My place is rented!

At the beginning of October, knowing that I had to rent my place, and being OK with that, I still had not done anything to make that a reality. You see, I am not like any normal human being, lol, that when she decides to do something, and she knows she should do it, she proceeds to do it! I need some time to wrap my brain around any changes I have to make in my life, and most of the times the "some time" that I need, is a lot of time! lol. So I was kicking myself for not making the going back to school a reality sooner, so that I had decided to rent my place by the end of the summer, and had found a good tenant all before school started. But at the beginning of this year, I was busy trying to find another job.

My new year's resolution was to put my career right back on track, so I modified my resume again, made three versions of it; one for the industry that I was in, one for other industries, and one for academia. I searched the job posting and noted the jobs that matched my qualification at least 75%. I don't like to just submit my resume; some of my former coworkers do that! Anyhow, I wrote cover letters, for some jobs I even elaborated on the problem that I had solved at my previous jobs that was pertaining to the job I was applying for. I explained my thought process of how I solved the problem, I stated the specifications that I had and the assumptions that I made. So yes, I put a lot of effort into applying to each and every job, hoping that I would hear back from them. But I didn't. Not even to tell me they were not interested!

In the middle of February when I realized there was no hope of me getting an interview on my own, I send my resume to my former coworkers, and within a week, I heard back from managers wanting to talk to me, and not a phone screening first, they were inviting me in for a personal interview. They treated me very well. Dealt with me as someone they like to work with. All in all, I went to four interviews and I think I could have gotten offers from all of them. But none of the jobs were what I was looking for. I felt that if I pursue these jobs, I was just changing my environment, without accomplishing my goal.

At the beginning of April I decided that the job route is a dead end, and I should seriously plan for going back to school. I started studying for the GRE, I took the exam in the middle of June, to my surprise, lol, I did well, and by the end of June I had applied to the school I wanted to attend. I applied for the fall of 2011, because there was no choice of fall of 2010, but in my statement of purpose I wrote that I was willing to start earlier. When I got called for an interview with the admission committee again that subject was brought up, and again I said that I wouldn't mind starting this year. It turned out that a few of the students who had said in April that they were going to attend the school there, decided otherwise, and so the space had opened up for the few of us that were still in the waiting list, and I was informed in late July that I was accepted to start fall of 2010.

So the month of August, I was in a panic mode of reducing my expenses, and see if I can hold to my job part time. There was no time to think about renting my place, even though I suppose that falls under the reducing my expenses category!

So here I was, at the beginning of October, wanting to rent my place for the January of 2011, and I was not ready. I was also thinking nobody was going to rent in the middle of the winter. But then I got a call from a friend, telling me that she had heard through the grapevine that I was renting my place, and was asking how much the rent was since someone she knew was looking for a place to rent. Suddenly I realized that I have to get ready!

I contacted the realtor that sold me the house and asked for the rent range in my area. I also searched a few databases and found couple of properties in my area for rent, and so got some idea. The realtor also told me about the forms I needed to have my tent sign and where I could get them. I had not even thought about that!

Then it was time to get the home ready. I started from the smelly basement. Yes, the same basement that I was going to leave in! I went through everything that I had stored there, some I was able to sell with the help of my friend and her coworker's sister! She had a store on eBay and apparently has a good reputation, meaning paying customers, so she posted my stuff in her store, and they got sold right away! I was amazed. The rest of my stuff in the basement, I either donated, or recycled, and the rest I just throw out.

When the basement was empty I started the cleaning phase. I scrubbed and then scrubbed some more, the floor, and half of the walls. I was told that the smell could be mildew, even though when I was washing I didn't see much, but I hoped that was the cause, and I was cleaning it and removing it for good. The week that I was washing the basement was warm enough that I was able to leave the windows open. Also I love buying scented candles that I don't use much. But I decided to start using them, lol. The washing, opening windows, and scented candles I guess did their job; I don't think my basement is smelly anymore!

Next I had to have a door build at the top of the stairs to the basement to make the basement separate from the rest of the house. I called my parents' contractor, and he completely took over, and did a great job with a reasonable price. He had to build a wall on the left side of the stairs and I thought it was going to be ugly and out of place, but now I feel that no one can tell that it was just built.

Two weeks ago my sisters and two best friends and their families came over to paint. We painted the basement area and the level where the door was built. And tomorrow my two brother-in-laws are helping me move the stuff that I want to the basement and store the rest in the car garage that I am not renting. I have been packing my stuff little by little since October, so tomorrow we only need to pack the big furniture. Also since I packed slowly, I have taken inventory, in the form of Excel worksheet, lol, so I know exactly where everything is.

The best news is that I found a great tenant. Through another friend I was introduced to a young couple that moved to US for the husband to start training and for the wife to attempt to go to school. She is actually a US citizen; well actually she has double citizenship. She and her siblings were born here when her parents were going to school. After the parents completed their studying they returned home and since then they have been spending their summers here. It must be so much fun being able to call two countries home! How I would have loved to have two counties of citizenship too, lol.

Anyhow I met them this week, liked them a lot, they liked my place too, and yesterday they signed the agreement. I like it very much that they are going to be students and have no kids so far.

So yes, I was worried that I would not be able to rent my place by January 1, and now it is rented a month early. The burden of money has been lifted big time. I am much relived, even though I don't think I have done that poorly financially so far, but renting my place is going to make a huge difference in my mental well being, lol.

Selling my stuff helped some too, and lately I was not as strict as I was back in September. The girl who sold my stuff for me on her eBay store took only 10% for herself. I am told by my sisters that the consignment shops take as much as 50% for themselves and give sellers so much grief. So I am very glad that I was lucky this way, and grateful for just an amazing old and new friends.

Hopefully I shall be lucky in finding a part-time job and soon. The few former coworkers that I have contacted all told me that they shall get back to me with good news. If I can earn some money, especially during the break, I would be so happy.

So this was the long story of renting my place, I am going in the right direction financially, so that I am not going to be homeless by the time I finish school.