Moving into Bigger and Better

OUR ADDICTION TO BETTER VALUE

July 14th 2025 — this was the lease expiration date for my current apartment as of this writing. For a multitude of reasons, I was already contemplating moving by March 2025. My apartment offered so many amazing amenities: club rooms, pool, jacuzzi, grills, fire pit, trash pick up, gym, on-site maintenance, and much more!

My favorite features of the apartment were hardwood flooring throughout and in-unit washer/dryer. These were not luxuries I had for 4 years throughout residency. All of these came at a staggering price tag though: over $3,000 per month on housing alone.

One night, I was laying in bed after some financial calculations involving retirement contributions, savings, and long-term goal setting. I was shocked to see that though I’d have a healthy retirement, my savings toward more concrete goals of home ownership, child rearing, and early retirement from medicine would be minimal, if not impossible.

I’d be living paycheck to paycheck if I ever thought of owning a home in California, unless I cut back significantly in spending or my retirement contributions. As I lay there quietly distressed, Peter looked over at me and asked me what I wanted to do about my situation. I almost cried that night.

Straight out of training, my mentality was that I should reward myself with some quality of life upgrades for all the sweat, blood, and tears from the decade past. It didn’t feel fair—that I had missed out on so many life events as well as financial opportunity throughout my 20s, only to now be punished for a few upgrades.

Some hemming and hawing later, the answer was obvious: I either had to spend less or earn more. Or both—which is what I’m doing now.

I look at my situation now with a new perspective: that I already had a late start into adulthood, and overspending would only further delay my goals. What was a few more years of modest living if this meant I could secure for myself the future I envision. After all, it was not like I would be living in abject poverty, right?

But what did abject poverty even mean? To answer this, I had to look deeply at my wants versus my needs. What could I live without, and what were my absolute deal breakers? In the end, all I needed was an in-unit washer/dryer and a safe neighborhood. If I had to go back to carpet, so be it.

This meant I could also forego all the amenities my apartment offered. It’s sad to say, but I only consistently used the gym. I used the fire pit a grand total of two times in the year that I lived here. On principle, I refused to pay into rent for luxuries I would not be using.

Peter and I excitedly took to scheduling apartment tours by late April and early May. Factors we took into consideration included distance from work for the days I had to commute as Peter works full-time from home. And because I also worked from home for half the week, it was important we each had our own offices or workspace.

We both enjoyed neighborhood strolls, so safety in environment and neighborhood were important as well. Peter is bringing along a home gym setup, so this eliminated the need for a gym amenity. It would also be nice to be closer to either of our families as well.

If I was going to downgrade, it would hopefully result in significant savings. Peter and I initially set our budget to $2,800 for rent, but we strongly preferred somewhere around the $2,500 range. This seemed to be an impossible ask in Southern California—simply by having an in-unit washer/dryer, it would be priced well over $2,500.

Additionally, any unit with an in-unit washer/dryer most likely came with amenities that I would not use, meaning wasted dollars. As we toured different apartments together, we expanded our limit to $3,000, justifying the price with a larger space. Space, for us, was something we were willing to spend on as we both worked from home for significant portions of the week.

After several packed days of tours, just as we were about to resign ourselves to the “best” available option, the most amazing opportunity presented itself. It not only edge out the “best” option we nearly settled for, but it came with more than we expected.

For $2,500, we would be getting in-unit washer/dryer, fully renovated unit with hardwood flooring throughout, two guaranteed parking spots, open layout with spacious balcony, over 1,000 sq ft, close to my parents, and safe neighborhood for walking. Best of all, especially for Peter—no wasted dollars on unused amenities! This is definitely a place we could see ourselves living in for the next few years.

In years past, I may have elected to just stay at my current apartment due to a mix of comfort, convenience, and complacency. Interestingly, this new apartment I’ll be moving into originally would not have an in-unit washer/dryer.

Normally, I would’ve scrolled right past the listing. It was only after speaking with the owners did we realize the potential. They were open to installation of an in-unit washer/dryer. If we had accepted the unit as-is, or for another more expensive option that had a guaranteed in-unit washer/dryer, we would have been settling for less than optimal. But we found a way to get exactly what we wanted. This only materialized because we were committed to minimizing costs while actively seeking out opportunities.

A cursory scan of the rental market would have left me feeling hopeless—and this would certainly feed into the complacency of staying put. But, things are not always as they seem. Some of the best opportunities, I’ve learned, are hidden in plain sight. With a little perseverance, luck, and problem-solving, we think we truly found a gem of an opportunity.

XOXO,

Howard and Peter