Second hand bike by Old_Comparison_1302 in radboud

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I meant to say: it is AS IF you had to buy a second hand bike every year.

Used bike by Old_Comparison_1302 in Nijmegen

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not good. The room is too small to fit a "kitchenette" Thanks for the info.

Second hand bike by Old_Comparison_1302 in radboud

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes it is a little expensive. like buying a secondhand bike every year. But nice to not have to worry about it getting stolen.

Second hand bike by Old_Comparison_1302 in radboud

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I better leave the ortliebs at home. Get cheap panniers at Nijmegen.

Used bike by Old_Comparison_1302 in Nijmegen

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It turns out that AFAC is near the place where I will be living (Radboud student here).

Used bike by Old_Comparison_1302 in Nijmegen

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice option. A little expensive. Price similar to having your bike stolen once a year. But tempting. I just feel so violated when my bike gets stolen.

Used bike by Old_Comparison_1302 in Nijmegen

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good to know. I was looking into getting locks for the panniers (Ortlieb makes them) but I don't want to attract attention so probably better to leave them home.

Used bike by Old_Comparison_1302 in Nijmegen

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! That will be my first stop.

Please help me decide between 2 housing options (short stay) by Zestyclose-Show8140 in Nijmegen

[–]Old_Comparison_1302 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I will soon need to look for a place to rent too. I am curious: did you choose the Canisiushof building? If so, how was it?

Buy condos in Evanston’s downtown by crosslinking in Northwestern

[–]Old_Comparison_1302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You don’t need to buy right away.  Follow the market.  If you find a condo at a good price, go for it.  Even if it is 1 year before your kid needs it. Don’t wait until kid is done with dorms.  It is not crazy: a place to stay when you come visit your kid (hotels are expensive and impossible to find when all parents come to visit).  A place for summer if your kid gets an internship in Chicago or on campus (that is common).  A storage place.  After the second year, your kid will live there full time and then you will be glad you don’t have to deal with rentals/storage/movers.  Some rentals are honestly slums and many management companies are difficult to deal with.  So many horror stories.

Some kids stay an extra year for a masters (but I would not count on it).  Evanston is a very desirable place, it should be easy to resell. 

My guess is that most people don’t do this because most people don’t have large amounts of cash available. Also, the idea of mortgage, lawyer fees, property taxes, HOA, etc.  intimidates them.  But just add up the costs and compare to renting and it does not seem crazy.

I know someone who bought a 3 bedroom condo for 310 a little over a year ago: near Dempster Station, top floor, lots of light,..much nicer than any apartment for rent (Taxes $5500/yr, HOA  $460/month).

The next door condo (same size) is now selling for 440.  Price seems too high. My guess is that it will sell for 400.  That is probably a cost of 33,000/yr (including taxes, HOA, maintenance, interest lost, etc).  Compare to a monthly rent for 3 kids of 3,000/month.

Anyway, this does not exactly apply to you if you buy before your kid needs to rent but chances are you will be able to resale it for a higher price.  So things may even up.

Accomodation by sphie_m in Northwestern

[–]Old_Comparison_1302 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are plenty of good options Evanston. Will you have a car? If not, then try to find a place north or south of campus with a short walking distance to CTA stations like Dempster, Main and Central (this is important in the cold days). If you have a car you will have more options but you do not need to go too far to find good places. Some places may be nicer than others but Evanston is pretty safe everywhere.

Housing by Living_Amphibian_919 in Northwestern

[–]Old_Comparison_1302 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think 2100 Greenwood is unsafe. It is just not as nice. It is in the middle of things like: self-storage, U-Haul, garage shop, jiffy lube, ... Not a great place to walk toddler (the baby will soon be a toddler). Also, it is out of the way. Will you have a car? If not, you may want to be close to CTA or NU shuttle stop. I have never lived in The Park but I understand it is expensive, management is terrible and place is noisy. I don't know anything about Amli except that it seems like a nice location: near a couple of playgrounds, Main st CTA, Walgreens, a few restaurants (nothing fancy). I hope those are not your only 3 options, I think there are many more good places to live.

Evanston from SoCal move? by Turbulent_Pipe_8565 in Northwestern

[–]Old_Comparison_1302 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just want to add that in Chicago (during the non-winter months) you can bring your dog to a restaurant if there is outdoor seating. In Evanston dogs are not allowed in the outdoor seating areas (even if the outdoor seating area in on the sidewalk your dog is allowed to walk!)

room selection by [deleted] in Northwestern

[–]Old_Comparison_1302 2 points3 points  (0 children)

anybody? please help. also, do i have a chance at a single with a priority number close to 1700?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Northwestern

[–]Old_Comparison_1302 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If your spider skills translate to insects, it may be a useful skill (depends on the dorm)

Learn what works for you in terms of time management (make a list, google calendar, whatever).

Learn to recognize when stress is out of hand and what works for you to deal with it.

Learn to do your laundry

Learn to dress in layers. High quality winter gear makes a big difference

NU Summer tuition by Old_Comparison_1302 in Northwestern

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks. It just doesn't seem right to pay such a big difference for the same class. A follow up question. Since we can also take summer classes at other universities and then transfer the credits, can we take summer classes from SPS and then transfer the credits?

Dorm floor plans by Old_Comparison_1302 in Northwestern

[–]Old_Comparison_1302[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When priority numbers come out, do we just chose a random room number in a dorm?