotten EVERY apt. I've ever lived in it's b/c I'm the first person who's seen it lol!  I literally don't think I'll be moving from this place unless there is a marriage proposal involved...and I don't see that one happening anytime soon lol!
Living Room...Look at how High the Ceilings are & isn't that mock fireplace so cute!
 Another view of the Living Room!
 Bedroom (pic taken from patio)
 Another view of the Bedroom
 The Patio Oasis...come on admit it...you're jealous ;)
 Bathroom...nothing fancy here but so many places I looked at only had a shower...no tub...deal breaker as I'm a bubble bath fiend!  I literally don't know how I lasted 6 mth in Shanghai w/ only a shower!
 Kitchen...as you can see pretty big!  Lots of counter and cupboard space.  You can't see it but there's also a cut out window so the kitchen looks out into the living room.  Helps it from feeling closed off.
So w/out further adieu here's some pics I took when I went and signed the lease...I'll post some new pics once I get all my furniture in and it's nice and set up!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your new apartment is awesome. I had no idea natural lighting was so important for makeup but that actually makes perfect sense.

Love the blog by the way. Followed. Make sure you stop by Alee's Perspective sometime & say what's up.

DeAnna said...

oh congrats on getting the place you wanted!! it looks great!! yay!!