Thank you guys so much for all the love on yesterday’s post. It was such an amazing experience getting to be a part of a campaign that is all about honesty, acceptance, communication, and empowerment. As a future marketer I hope to be able to work on campaigns with similar goals.
This post was supposed to go up last night, but I was so tired after work I fell asleep on the couch and woke up at 3am. ;p So a late morning posting it is! Josh and I had so much fun exploring Omaha searching for apartments. The thing that made this trip so easy was that we did our research ahead of time. We both looked around online to find some viable options, Josh got in touch with a realtor through his work, and we contacted all the places we were interested in viewing. If we were apartment hunting in State College we would be behind the game right now, as everyone is already leased for next summer. In Omaha residents are only required to give 30 days notice so most landlords don’t yet know what units will be available for the summer. By contacting them weeks in advance of our trip the landlords were able to contact residents that they thought might be leaving. Because of this we were able to tour the exact units we would be able to rent.
Josh was amazing and put together a whole itinerary of what apartments we were going to see on what days. We probably had about ten apartments on the list, though our top choices we saw in our first two days so that we could compare all the other units to them. The first thing we realized about Omaha when we started looking was that you get so much more for your money than you do on the East Coast. Apartments are renovated, they have elevators, central air, dishwashers, washers and dryers in the units, parking garages, small fitness centers, and usually a common area to have parties. I was laughing thinking about how much we would be paying for all that in NYC.
We wanted to be really smart with renting our first place and not go above our means. We’d like to live in the heart of the city for about five years before looking to buy a house and move to the suburbs. We really want to get the city experience. The funny thing is that it seems like more people live in the suburbs in Omaha than the city. The suburbs also have most of the good shopping areas and grocery stores. (Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Lululemon and J.Crew!) Thankfully everything is only about a twenty-minute drive away from each other between the suburbs and downtown. Since saving for a house is one of our big long-term goals we read up on what a responsible amount to spend on monthly rent is. From what we could garner if a person can they should try to spend no more than 30% of their monthly income on an apartment. Since I am moving to Omaha unemployed we’re basing that percentage off Josh’s income. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a job quickly and then we’ll be really under that number.
One of the things that affected our apartment hunt is the fact that we’re moving really far away from all of our family and friends. We want to entice them to visit and also have a space where Josh can do work outside of his office. This led us to look for two bedroom apartments. If we were looking for one bedroom apartments we would have been able to tour almost anything in the downtown area, but adding that second bedroom bumped a few options off our list. In the end it came down to all the discussions you see on HGTV about what we prioritize more. Did we want to be right in the heart of all the city action? Did we want a heated-covered parking garage directly attached to the building? Did we want more space? Did we want access to a fitness center? (One place we looked at had a half court basketball court in the gym!) Did we care about what floor we were on? Did we care about all stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops? Did we feel safe in the neighborhood?
In the end we feel we found the perfect apartment for us. There were a few things it didn’t have that other apartments did but we are so happy with the the property itself, the landlord, the space and how we feel when we are there. We are so excited to spend the next five-ish years of our lives here.
Without going into too many personal details about the place we found a two-bedroom two-bath place that had all the amenities we were looking for in an apartment. The appliances aren’t as fancy as some of the other apartments we looked at, and the bathrooms don’t have some of the spa-like fixtures other apartments did but it is a beautiful apartment with tons of space.
Josh and I in front of our new apartment! We took pictures of the inside to share with friends and family and I thought it would be fun to share some here as well.
The view from the front hallway. There’s some closets here for coats.
It also attaches to the kitchen.
And the washer and dryer. We are so happy we found a place that has this. The landlord told us even though they’re stacked they are full size. I could really care less, I just see how much money Josh spends using his current apartment’s laundry room and know this is going to be a huge convenience that will save us a ton of money.
Bathroom number one.
Bedroom number one. I am very bad at photographing rooms. There is a lot more to this room than we see. I think I just focused on the pretty bedding. ;p This one has a nice size closet that Josh and I will be filling with stuff when we run out of room in ours.
