Yesterday I went to see two apartments because soon I won't like living in this room anymore. Madrid's heat in the summer is usually bearable for me, but this room heats up like crazy even in mild spring weather. It's too exposed to the sun, and it has too many windows. Even though I had heating during the winter, its non-insulated windows made it tough, it's a Mies Van Der Rohe all over again.
There are other reasons why I want to move, however. As I was browsing listings on idealista I found myself thinking: "no, I wouldn't want to invite a woman here" or "hmmm that bed is too small for two people". It's interesting to observe, because many times these motivations are concealed or subconscious. I can't say I wasn't aware that this was a factor in my decision, but if I were to state my reasons for moving to myself, I would say it's 80% weather and 20% intimacy (I'm in a shared apartment now), while my thought process reveals 20% weather and 80% intimacy. I can only know about this relation because my stream of thought brought me here.
The first apartment I visited was very close to the Plaza of Lavapiés, an immigrant conclave within downtown Madrid. It was an ugly building, and when the owner opened the door I was met with the foul smell of humidity, which dissipated after having the door open a couple of minutes. I saw humidity damage over many ceilings which I pointed out to the owner, who said that upstairs neighbor was careless but it was fixed now, the moisture was dry but the marks remain. "We're going to fix it" he said, without timelines or a hint of commitment in his voice.
After this I met up with a real estate agent near Antón Martín. She showed me a petite but very modern studio on the ground floor. I was warned that ground-basement floors in Madrid can be a humidity nightmare, but here the atmosphere didn't feel or smell heavy. The apartment was recently renovated with a modern look—which I would have been ecstatic to have in an earlier life—but now I find myself thinking how I'll humanize the space. They must be things that I'm willing to throw away or transport wherever I go. I'm unwilling to dispose of meaning again.
I told the lady I would take it. What are the next steps? I asked. She said that if I wanted to reserve the apartment I would have to give her 600 euros cash, at her office in Aluche (an hour away by train). "The reason why we ask for cash is that we put it in an envelope, so that if anything goes wrong and we have to return it, it can be done without paperwork". She said.
I got money from the ATM three times, as N26 only allows withdrawing 200 at a time, then I took the medium distance train to Aluche, and arrived to her office at 7:45. I signed some stuff, gave her the money, and will move in two weeks, God willing.