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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Apartment Living.

Going from owning a house to apartment living is not exactly ideal. The thing is that you don't really think or better yet I didn't think we'll go back to apartment living after home-ownership but it was one of the things we decided to do when we learned we were moving to PA.

The main reason was because we were going to be new to the area. We did not know of good/safe neighborhoods, good school districts and all the things one needs to know about buying a house in a certain location.

Another factor was that because I'm not working I didn't want Sean's income to be the only one to determine what mortgage we would be approved at. I figured once I got a job we'll have bigger buying power and since this won't be a starter home this time around, it was the wisest decision.

But man, oh man! Let's start with my ridiculous first world problems.

First, the person above us! I sleep with a broom, yes a broom, that way I can slam it on the ceiling when the tenants above us decides that running/pacing up and down at 3 in the morning is normal human behavior. They don't say hi or smile at me when they see me. I understand. I'm the crazy woman who sleeps with a broom. But they're the crazy maniacs that pace up and down like they're on LSD at the oddest hours so I say we're even.

Next is space. Our first home was not big by any means. 1200 square feet but it was perfect for the two of us. In fact, when we first started house hunting I was not thrilled. I did not understand why we couldn't just continue to rent. It just seemed easier. Sean did not agree and finally I just said fine but of course I had conditions.

The house had to be small and updated that way it was easy to maintain and because neither one of us is handy. I didn't want too much backyard that way mowing didn't take forever although I'll admit that in the 3+ years we lived in our house I never mowed.

Our apartment isn't tiny but the washer and dryer could use more space that way I could do more than half a load at a time. Our cabinets cannot hold all of our pots, pans and dishes. It's hard to keep it organized with the limited amount of space. If you came to my apartment and opened our cabinets you might decide not to be my friend. Oh and let me just place it on the record that counter space is not overrated.

But I guess with all negatives one must note some positives so here is my attempt at doing just that. Our apartment has two bathrooms and our house only had one. You see life in a different way with two bathrooms. I mean the worst thing ever is taking a shower when someone has to take a dump Sean has one and I have one. It's a freaking miracle and now I know at least two bathrooms are a must in our next house.

Also our cat Fella has completely changed for the better. He was the most social and loving cat until we brought Izabella home. He was not happy and he let us know with his constant hissing and attacking of Izy. In our house he was able to hide in the basement and avoided interacting with Izy as much as he could. In our apartment he does not have that luxury and wouldn't you know it Fella can actually sit/sleep next to Izy when we're not home. They are actually friends! You don't have any idea how much progress he has made with Izy in the last few months. I hope this doesn't change when we buy a house in the future.

There's a gym and pool in our apartment complex. I don't have to explain that one because there's a gym and pool in our apartment complex.

If something breaks you don't have to fix it yourself. A single phone call and someone fixes it for you, without you having to shell out money or Google how to fix the problem. I missed that type of living ;).

And last but not least, laundry is not in the basement. I'm thinking you all know how amazing that is. I just won't mention that the laundry is in our kitchen now.

It's nice to lay it out like this because now I'm thinking that apartment living isn't so bad after all.
I have to start watching House Hunters again and continue to remind myself that I sleep with a broom.

26 comments:

  1. You are soooo funny.....I can only imagine the joys.

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  2. Wow, this is too funny! I would totally use a broom too if my neighbors were jumping around late at night (but my hubby is TOO nice and would give me the "really?" look...) I live in an apartment and appreciate the 'don't need to fix it myself benefits' too, but I love, love looking for a house. Hmmm, I think hotpads.com is calling my name right now - lol.

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  3. you crack me up! and you have such a great attitude....it doesn't sound bad at all!

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  4. Oh yes that laundry thing - man! If our laundry room wasn't right next to our master bedroom in our home, then I dont forsee it ever getting done. Keep that in mind when you start looking again. I am glad that you are trying to see some positives.. oh and I completely understand that bathroom thing - its always been a must with us living together.

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  5. Oh the pros and cons!! There are always two sides to every story and since you are there I'm glad you can see the upsides. I don't see how we'd ever go back to an apt. We'd definitely have to have a storage space too and I also don't think I could ever go back to just one sink. Definitely first world probs! And now I'm imagining you sleeping with a broom!! Too funny.

