Apartment Living

I have owned several houses in my prior life. At this point in my life I needed to live in an apartment near stores and medical offices. I felt like I had no choice. I could not afford much, not even a car. Had to move from a house in the forest to a very small apartment in the downtown area of a small city. I figured it would be something I would have to adjust to. But I loved it my first night here and still do, three years later.
That's a huge change, so it's marvellous that you settled in so quickly....(y)
 

A condo or apartment makes sense for me too. I'm not going back to raking, mowing and shoveling snow any time soon.
Don't forget taking the garbage out to cans that the winds blow away, cleaning the eves troughs, worrying about bad people breaking in and maybe killing you. Now that furnace or water heater wouldn't last forever, will it? In an apartment, NO PROBLEMS, NO WORRY". Kind of wish I had moved earlier but like that song says, for everything there is a season.
 
Rent is Houston is insane. I see condo up to rent out where I live and my dues are about 25% of what some owners want for monthly rent. No way will I rent. The value of my unit went up about $16,000 this year and it is nearly double for what I paid for it seventeen years ago. I rented for a long time because my work assignments had me moving all over this area and I refuse to drive long distances in rush hour traffic every day. Yesterday I had to travel 25 miles south to University of Texas Medical University and got out at 4PM (rush hour). What a screwed up drive home and to think some folks tolerate that every day is beyond me. I actually carried my gun for the drive in case I was involved in a road rage incident.
Bumper-to-bumper 50% of the way.
 

When we were married we bought our first small home. Eight years later we were able to have our dream house built. I love this house yet maintenance is getting worse each year. I'm not sure if I could handle living in an apartment mainly because of the noise.
I'm ultra sensitive to any noise.
I know its me and would have no right complaining about noises from normal day to day living and yet it would grate on my nerves.
Maybe a senior complex would be a better choice.
Not having to deal with repairs and maintenance would really be a huge advantage. Someday we will have to decide. .
 
When we were married we bought our first small home. Eight years later we were able to have our dream house built. I love this house yet maintenance is getting worse each year. I'm not sure if I could handle living in an apartment mainly because of the noise.
I'm ultra sensitive to any noise.
I know its me and would have no right complaining about noises from normal day to day living and yet it would grate on my nerves.
That's exactly me, absolutely , really ultra sensitive to other peoples noise . .. so I don't think I could ever live in a flat unless it was soundproofed
 
That's exactly me, absolutely , really ultra sensitive to other peoples noise . .. so I don't think I could ever live in a flat unless it was soundproofed
What I've been doing is when I'm here by myself--because Huzz won't let me if he's home--is keep the TV on constantly, trying to get myself used to noise. And heck, even if I never get outa this too-big house, at least it'll be good practice for the nursing home--which we're all headed to if we live long enough & espec. if you don't have kids--they say those places are pretty noisy.
 
Upkeep and health issues have me thinking we‘ll need to move into an apartment or condo at some point. DH wants to stay here till the end. What was easy to maintain when we retired isn’t the best now.

The demand and $$$ for any type of accommodation is out of control in this province. That could keep us here.
 
I have just experienced another aspect of living in an apartment. Yesterday, the outside drain was blocked, and someone from environmental health came to clear it. I was helping him with buckets of water etc. and watched as he drew out a bundle of wipes and kitchen roll that some moron had flushed down the toilet. I've lived here for 10 years and it's the first time this has happened, so it was obviously one of the new tenants.
Why do people have to be told the same thing over and over again? It's this sort of thing which causes bad feeling among tenants.
 
What I've been doing is when I'm here by myself--because Huzz won't let me if he's home--is keep the TV on constantly, trying to get myself used to noise. And heck, even if I never get outa this too-big house, at least it'll be good practice for the nursing home--which we're all headed to if we live long enough & espec. if you don't have kids--they say those places are pretty noisy.
I couldn't bear that noise, but keeping the TV on wouldn't work for me, it's other people's noise which bothers me.. people making noise in their gardens, etc... perfectly reasonable for them to do so, but not near me lol
 
My apartment is in a brick school building and half of it is small businesses and the art council. Even when there is a musical playing in the theater, I don't really hear it unless I walk down to that end of the hall. Which I do sometimes (I love musicals!). I have an apartment on each side of me and never hear a sound from either one. I might be the only one who plays music and I keep it down because I don't really like it loud anyway. Since the elevator is directly across the hall from me, I block the area under my front door so I don't hear people talking while waiting for it. But it doesn't really bother that much. Sometimes I like knowing there are other people alive in here besides me.
 
...Sometimes I like knowing there are other people alive in here besides me.
Exactly how I'm come to feel more & more; here's a quote about that I think is great:

"Elderly people don't just want to look at photos of the past, or of a nice bl**dy view. We want to see bright lights, and hear music, and see young people having fun."--from The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

Of course, this doesn't apply to all elderly people by any means--namely my huzz; if he had his way, he'd never clap eyes on another soul other than certain golf buddies, his relatives and only a couple of my relatives--but it sure applies to me; a nice little apartment where there was a mix of ages & at least a few people around enjoying themselves (and I realize if they were young enough, it wouldn't even dawn on them to ask me to join in but that's ok, just watching it would be fun). And a nice view would be frosting on the cake but probably not affordable, not in this state. Sounds great to me...if only.
 
