Movin' on....um....up?

As alluded to previously, I won't be renewing my lease at the apartment complex I've called home for the past 5 years. New management has taken over and I dislike them, but to be honest, I probably dislike massive change more. If pressed, I would probably admit that honestly, going to school downtown makes living in a northern suburb a bit inconvenient.

So the apartment/house search begins, and along with it comes the stress. I wish I could wait until after finals (May 3rd) to do this, but I'm afraid that if I do that, my head would literally explode. As a planner, if I got to less than a month before I was moving out with nowhere to move in to...well, it wouldn't be pretty.

I'm looking for a little house this time. There are some parameters for this move that make the search more...um...interesting.

#1) The area in which I work is a pretty expensive area. Not "la di dah" expensive...more "bohemian chic" expensive. Whatever. All that translates into for me is "can't afford to live near work." However, if I'm going to be able to take care of my dog(s) AND take night classes, I need to live somewhere between where I work and where I go to school so that they can have a brief potty break before my classes (or maybe at lunch.) (In a perfect world, I would also be able to walk the dogs in my new neighborhood when I get home around 9:00pm...)

#2) The neighborhood in which I live currently is safe. Like, leave-your-door-unlocked-during-a-two-hour-walk-and-nothing-is-touched safe. It's even accidentally-leave-the-garage-door-open-while-you're-at-work-all-day-and-nothing-happens-other-than-getting-yelled-at-by-the-boyfriend safe. I don't really want to downgrade to a less safe neighborhood...but some of the areas surrounding all this "bohemian chic" are a little on the left of shady. The areas surrounding the areas surrounding the "bohemian chic" are most definitely shady. I mean, I'm tough...but I'm also realistic - and somehow a single female measuring all of five feet no inches tall doesn't strike fear into the hearts of potential attackers, no? I'd like to be able to walk my dogs without mace. But then, I have pit bulls, right? Ummm....

#3) I have dog(s). Not just any dogs. I have pit bulls. Now, I don't know who decided that all pit bulls are dangerous (when it's so obviously the owner and not the dog...I mean, look at these faces...are you scared of these faces?) but for some reason, apartment complexes don't seem to be in any rush to rent apartments to me. Or, to be more specific, they would LOVE to rent to me - just not my "dangerous" dogs. So basically, my "dangerous" dogs don't provide protection, but keep me from renting most apartments. Fabulous. Maybe I should make them look meaner? Is that even possible?

Oh, and don't give me crap about keeping Blue. I still haven't decided completely if he stays or gets adopted. Shut it. He's adorable and I'm just looking for the perfect home for him. If that's with me, well then, who am I to argue?

So the search is on. Due to the aforementioned pit bull issue, I'm focusing more on rental homes, so that will be fun, right? I've never lived in a house by myself before. Any suggestions for what to look for/what to ask while looking?