we currently rent a house in a neighborhood we greatly enjoy. we're about 2 blocks to the library, 4-5 blocks to the local Y, and maybe 4-5 blocks to a big playground. during the summer we walk to the park every day, and take ez to the library play group twice a week. we've lived here almost a year and i'm just starting to make friends with other local parents with baybeez. the problem is the house. for one it's old (built in 1917) and dark--the carpet here is dark green and there's lots of dark wood trim. the house is also in need of repairs which our landlord is too broke to accomplish. some are annoying (i.e. none of the doors to rooms stay shut when you close them, incl the bathroom; our fence is falling down), some are even more annoying (some genius prior tenant nailed shut all of the windows on the first floor and then painted them closed for good meaure. so, we can't open the windows on the first floor). and some are downright blecchy (the sink and shower drains are reaally sluggish; drano has not helped).
there's a house for rent near here that i found out about through work. the house is beautiful. it was built in 2003, has three (THREE!) bathrooms (current place has one), three big bedrooms, all the doors stay where you put them, all the windows open, the drains function like drains ought, etc. it has a two car garage attached to the house which will be a great benefit in winter for lugging in the baby and groceries and it has tons of closet space. it has a second floor laundry room! the problem is the house doesn't have a neighborhood. it's like the developer was drunk when he drew up the plan. there's no sidewalks. the house has barely any yard, and there's no playground anywhere within walking distance. the closest library is only 1.8mi away but you'd have to drive to it because it's off a main highway. the closest park isn't that far away but you'd have to drive to it. the closest Y is five miles away.
i just keep going back and forth. on the one hand, in the winter when it's two degrees, it's better to have a nicer house because you have to drive everywhere anyway. and the house is so loverly. otoh, it has been so nice just to plunk ez in the stroller and go for long walks...there's no where to go in the other neighborhood and we'd have to walk in the road.
rent for both houses is the same.
