Sunny Side of the Street

It is amazing just how much weather can impact your day and even your mood.  Saturday and Sunday were two of the most rainy and cold days imaginable.  In fact, Sydney experienced more rain in that 48 hour period than they have in 93 years.  Thanks a lot for the warm welcome. 

Todd and I spent all day Saturday looking at apartments--attending what they call "inspections" here.  The inspections last about 20 minutes, so you have to be there as close to on time as possible.  We spent the day running from one place to the next to ensure we were on time for as many of the showings as possible.  It is important to note that the rental market here is completely different than in the US. 

All of the rental properties are leased through real estate companies and because these properties are in such high demand, the real estate companies don't have to do much to try to sell you on a place.  They also don't have to clean up or make the place look nice because it's pretty much a given that every place will be rented very quickly.  There was one place we looked at that I legitimately thought might have been the scene of a violent crime.  But, I'm sure it will be rented--if it isn't already rented. 

With all of the rain and grossness of the day, it was difficult to imagine what these apartments might look like on a nice day.  That being said, we weren't over the moon about anything we saw.  Side note, when people ask me how I knew Penn State was the right college for me, I tell them about the first day I went to visit.  It was rainy and cold and just about as gross as you can imagine.  But, I still absolutely loved the place.  I figured that if I could be that excited about a place on the most awful day possible, it was the right place for me.  Saturday was just like that rainy day in State College--the only difference was that I couldn't see myself living in any of those places.  Granted, a 6 month lease is quite a bit different than 4 years in college.  But, no one wants to move into a place they are disappointed in from the get go.

So, that brought us back to square one by Sunday.  We decided to take the day off of looking for places and instead embrace the laid back Australian culture by having a couple (or more) beers and watching rugby.  We ended up walking around a new neighborhood in order to get to the "hotel" (i.e. bar) to have a few drinks.  Seeing a few other areas helped us make the decision to widen our search and possible think about moving into neighborhoods we had not originally considered. 

We spent a good portion of Monday exploring new areas and making appointments to view apartments on Tuesday.  We are headed out the door now to see some of these places.  Fingers crossed, we will have more luck today--the sun is most certainly shinning today and I'm hoping that is a sign of things to come.