Living in an apartment or condominium is probably one of the most recommended option for those looking for affordable housing with easy access to the city centers and other amenities such as spa, fitness center and game center, to name a few.
Whatever it is, for young people living in an apartment or condominium really is the most recommended options. Young people are still very productive and mobile. They do not much time to keep a house in tidy, start a hobby or do some leisure time at home. The location of apartments is usually in the middle of the city, which is close to the center of activities such as business, commercial, education, health, entertainment, etc. For individuals or new families looking to stretch their dollars further, apartment living is good because they do not have to spend large transportation costs.
However living in an apartment requires a rational attitude, simple, and practical lifestyle. Receiving too many guests and partying until dawn could disturb your neighbors. Here are few pros and cons of living in apartment.
Some positives of living in apartment:
- There is no yard work if you live in an apartment. If you are like many people who are not attracted to gardening, this means there is no need to purchase or maintain yard tools and spending extra cash to hire gardening help, plus you can simply spend you leisure time doing things that you love most.
- Living in an apartment could also means you can enjoy amenities that you would not be able to enjoy freely, such as clubhouses, barbecue area, pools, 24-security, fitness center and secure parking, to name a few.
- You do not have the responsibility to repair or maintain your interior features yourself. An apartment complex generally has their own management team who works to make sure their units are working properly.
- If you rent an apartment, you do not have to pay for taxes, as homeowners would do.
- Due to the smaller living space, it takes less time to clean up your apartment compared to a house.
- There is no need to clean gutters, snow or leaves or set a specific day to throw the garbage out (as many apartments have their indoor trash chute)
- You do not have to pay mortgage, insurance property taxes or spend money to fix things up, and you can leave whenever you want or try living in different apartments in the neighborhood until you find one that suits you most.
Some negative of living in apartment:
- There is little outdoor space (or there is no outdoor space at all!).
- You need to maximize available space. Some units have additional storage space while others do not. So make sure that you can maximize your space to make sure your small apartment does not feel even smaller. Moreover, since there is little space, it is harder to invite guests to come and stay.
- You may have restrictions and limitations when it comes to decorating your apartment. Therefore, you need to make sure with the landlord regarding the things that you can and cannot do while you live there.
- Privacy is quite limited as you can lookout to your neighbor’s windows and they can do the same thing to yours too. Additionally, you can hear your neighbors when they quarrel, shout or when their children running around, and the other way around.
- Depends on what type of apartment you live in, you could find a lot of cons about it. Just make sure that you do not move to apartment near water that has history of flooding and bugs, low-level apartment where toilets overflowing and children running upstairs can give you additional headache.
- Try to live in an apartment community with fewer residents as the more people you live with, the more dramas you would see/ hear/encounter every day. Avoid living in an apartment near busy street filled with traffic 24 hours a day or a converted basement apartment full of mold and mildew as some people are allergic to mold.
- There are apartments without windows that would make you claustrophobic every now and then, and apartment located above a bar or other business below as you might want to bear the worry about meeting strangers in and out daily.
In short, apartment living can be a great option as you could enjoy various facilities and amenities without spending a fortune. If you have limited budget and do not wish to pay a lot of taxes, then an apartment living is a good option. However, you need to remember that the money you pay for rent would be the landlord’s instead of yours. And in order to find the right apartment, you need to think about long-term before you decide on renting a certain apartment complex. Gather as much information from the people living in the neighborhood, read the local news and select an apartment that suit your lifestyle and budget.
