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Likes and dislikes about apartment living?

EmeraldJewel 7 July 25
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24 comments

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4

Likes: no yard work, less house to clean Dislikes: Can't be as loud as I want when I want and how I want.

2

Likes - None
Dislikes - the smells of other people's cooking, smoking, pets

  • the feeling of all those other people on all sides like a chicken in a battery cage
  • Rules, I barely manage to do guidelines so forget rules that go with communal living
  • Elevators, I like walking into my house and walking out into my yard not being moved in a box
  • basically everything else, just awful for me personally but there are plenty who love it
2

The apartment I have lived in for just over a year has been 98% great after having lived in a house for years. I purposely chose a 3rd floor walkup for the exercise and that is great except for groceries, but... exercise. I have my own washer/dryer in the unit and mostly quiet neighbors so I've been lucky. It depends on the place - I was very fussy choosing this place and it paid off. No maintenance costs and not tied down to a place. Win Win!!

2

The fire alarm in my apartment building is going off constantly and being "tested" other times. I'm slowly going back to insane.

1

Having spent 40 + yr as a homeowner and just having moved to an apartment .. I'll never go back to being a homeowner. Part of the reason is my point in life -- I'm over 70 and recently single -- a 3 BR suburban home of 2000 sq ft is a waste for me - as well as a drain on my time and energy in doing yard work and maintenance. I now live a block from a metro station, grocery store, pharmacy, Sub shop and can enjoy the quality of life in the big city w/o worrying about parking. Oh, did I say parking? -- how bout having an underground garage when it rains/snows etc.? Life in the big city is much more interesting and easier to enjoy than in the suburbs!

The design of the apartment is the key -- NEWER designs, with window walls bring the outside world into the apartment - lotsa light and a feeling of space (works best on a corner unit) -- the newer apartments have subtle design features (LED lighting, quiet HVAC) that make living so nice. A feature I hunted for is a small veranda - just to sit outside w/ some wine and get some fresh air. Newer units have good noise transfer characteristics -- only when someone drops something really heavy is there noticeable cross noise between units. The view from your windows is important -- it's pointless to have window walls if your "neighbor" is 50' away! -- There is little transfer of cooking odors between units - but one does know it's supper time when in the hall! Safety? - I'm on the 5th floor - one has to get by the front desk and use a key fob to enter the lobby - each room is fire alarmed and has sprinklers. In my homes, I had to chase away door to door salesmen and lived in fear of a fire or a break in.

Price varies - but when I looked at buying an equivalent condo - I found that taxes and HOA were half to 2/3 the cost of equivalent rent - much higher than the cost of HOA and taxes for a suburban home. This might vary area to area around the country.

Life style choice is the key -- here, I'm surrounded by younger occupants and part of a community -- in a suburban home and older condos - not so much. Oh, and very few children. The rental agency has several meet and greet activities -- and of course I wouldn't have a fully equipped exercise room, pool and penthouse in a suburban home -- or many condos either. Yeah, getting rid of nearly 50 yr of "stuff" to fit in an apartment was a chore - but it's just stuff at this point in life. No one wants your stuff - especially "da kids" -- lose it or donate it - but make it gone and your life is better. Yes, I miss working on my cars and in my wood shop -- but I gain access to some of the worlds great museums and activities - call it a wash.

On life style - if you are planning on children - you are probably stuck w/ the suburbs and a house -- few cities have as good an educational system and "life styles" suitable for children as a good suburb. The operative word is good -- you will pay through the nose for a home in an area w/ highly rated schools. This is possibly a debatable point - I never considered private schools in my search for a suburban home. IF one goes w/ private schooling ... well, that's another discussion point isn't it?

Hoping this helps

f

1

No maintenance. I have the option to leave with no effort once a year. My absolute favorite thing is never having to mow. I hate yard work with a passion.

1

I was raised in an apartment. I always loved to have the ability of calling the super for repairs.Alsso the ability to move at will.

1

I'm a happy renter. Repairs don't cost me anything, I don't have to mow the grass or shovel the snow, no worries about property taxes or HOA fees, and if I want to pick up and move I can. Downside - I would love to have a garden and a garage and some neighbors are better than others.

GwenC Level 7 July 25, 2018
1

Prefer owning a home. Never had a visit with an unscheduled concert at night. Lol. Can’t say the same when I was in an apartment.

I have yet to understand why the house won’t clean itself, I won’t even discuss the yard. We are in counseling about our disagreements. 🙂

1

Too many people breathing the same air.

1

In the past 5 or 6 years ive been in a house , an apartment, a trailer, and then another house.

