To all the annoying real estate agents out there who lose interest the second they realize I'm looking for an affordable apartment with a dog (especially one who weighs more than 10lbs):
My dog is not the problems. The problem is more complicated. Some of it is national, some of it is peculiar to Philadelphia.
1) A long-standing lack of affordable housing in American cities, which has an effect on prices for all rental properties.
http://www.nlihc.org/oor2003/
2) The bloated housing market of the last few years, where every homeowner suddenly became a king and every renter suddenly got screwed.
3) The rescue of my city by a mayor who had huge, huge flaws but managed to financially save the place and then change it's image so that retirees and middle-class white-collar people with money felt it was safe to come back, produced astronomical rents downtown, while neglecting to do anything to improve the neighborhoods further from City Hall. A neglect that the current mayor was elected to correct, but if anyone out there has seen Mr. John Street lately, could you give us a ring? The last time we heard of him doing anything not related to campaigning, he was wearing a hard hat and directing the removal of a handful of abandoned cars - that was circa 2001.
That is what I wish I'd said to the last rental agent who pursed his lips and then gave his opinion as "It's your dog that's the problem." No, buddy, it isn't. You might as well say, "It's your desire to live in a safe neighborhood without paying 2/3 of your salary in rent each month that's the problem." No wonder Americans are addicted to credit cards and don't save any money.
Bitter, semi-socialist rant over now. Thanks.
My dog is not the problems. The problem is more complicated. Some of it is national, some of it is peculiar to Philadelphia.
1) A long-standing lack of affordable housing in American cities, which has an effect on prices for all rental properties.
http://www.nlihc.org/oor2003/
2) The bloated housing market of the last few years, where every homeowner suddenly became a king and every renter suddenly got screwed.
3) The rescue of my city by a mayor who had huge, huge flaws but managed to financially save the place and then change it's image so that retirees and middle-class white-collar people with money felt it was safe to come back, produced astronomical rents downtown, while neglecting to do anything to improve the neighborhoods further from City Hall. A neglect that the current mayor was elected to correct, but if anyone out there has seen Mr. John Street lately, could you give us a ring? The last time we heard of him doing anything not related to campaigning, he was wearing a hard hat and directing the removal of a handful of abandoned cars - that was circa 2001.
That is what I wish I'd said to the last rental agent who pursed his lips and then gave his opinion as "It's your dog that's the problem." No, buddy, it isn't. You might as well say, "It's your desire to live in a safe neighborhood without paying 2/3 of your salary in rent each month that's the problem." No wonder Americans are addicted to credit cards and don't save any money.
Bitter, semi-socialist rant over now. Thanks.
around here, rent for a 1 to 3 bedroom house (yes, house!) is usually between $200 - $500/ month. (and $500 is high). For apartments, the nicer, larger ones are usually in the $300-$400/month range and the smaller ones can be as low as $100-$150/month. Some with utilities paid. A lot of rental places don't allow dogs though, but I know quite a few people who rent places where the ad said "no pets" but they have dogs and/or cats and the landlord doesn't care. You deal with real estate agents when looking for an apartment to rent? Or maybe I misunderstood, you are looking to buy an apartment?? Usually with rentals in this area, you just deal directly with the landlord who is almost always just a private owner of houses or apartment buildings (or houses that have been converted into apartments, lol)
