Hey all, thanks for taking the time to read. Here's a brief rundown of my current situation:
I rent a single room from a couple in a 3/2 home. Rent is $550/mo. My "bedroom" is set up like an studio/office space (murphy bed in the corner which folds up during the day). I do all of my work from here and meet with clients in person 6 days a week. I've lived here for 5 years and have worked from home exclusively for the last 2 years. Many of my clients visit during the day while roommates are at work; however, I do have clients in the evenings and use a divider to section off my part of the house from the living room/kitchen/etc. Roommates have two dogs.
I am really grateful for my current setup and the owner's graciousness to let me conduct business from here; however, I feel like I've outgrown this current space. I'd like to have a separate bedroom and studio/office space. The dogs bark each time a client comes to the door and the barking during the day does interfere with work on occasion. One of the dogs eats everything, so I leave my door closed all of the time. Roommates are honest and good people. We get along, but we do not hang out and we have very different lifestyles.
I've looked at apartments; although, having to give gate code to clients, directions to building, etc. creates an unnecessary burden to business. Doing my work from a home is simpler and more professional.
I've looked at live-work spaces, but the price on the ones that I've seen is very high ($4k+/mo).
I'm looking at 2/2 and 3/2 homes for rent. I like the idea of living alone, and realize that I'll pay 3x the amount in rent in order to do so. I don't have any friends currently looking for a room.
I feel so fortunate for this situation and as a result, I think that maybe I just need to re-frame the situation and stay put. Although, I can't stay here forever. Thoughts?