The living room area.
And the dining room area.
I love this kitchen.
Behind the breakfast bar there’s a lower level of counter space that has the sink and dishwasher. I love how welcoming this kitchen is. I’m bummed about going from a gas stove to electric but realize it really is the safest option in an apartment.
Part of bathroom two. This one is attached to our bedroom’s closet. I like that this one has a shower while the other one has a full bath.
Part of our bedroom.
And our closet. The girl who’s living there now has bookshelves on the other wall of her room instead of her dresser. We’re planning on putting bookshelves in the second bedroom/office and putting our dresser in the bedroom to give us more closet space.
We’re so in love with the apartment. It just feels like we can make it our own. The residents also seem really nice. All the doorways have welcome mats! Aside from the awesome apartment the building also comes with rooftop patios with grills and screen projectors, and a huge community room with a full kitchen that residents can use for parties. We were also pretty stoked it has this:
The machines all face huge floor to ceiling windows that overlook the city. (The girl was so sweet and posed for a picture!) Now I just need to find somewhere to take Zumba and Spin classes and I’m set!
And that was our apartment hunt! I’m so excited to share pictures with you guys when we have our stuff moved in and the place all decorated. I had the best time doing this with Josh and was so happy we found the place we were looking for. I feel so lucky that we have the same values and look for the same things in an apartment and a lifestyle. Hopefully this post was helpful in showing a real account of one couple’s apartment hunt. I know I wish I had more things to read like this when we started the search online months ago. Now I just need to graduate, get married, move, buy a car, and find a job! This is a busy year!
Question of the Day: What was your first apartment/house shopping experience like? Were you able to find almost everything on your wish list? We had to sacrifice the perfect location (although it’s really close) and a heated parking garage (we still have a covered garage, it’s just not heated). For everything we gained though, we think we really lucked out.
Wow this looks like a really nice place!! And has lots of the same things I would have looked for (laundry especially). When my hubs and I looked for a place, we didn’t care what town but if the area was safe. We ended up really happy with the townhouse we rented!
I recently also rented a place for school (in another state) and ended up renting the first place I saw. Loved it!
~Ang
Thanks! I’m so glad you guys had such a good apartment hunting experience too! Having laundry machines in your place is such a godsend. Safety was my number one issue too. I still have to check out the area more but it seems really safe so far!
awww yay! it looks like you found a great place! (:
Thanks girly! We’re so excited!
Very cute! Love that it’s so bright!
I know, I LOVE all the natural light!
what a great place. we had the stacked w/d at our previous townhouse and it really was nice. kind of miss it now that all of our laundry is in the basement and not the kitchen!
good luck with everything 🙂
Thanks so much Jodi! I’m so excited to not have to run to a laundromat!
That looks like a great place. Big! It’s been so long since my first apartment hunting experience I can’t really remember how it went.
I know you’re going to love Omaha. I’ve been there only a few times, when my son used to live in Bellevue (one of those suburbs). It’s a cool little/big city.
I love the feel of Omaha! It feels like a nice mix of small and big. We’re so excited about our apartment!
Your new apartment looks wonderful! Nice and big!
Our first apartment (only apartment) had a lot of great features, the avocado colored stove was not one of the greats, the huge closets and large window sills were fabulous. All of my plants died after we moved into our house.
Ohh I love window sills! That stove would have taken some getting used to! haha
omg i love it!! the apartment looks amazing and the city sounds great:) cant wait to hear all about the new adventures! when do you actually move??
Aww thanks girl! We move in the last week of July! It’s going to be here before we know it!
so fun! LOVE the new place and sounds like you really thought it out!
Thanks Clare! We are so in love with the apartment!
I am glad to hear that you had a great apartment hunt and found your “first place!” I am loving that kitchen, and the gym looks fantastic! And that closet? Holy cow, that looks huge! It looks like all of the research that you did really paid off!
Yes, I’m so glad we were proactive! If not I have no idea where we would be living! I can’t wait to use that gym, I really will have no excuses!
This made me excited about apartment hunting with my boyfriend in June! It looks great!
