The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: rent

  • A Simple Tip for Apartment Dwellers

    If you’ve been a good tenant, this trick to avoid a rent increase works like a charm.

  • People Have to Live Somewhere

    It’s not a homeless problem. It’s a home problem.

  • Homesharing

    Every once in a while, you stumble upon an absolutely brilliant idea that makes you wonder why no one has thought of it before. It just makes so much sense on so many levels that you know it’s meant to be. That was my thought process when I saw this video. Imagine this: a 95-year-old…

  • My Newfound Independence

    Every year on this date, my thoughts naturally turn toward independence. But this year, ah, this year! I truly am feeling independent for the first time in ages. First of all, I am a homeowner again. That means that I am no longer at the mercy of landlords. I don’t have to worry about them…

  • Dear New Tenants

    When you rent a place that you know has been a rental property for many years, you tend to think of it as having no emotional history whatsoever. It’s easy to assume that it’s just a space that has been occupied by a long line of non-owners who came, paid their rent, and then moved…

  • One Very Close Shave

    So, I’ve been house hunting in the cutthroat Seattle market. After three rejected bids, two of which were soul-crushing, I was sorely tempted to give up. But I don’t really have that luxury. If I don’t lock down a steady mortgage payment, my rent is bound to increase way beyond my means. So I resigned…

  • Greed

    I’ve been learning a very unpleasant economics lesson lately. Attempting to buy a house in the Seattle, Washington area is leaving a bitter taste in my mouth indeed. This is the most booming seller’s market in the entire country, and therefore I’m experiencing cutthroat competition. I’ve seen house values nearly double in the three years…

  • Shipping Container Chic

    No doubt about it. Seattle is booming. The city bird should be the construction crane. Despite the astonishing number of buildings being erected, contractors can barely keep up with the housing demand. Because of this, landlords know they can basically charge whatever they like in rent. According to Rent Jungle, as of May 2015, the…

  • Bigger Fish to Fry

    Today I reported a con artist to the police. It was your typical Craig’s List con, a guy offering a house to rent at a price that was too good to be true. But I figured what the heck? Never hurts to ask. So I contacted him. He tells me the address, and gives me…

  • Two Short Steps Away from my Life’s Dream

    Wow! The other day I wrote a blog entry asking for a reader from Greenland, as that was one country I had yet to hear from. And within 14 hours, I got one! That left me marveling at the power of the internet and this blog. I mean, that country doesn’t even have a total…