We’ve lived in an apartment for the past few years and have come to appreciate many of the good things that come along with apartment life. We’re not completely sold on it, but it works for us now.
One thing we love about apartment living is the more compact, manageable size of an apartment. Apartments typically run the gamut from studio to three or even four bedrooms these days, but most are on the smaller size compared to a stand-alone house (our daughter-in-law’s current apartment is an exception). Brett and I have lived in smaller spaces than we do now and know we could easily fit into a studio these days, but one bedroom suits us best.
Many apartments these days come loaded with amenities, from free heat or air-conditioning; full-size washers and dryers; valet trash pick-up; fireplaces; garages; top-of-the-line appliances, cabinets, and counters in the kitchen; salt water pools and hot tubs; pet spas; car wash stations; and so forth. Those things typically come at a higher rent point, but you don’t have to go without and can pick the apartment and amenities that are important to you. We feel like we get a lot of bang for our bucks in the apartment we currently live in and it was the same in our apartment in Hawaii.
The best part of apartment living, for us anyway, is the maintenance provided. If something breaks, repairs are taken care of quickly and at no cost to us. We’re in corporate-owned apartments now, but it was the same in Hawaii as well with a private owner.
Of course there are disadvantages to apartment living, ones that you can probably think of easily. Neighbors are close by, and can be noisy, messy, rude, etc. but as long as they can afford and are paying their rent, there’s not much you can do about it other than ignore them.
If your apartment is on a lower floor, we’ve learned upstairs neighbors are either aware of the noise they make or not, and they either care or they don’t. There’s no in-between. Some that lived above us in Hawaii were clompers but others we barely knew were there. One of the quiet ones told us she was always aware of where her feet were and what they were doing. The others, she said, had no idea how hard they stepped or where they were stepping (and didn’t care). Our current upstairs neighbors have small children who roughhouse which makes quite a bit of noise, and we can always hear when the mom is running her vacuum (several times a week). They do come down and let us know when they will be having guests “who may be noisy” – thankfully this doesn’t happen much at all.
What many see as a downside to apartment living is that you can’t decorate to your taste. This is not entirely true – there are things you can do to change the appearance of your apartment but the apartment must be returned to its original appearance when you move out. If not, get ready to pay a hefty sum for damages. We lived in military housing for years, and knew people who painted and wallpapered their homes, or put down wall-to-wall carpeting, but removed it, took it down, and/or repainted when they moved. Our current apartment doesn’t allow us to even put nails into the wall, but we’ve discovered there are an amazing number of 3-M Command products out there that do the job with no damage.
Parking is another issue at many apartments. Most of it is usually outdoors (if there even is any) and uncovered, but sometimes minimal cover is provided. Some apartment complexes these days provide a full parking structure, or separate and attached garages (which typically cost more).
Apartments and their surroundings can also be quite sterile looking, with little to zero landscaping or decorated community spaces. We’re fortunate to have our complex surrounded by woods on three sides, and the property is beautifully decorated and landscaped (and fully maintained by a landscape crew). The staff is always friendly, welcoming, and helpful.
Last but not least, apartments don’t offer the financial advantages that owning a home does. There’s no equity being built, no increase in value, no tax advantages although I believe those homeowner advantages are not as advantageous as they once were. Some states do offer a small rebate to renters (like Hawaii), but that’s not guaranteed.
If asked the question house or apartment? in the past, our answer would have been house hands down. They’re just quieter over all and we loved having a yard for our children. These days though we’d go with apartment: for all the downsides we appreciate not having to worry about things like maintenance and yard work, or having to buy and own appliances, and we mostly like the compact space and amenities an apartment provides. It’s just easier for us over all. Apartment living also makes moving easier, but by the time we’re ready to settle down it may be time for a condo, an in-between solution that would work well for us.
The Occasional Nomads 