Yay I’m so excited for you! It’s fun stuff!
Congrats on the new place!! 🙂
Thanks so much Katie!!
I’m so glad your trip was a success! That looks like a really great apartment and I know once you get little bits of yourselves in there, it will feel like home right away.
I’m so excited to make it feel like home! 😀
Love the new place! So cute!
Thanks Brittany! We’re in love with it!
Wow!Nice place! Lots of amenities! You are def not in Williamsport anymore! LOL My first place was an old farmhouse. Paid $150/mo plus utilities. but had a woodstove & 45 acres of woods! :)Cut all my wood by hand, no gas powered chainsaws, etc. Had a huge garden and many fruit trees, cherry, apple peach, pear, plum. Fun times! Perfect for a bachelor bike racer! :)Your place looks perfect for you two! Enjoy and keep us posted!
I know! haha This feels worlds away from Williamsport! How cool your first place was a farmhouse! Talk about charm! 😀
Congrats!! Looks great!!
Thanks girl! We’re so excited!
My first apartment had ALL the colours of the rainbow. It was like I was living in a bag of Skittles 🙂 I loved it!
I love Skittles! haha This actually makes me want some, I haven’t had them in forever.
How exciting! It looks like you guys found the perfect place to start your new lives! 🙂
We’re so excited. We never could have imagined something this nice!
It looks like you found a great place! I love apartment/house hunting! It can be almost as much fun as actually renting/buying a new place! 🙂 so glad you found an apartment that fits all of your needs!
Yes! Central air, elevators, and washer and dryer were our big must haves. It found so great to find a place that had all that and more. Checking out different apartments was definitely a lot of fun!
OMG YAY YOU LISTENED AND POSTED PICTURES FOR ME!!! I feel like I am on the House Hunters (HGTV) blog right now! Ah ha ha!! Your place looks AWESOME and that gym – SWOON! 🙂 Congrats! You’re going to be so happy!!!
Thanks so much girly! I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures. 😀 We’re so excited!!
I love house hunters!! your place looks awesome & HOORAY for the gym 🙂 congrats!
The gym is such an added bonus! Now there really are no excuses!
I’m so glad that you found an apartment that you love! I, on the other hand, am so ready to get out of our apartment in move into our house. We pay an arm and a leg for it (for Indiana, at least), and it’s been disappointing. I once got yelled at for going into the community building — they thought I was a high schooler from the area trying to sneak into the gym! I was thinking, “what the heck — I’m 24, and I pay to live here!!”
I’m so excited that you guys bought your first house!! That’s crazy that they treated you like that in your own apartment! I hope you enjoy your house much more!
Thank you for the above post, It was really helpful to understand the journey that you guys have taken for your move to Omaha, NE.
We are planning a move to Omaha soon, Could you please suggest some good agent for renting a house or a website that you used that assisted you during your move. Any helpful tips would be really appreciated.
We are a couple in the early 30s with one 3 year old. Thank you in advance.
We worked through Josh’s job which works with/ recommends NPDodge. Our experience was a little different since with an apartment the realtors just sent us some suggestions and then we explored them ourselves. With a house it’s a lot more hands on. Good luck finding a house for your family! From what we saw there’s a lot of great options!
Hey! I randomly found your blog on Yelp when we were looking for a place to eat in Omaha last night, then kept exploring 🙂
Even though you didn’t post specifically where you are moving, I can tell it’s where we are living now….almost the same layout and everything. It’s a fantastic place to live. They have resident events every once in awhile with free food and drinks, and an awesome new bike room just opened up so we no longer have to cart our bikes up in the elevator. Welcome to the neighborhood! You guys are going to love it!
Oh, and there’s a gym across the street that we get a discount on by living here, and it has Zumba and Spin classes.
Hey Kayla! Omg what a small world! I’m so glad to hear you like the area and the apartments! Josh and I are so excited to move there! Everything just felt really right when we visited. Are you a student or do you work in the area? I’d love to meet up when we move there! It would be nice to know someone else in the building. 🙂