Exactly how I'm come to feel more & more; here's a quote about that I think is great:

"Elderly people don't just want to look at photos of the past, or of a nice bl**dy view. We want to see bright lights, and hear music, and see young people having fun."--from The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

Of course, this doesn't apply to all elderly people by any means--namely my huzz; if he had his way, he'd never clap eyes on another soul other than certain golf buddies, his relatives and only a couple of my relatives--but it sure applies to me; a nice little apartment where there was a mix of ages & at least a few people around enjoying themselves (and I realize if they were young enough, it wouldn't even dawn on them to ask me to join in but that's ok, just watching it would be fun). And a nice view would be frosting on the cake but probably not affordable, not in this state. Sounds great to me...if only.
See, I like that too...but now only for a short time, and then I come home and breathe a sigh of relief. When I go into the city I love it, I love the vibe , the people everywhere, the neon lights, the hustle and bustle, the fact no-one gives a damn about your business , it's all I knew growing up... but now not for long, once I get back on that tube to ride the 20 mile back into the countryside...I've totally had my fill
 
When we were married we bought our first small home. Eight years later we were able to have our dream house built. I love this house yet maintenance is getting worse each year. I'm not sure if I could handle living in an apartment mainly because of the noise.
I'm ultra sensitive to any noise.
I know its me and would have no right complaining about noises from normal day to day living and yet it would grate on my nerves.
Maybe a senior complex would be a better choice.
Not having to deal with repairs and maintenance would really be a huge advantage. Someday we will have to decide. .
I was speaking to a friend the other day who used to be my neighbor. She moved out because of issues she was having with her upstairs neighbor who was subletting. She moved to a senior apartment complex with more floors than we have here (we have 3). She said she never hears her neighbors, not even the one(s) above her.

I hear my neighbor upstairs periodically but nothing too annoying and we're friends so if it did get to be annoying, I'd just call her and tell her to cool it. Any noise mostly comes from my next door and upstairs neighbors coming in the building, talking and laughing...whatever. I've lived here (will be) 50 years in July, so I'm used to it by now. One night the young man on the 2nd floor was arguing with his GF in the middle of the night. I didn't say anything but said next time I'm going to tell him to go down to the laundry room (which is directly below me) but it has concrete ceilings and he'll have complete privacy at that time of night.
 
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I'm ultra sensitive to any noise.
I know its me and would have no right complaining about noises from normal day to day living and yet it would grate on my nerves.
Maybe a senior complex would be a better choice.
I was concerned about that when I moved here (a senior high rise). But it is quite quiet. I mean, if people are walking by in the hallway talking, I can hear them as they walk by my door. And you can hear a person's TV if you are RIGHT out side their apartment door. But, other than that, nothing. I cannot hear the people on either side, or above and below. It helps us that the individual apartments have cement walls.
 
Every time I see an apartment/condo fire on tv, the source was usually from the balcony. Sometimes they say it was the barbecue or smokers. The other day I saw apartments with two nice barbecues outside for the tenants. Good idea.
 
I was speaking to a friend the other day who used to be my neighbor. She moved out because of issues she was having with her upstairs neighbor who was subletting. She moved to a senior apartment complex with more floors than we have here (we have 3). She said she never hears her neighbors, not even the one(s) above her.

I hear my neighbor upstairs periodically but nothing too annoying and we're friends so if it did get to be annoying, I'd just call her and tell her to cool it. Any noise mostly comes from my next door and upstairs neighbors coming in the building, talking and laughing...whatever. I've lived here (will be) 50 years in July, so I'm used to it by now. One night the young man on the 2nd floor was arguing with his GF in the middle of the night. I didn't say anything but said next time I'm going to tell him to go down to the laundry room (which is directly below me) but it has concrete ceilings and he'll have complete privacy at that time of night.

Hi, Diva -- Just wondering how much the rent has gone up n the 50 years you have lived there? We had a really nice 1BR apartment in a complex in Maryland very near DC back in the late 60s -- I could happily live in it now; it had all the amenities -- for which we paid $125/mo. I wonder what it would go for now.

Rent has gone up so much here that it's ridiculous. That's one reason I'm still in my paid-for house. Every time I get fed up with maintenance, etc., I look into apartments and the rents are just out of sight.
 
Hi, Diva -- Just wondering how much the rent has gone up n the 50 years you have lived there? We had a really nice 1BR apartment in a complex in Maryland very near DC back in the late 60s -- I could happily live in it now; it had all the amenities -- for which we paid $125/mo. I wonder what it would go for now.

Rent has gone up so much here that it's ridiculous. That's one reason I'm still in my paid-for house. Every time I get fed up with maintenance, etc., I look into apartments and the rents are just out of sight.
I was just thinking how amazing @OneEyedDiva is to have lived in an apartment for 50 years, must be a nice place with nice neighbours ... then I remembered my elder brother has lived a 2nd floor flat since 1970, so pretty much the same length of time as Diva . He likes it, he raised his family in it, but it wouldn't be for me...
 
@Butterfly and @hollydolly I almost moved due to a very noisy neighbor and her young children who lived right above me early on. But apartments even back then cost way more unless they were in undesirable neighborhoods so I toughed it out and stayed. Thank God she and her children finally moved and I thank God I stayed. My neighbor now, who moved in right after the noisy one had two boys and a husband. They were so much quieter that it was amazing. I own this unit. I found receipts that showed my downpayment was only $700. Back then if rents were $700 you had to come up with $1,400 to be able to move in ($700 security deposit).

I was paying $156 in the early 80's, then it went up to $182 around 1984. Our monthly housing costs include all utilities (except electricity). Maintenance of common areas is also included. When I got a big raise which put me "over income", I started paying $418. We didn't have increases for a long time then It went up gradually; the last increase was in Feb. 2019. It stayed $444 for a long time Due to a big hike in tax rates, charges had to be raised to $544. The taxes went up so much in 2018 that we were raised another $50 so now we pay $594 for 2 bedrooms. I think the 3 bedroom units are about $618. I'm happy to pay $594 because the average 2 bedroom apartments in our county can run from $1,600 to $2,100 and in the infamous Bergen County (N.J.), next county over, 2 bedrooms can go as high as $2,850.
 

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