So after work today we looked at two rental properties.

Against the first property :

• Not in a terribly convenient location; while we could still walk to the library, shops, movies etc the girls wouldn't be able to walk to and from school, which would complicate our lives considerably.
  
• Lacks charm
  
• On the small side
  
• Expensive
  
• So-called garden is actually a tiny patio
  

For the first property:

• Clean and tidy - new carpets, new paintwork.
  
• Has a dishwasher
  
• Has a garage, so we could store things like our lawnmower.
  
• Has a tiny patio
  

Against the second property:

• No garden at all
  
• Living room is dark and cramped
  
• Kitchen is tiny; stove exudes air of menace
  
• Bathroom is peculiar - contains steps, and has tired purple carpets
  
• Carpets have stains which make me think of dead bodies
  
• Stairs (two flights) are steep and treacherous
  
• No built-in cupboards
  
• No garage, no off-street parking
  

For the second property

• Great location; we can see it from the end of our current driveway
  
• Girls could still walk to school, Stephen could walk to college, we could ride to work.
  
• Less rent than we're paying now
  
• Has a bit more space than the first house.
  
• Would be one of the more memorable places that we've lived.
  

I will be calling all the local letting agencies tomorrow; maybe one of them has something on their books that they haven't listed on their website. She said, a note of desperation entering her voice.