With rents perpetually soaring all across the country, a cheap apartment can seem like a magical unicorn stumbled upon in the forest—and needless to say, you have to pounce on it before it's gone.
Which is exactly what a 19-year-oldd Oklahoma woman on TikTok did when she found a two-bedroom apartment in Arkansas for only $350.
What a deal.
Except it turns out it was a retirement community for senior citizens.
Oops!
TikToker Madi, who goes by itsme.madiiii on the app, decided to relocate to Arkansas to be closer to a sort of surrogate matriarch she'd become very close to after becoming friends on TikTok.
Her TikTok mom was helping her find apartments and sent her the retirement unit, thinking it was just any apartment. Madi loved it, applied for the place and got accepted then moved there having only seen it online. And she instantly loved it.
As she told Insider:
"The rent was significantly cheaper compared to where I had moved from. I was able to lease a two-bedroom for only $350 a month. It was super spacious and felt like home."
What's not to love?
But after moving in, she noticed something kind of strange about her neighbors.
"I started meeting some of my neighbors. To my surprise, they were all over the age of 65."
And then she saw the sign in front of the complex that bears the words "Senior Citizen Apartments."
Mystery solved!
Madi was able to move in despite her age because the complex is a HUD development, which means it is equal opportunity housing, regardless of age or any other criteria.
Now, you might be thinking that a 19-year-old would probably hate living in a retirement home, but you'd be dead wrong. As Madi detailed in a follow-up TikTok, a senior citizens' apartment complex has its upsides—like always being up on the latest "tea" around town and being able to listen to music as loud as you want because a lot of your neighbors do the same, for other reasons.
Seems like it all worked out pretty well.
And Madi's fellow TikTokers are loving these glimpses into Madi's new golden-years lifestyle.
@koolkat29632/TikTok
@travineville/TikTok
@2020broughtmehere/TikTok
@kelseyrian90/TikTok
@bckystwrt/TikTok
@saucegodtanner/TikTok
@plant.synn/TikTok
@matttbrenchley/TikTok
@faithjeremiah17/TikTok
@whitklos/TikTok
So there you have it, apartment hunters: As Madi put it in one of her videos:
"If you're struggling with rent, start your early retirement!"
@billieeilish/Instagram
@GovPressOffice/X
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social