i just want to make the point clear.

i don't know exactly how many places i've seen. 30? 40? 50?

i've put in three applications and have not heard anything back. these have all been with management companies, and i understand that these people operate like actuaries - they just crunch numbers. i don't know what the ratio they want is. 30? 40? i can correctly argue that i'll live happily with 60-70, but you can't argue with a robot. 60>40. error.

of those three applications, two of them were in buildings with smokers. one of them was over top of a storefront, and i think it would have been ok. the other was in a corner unit and, while away from the smoking traffic, much more of a gamble. the third application was a ground floor unit. so, none of these units were what i really want.

and, only one of the actual applications i've put down has been in a smoke-free place.

in fact, of the 40 or so places i've seen, only three have been non-smoking. i saw a non-smoking unit in july that i couldn't secure last month's for. there was the aforementioned ground unit. and, there was an attic north of tecumseh.

37/40 = 93%.

do i believe that 93% of the buildings here have smokers?

no.

even the most pessimistic estimate would have to be in the 70s or 80s. 93? no way.

so, i'm going to argue i'm undergoing some bad luck.

there's two deductions from this:

1) it's not like i'm rejecting spots. i would have moved into the non-smoking building in a second, but i would have thrown away last month's rent and probably the $1350 settlement along with it. this landlord is not going to obey any court order whatsoever. $2000 is a lot of money to me. i couldn't pull the trigger on that. the attic was...it had a lot of features, so it probably wasn't over-priced in a closer analysis. but, it didn't make sense - not for me. and the manager for the ground floor unit wanted to rent to a "professional", which is sort of laughable. i actually think the unit is still available, as i saw an ad for it come up and then down again in the first week of august. so, of the three, two aren't my fault, and the other just wasn't a good fit.

2) it's gotta turn over, soon. even the worst case analysis of an 80% rate means i'm getting a bad sample. as t--->oo, this should even out. i don't have infinite time, here, but i'm going on three months looking, now...