Ana Finds an Apartment
Ana, her husband Mario, and their four-year-old son, Antonio, just moved to North Carolina. They need a temporary place to call home until they get settled into their new surroundings. Right now, they are staying in a hotel not far from Mario’s job. Ana begins a search for an apartment for the family to live in.
First, Ana picks up an Apartment Book at the local newspaper stand. It contains listings of all the major apartment complexes in her area. Ana starts by looking at the prices for apartments in the Apartment Book. Then she reads about the amenities that each apartment complex offers. For example, some apartments have a clubhouse. Some have a gym, which is also called a fitness center. Some have a pool. Some have all of these!
Ana notices that an apartment with one amenity is $350/month. An apartment with two amenities is $450/month. An apartment with three amenities is $650/month. She wants the family’s new apartment to be nice, but she does not want to spend too much money on it. After all, Ana and Mario are trying to save enough money to eventually buy a house. Ana continues to read the Apartment Book. After considering prices, amenities, and locations, she finds several apartment complexes that she thinks the family will like.
Ana calls the apartment complexes. She sets up appointments with the apartment managers to see the apartments she thinks are interesting. Ana makes five phone calls in total.
When Mario gets back to the hotel from work, Ana shows him the list of apartments. "These look good," he says.
The next day, while Mario is at work and Antonio is at daycare, Ana visits the apartment complexes. She likes the fifth one the best. It is in a good school district. It has a pool, but no fitness center or clubhouse. It is near Mario’s job. Ana hopes to find a job nearby as well. When Ana gets back to the hotel, she discusses all that she has seen with Mario. They decide to rent the last apartment Ana saw.
The next day, Ana calls the manager of the apartment complex with the news. The manager asks Ana and Mario to sign a lease and pay a security deposit. If the family damages the apartment in any way while they are living there, the security deposit will help to pay for the cost of repairs. Ana and Mario sign a lease and pay the money. The manager asks them when they plan to move in and Ana looks up at Mario. He looks back at her for a moment and then tells the manager, "In a few days."
Finally, Ana's family has a place to stay.