The first place we stopped was above an old woman's garage. She insisted we pay all of July rent although we weren't moving until August. Oh, and yes, that's astro turf on the "porch."
At one point, we saw a 2 bedroom on the third floor of an old farm house. After a winding trip up the stairs, we found this:
When I asked if someone was living here, the landlord said no. Then I asked if it was rented furnished and he said no. So... I guess the 80's style unicorn decor was just for show! This place also had a bathroom in which the tub stuck out about 3 inches into the doorway and a "closet" that was really just a hole they had cut in the drywall where they had hung a bar.
My guess is that someone had been arrested, died, or fled the country leaving behind all their junk (including a dresser with a broken front and underpants in the drawer!):
We also saw another apartment managed by the same man. When you see this picture, you must imagine the overpowering stench of cat pee. It was so strong that when we got back in the car, Rach and I were certain it was stuck on our clothes and in our hair. Bonus: this place was directly across the street from a place that was literally falling down... police tape and all:
Then we saw a place where a woman was to be evicted. I learned alot about PA eviction laws that day. The hallway was full of fruit flies (not a good sign) and there were terrible stains on the carpeting. Inside every single door in the place had been punched through (probably a very bad sign for the last tenant) and there was a waterheater that may or may not have also been a dead body; you decide!
Oh and this place also had a ton of mold on the kitchen floor:
We saw a large house with both a 3 bedroom and a 2 bedroom. The two bedroom had been "decorated" in some interesting ways. If it hadn't been for the flowers (and the later drama) I might have considered living here. But, really, anyone who knows me knows I would go mad in a house with this bathroom:
Funny thing was that, with all those flowers, the tub was still nasty!
We might have taken the three bedroom. It was actually pretty nice, but the guy rented it out from under us in about 3 hours flat. And he rented out the garage space that was supposed to go with the 2 bedroom, so we declined that flowery hell.
And then... finally.... a place to call home.
We got terrible lost on the way there and were nearly late to see the place, but when we finally got there it was perfect:
BUT... the landlord is no longer sure the woman who is living there now will really be moving. So I'm waiting on pins and needles for him to call and let us know if it's available. If not... it's back to square one. SIGH!
Oh, I forgot to mention that, on the way to the eviction place with the body/waterheater, we saw a maxi pad suck to a stop sign. It was red...maybe used or at least made up to look used. No joke.
Ahh..PA.
