Property Search

Whew! What a long day! Would you believe I was up at 6:15 AM on a Saturday!? Me, either! But alas, it's true. Hubs, LO and I packed up and headed out at 7AM this morning for a quick drive down to Charleston (about 6-1/2 hours round trip) to check out a few potential rental properties for Chase's birth and first surgery. We only had 3 potential properties to see, so it didn't take too much time. We rated the properties based on 3 requirements: Proximity to MUSC, Cost, and Safety (neighborhood, etc.).

The first property was a 2BR/2BA condo in Mt. Pleasant -- the "least expensive" of our options. Unfortunately, it's a good 15 minute drive to MUSC and truly didn't have the space we need. This was one of the first properties we considered several months ago before we decided a 3BR property is basically a must-have.

The next property was a 61-foot yacht. Yes, you read that right. A yacht in the Charleston City Marina. It was a beautiful "boat" and was our mid-priced option. Unfortunately, it was about 100 yards from the parking lot, down the docks to the slip where the yacht resided. I couldn't imagine carrying a load of suitcases or groceries that far while also trying to prevent LO from jumping/falling into the water. Hubs and I didn't have a real "warm and fuzzy" about it from the beginning, simply because of our concerns with being on the water. The worst part of not falling in love with this option is the fact that MUSC is a mere block or two from the marina.

The final property was a 3BR/2.5BA apartment on the 4th (top) floor of a historic building right in downtown. Before going to see the properties, we already had this one at the top of our list. It's about 5 blocks from MUSC, has the space we need, and although it's the priciest of our options, we felt this one is probably "the one" for us. The building overlooks a lovely lake with a walking track around it. There's a small city park about a 2 minute walk away. It includes 2 off-street parking spaces and overall, it really felt like we could make it work. The building is secure, so hubs definitely likes that. It does have an elevator so the fact that it's on the 4th floor isn't too big a deal. There's lots of space for LO to hang out in and not feel cramped. Unless we happen to come across some other option, we're pretty sure this is where we'll end up.

LO was quite a trooper today considering we had her locked down into her car seat for 6-1/2 hours. But we were able to break up the day a bit by visiting the park to play on the swings and to enjoy the picnic lunch we brought along with us. Typical Charleston, though -- it was about 95 degrees out but felt like a zillion degrees, even in the shade. Thankfully there was an occasional breeze.

All in all I'd say it was a very successful day. I was quite disappointed that our new GPS was unable to find a Dairy Queen along our route, so instead of the delectable Blizzard I was craving, I ended up with a Sonic Blast instead. It was no surprise that they totally didn't mix it well, didn't put in hardly any candy and it was a total disappointment. But hey, I can look at the bright side: I haven't had any heartburn today! The first day in months! Woot!