I’ve been renting places to live for years. I’ve shared houses with roommates, lived in small one-bedroom apartments, and even had a 2800+ sq. ft. Amesbury farmhouse complete with sun porch, loft, attic, yard, and barn. I’ve had good neighbors, and I’ve had to move because of really bad neighbors. I think I can safely say that over the past fifteen years or so, I’ve experienced the gamut when it comes to being a pay-per-month tenant.
My most recent place (the big house mentioned above) seemed like a really good idea when we signed the lease last year, but as it turns out it was not the best decision. It was pretty to look at with drop tin ceilings, loft, a slate-floor family room with eighteen-foot ceilings, wide pine hardwood, and barn, but that’s where most of the enjoyment and practicality ends. Actually, to say that this house is impractical is to willingly engage in reckless understatements. To sum up, it’s 200+ years old, has lead paint, very bad windows, spiders, mold and mildew in the basement, and cost us *drum roll* about five grand to heat last year.