In the apartment I liked being close to downtown in my tiny excuse for a city. I had a dumpster, water and exercise room included. It was a first floor apartment in a building with exterior access/breezeways and a small patio area btw, a motel style not a hotel. And I only got the first floor because I was taking care of my grandma at the time. I liked not worrying about maintenance, had an ecclectic group of mostly good friendly neighbors and people to stop by and say hi to her, but most everything like that by all accounts I was very fortunate to find, under rare circumstances.

I hated their monthly fire alarm tests setting off the loudest buzzer on earth as if a nuclear attack was happening to my cochlea. I hated everyone in the patios above tossin their cigs down into my bushes because I was a chainsmoking neatfreak at the time so I had to keep it picked up. I hated the noise from upstairs. And I hated the lawn crew leafblowing by my window at 9 or 10 in the motherfuckin morning on a saturday, jesus fuck ?

1

Mostly likes: Groundskeeping & other major property maintenance is owner's responsibility, no property taxes. Limited storage space, but that can be a good thing. Haven't lived in an apartment in about a decade, I miss it.

1

On the plus side, I love never ending hot water and no expenses for home repairs. Downsides can be no covered parking, no in apartment washer/dryer, and of course weird and noisy neighbors.

0

Living in an apartment close to downtown is a game-changer for me. The convenience of having everything at your doorstep and the modern amenities like the pool, bar, and free gym are hard to resist. It's like having a mini-vacation spot right at home.On the flip side, there's something about houses that's just so appealing. The spaciousness, the privacy, and having your own garden oasis – it's like having your kingdom. No shared walls means ultimate peace, and having the freedom to personalize your space is a major plus.Speaking of housing options, I've got my eye on a new condo at Lentor Central. Exploring different choices before taking the plunge.

0

Too much noise from the neighboors, especially the upstairs ones who drop bowling balls on their floor/my ceiling.

0

My apartment is great but alas it could be better, there could be more cabinets in the kitchen area, for a studio you couldn't ask for more. What I don't like is nosey or gossipy neighbors.

0

Like the lack of property taxes, like the convenience of being in the city by all the places I use.
Dislike the close proximity to the neighbors, the noise, the amount of traffic coming and going, and not being able to fully customize my space, or have a loud party if I felt so inclined, no backyard for drinking, no bonfires.

0

Mice ugh
Neighbors so so
Smell of cooking nice

0

It is certainly convenient and efficient. The whole country of China seems to be transforming into a 'high rise' population. Thirty plus story residential complexes are growing there like fields of weeds. It boggles the mind.

My grand daughter lives on the tweifth floor and really doesn't have to leave because whatever one wants or needs is as close as the smar phone. It just appears at your door and promptly. Park areas abound between these residential areas too. Only one complaint that seems to be going away due to recent aggressive measures. The air is terrible everywhere.

Rents there are low, compared to here with some employers even subsidizing them as part of compensation packages. They are also more secure than ground level homes.

0

Pro: Less space to cool or heat.

Con: Neighbor noises

Marz Level 7 July 25, 2018
0

I've not owned a house since divorcing decades ago. I feel that it's been easier and free-er, emotionally. I can move whenever I want, to where ever I want to be. I also don't have grandkids and my only son is an adult. I live on a quiet neighborhood street in a house that was converted into a four-plex. Two apartments in back, and two in front. I've always lived in private apartments that were renovated from homes. And I like that the landlords that I've chosen thus far, take very good care of the properties.

0

Thin walls,the tenants who fight put on quite a show,door slamming,stomping up and down stairs, your neighbors on either side have loud parties,and you have to be up early the next day.

0

Found me yesterday an apartment in Vegas I truly liked the lay out. 2 rooms, 2 baths on 2nd floor... first floor half a bath and a first!!!! a sink for the bar! You kidding me? and I don't drink but got to have me a sink in the bar while open cealing, well spaced and 6 minutes drive from my son's house to check on me. I won't give him the address of course. In the meanwhile... there is a lot of maintenance to do on the outside of his house. Have to check if thin walls but the fact how the lay out is... makes it very appealing. 1400 SQ feet I believe for me, myself and I. While keep looking I will scouted at odd hours of the night... access, can a drunk climb the 2nd story balcony? etc, etc, etc. Not the place that I had in Germany that was nicknamed "The Castle" and "The Cuban Embassy in Horlzgerlingen" but it will do.

0

Haven't lived in one since the 80s (college and then work). Bought my first home on 12 acres in 1990. Have always had homes since then. I would crumble and die in an apartment.

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