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  6. I think you definitely made the right choice to live in an apartment right after moving to a new area. We moved to a new apartment last fall in order to save money and get a feel for this new neighborhood to see whether we might want to ultimately buy a house around here. So far, we love it, and just like you, I'm thinking about all the pros and cons of renting vs. buying.

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  7. You are too funny! I busted out laughing at work reading the crossed-out line. I haven't lived in an apartment in a long time. When my family moved when I was 16, we stayed in one until we could find a house. I had never been in an apartment before, but I loved that place! I was at the pool alllll the time. Hopefully you can take advantage of your pool once it gets a little warmer! :)

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  8. Every time I complain about the small things, my husband says to me, FWP! I always feel like a brat afterwards :)

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  9. HAHAHA! There are definitely positives and negatives to both! :) Glad the animals are getting along now!

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  10. LSD part was too funny. I can only imagine what your neighbors are doing that they must pace at the crack of dawn. At least you found some silver lining. LOL!

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  11. Ugh, having somebody like that lives above you is the worst. The positive about being on the bottom floor is not moving anything up the stairs. But the negative is having somebody above you. Ha, it cracks me up that you sleep with a broom....don't blame you!

    Yes, to the pool. That is the number one thing I miss.

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  12. I remember the days of having an apartment above me and the annoyances that came along with it. Hang in there girl! xo

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  13. Gotta love it! But atleast it has forced the pets to bond!

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  14. I can completely commiserate with you! Southern California is EXPENSIVE, so home ownership is challenging. Apt life is all we know. And TWO bathrooms! I dream of that luxury. As well as a washer/dryer. Gosh I'm tired of coin-op laundry. Especially with all the extra laundry from Eve! And I'd love for our dogs to have some semblance of a yard. Ok, ok, rant over. At least our complex is beautiful, our manager is a gem, and we don't have pet rent! And we're close to family. That matters so much to me!

    Hope your apt life ends soon and you get your dream home!

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  15. My favorite place to call home was an apartment I rented by myself. It had two huge bedrooms, two spacious bathrooms, and a washer/dryer in my unit. Finding a place comparable to that, that meets both the hubby and my needs, has proven to be more difficult than anticipated!
    Sounds like apartment life isn't long-term for you. Hang in there. And be sure you get at least two bathrooms in your next home!! :)

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  16. ughh i've been living in apartments for the past 5 years. granted we just graduated from college so i mean it makes sense. our old place we great and terrible. the place was an old house, but the people in the basement were terrible. i like our place now but i dont love it. we live next door to a deaf grandma that watches tv blaring loud from 2-9 am, drives me nuts. also carpet. blech i hate it. also umm everything is so expensive and small here haha. i am so excited to have two bathrooms one day and i dream about having our own washer and dyer again. every place has its pros and cons, but at the end of the day i'm happy because its ours.

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  17. Outlining the pros and cons definitely puts things in prospective doesn't it. YAY for having 2 bathrooms I mean what if you both need to go to the bathroom at the same time :)

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  18. LOVE this post! Garrett and I have only ever had an apt and sometimes when I see all of my friends owning houses, I get jealous. But, then I get to thinking how easy apt living is and I feel better about it. Also, in Denver, houses are WAY overpriced. We will be living the apt life for a little longer atleast : ) It is, however, annoying to not have enough space. Our apt is cramped, ESPECIALLY the kitchen!

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  19. It's so hard to adjust to different living situations. Every time I go stay at the bfs house there are chickens outside the windows and noisy neighbors upstairs, but hes 5 mins walking from the water... Gotta do what you gotta do.

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  20. I can totally relate! I'm in an apartment now, and while we have never owned I know exactly what I want in our first condo/house. TWO bathrooms (food poisoning for the both of us - not pretty)... and definitely no one above us and preferably only one shared wall. Also I want to make a custom closet to fix my clothes problem, which you can't do in a rental. I hope things improve, and I'm sure it will be worth the wait in the end!
    Champagne Lifestyle on a Beer Budget

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  21. You have a great attitude about things. Looking at the pros and cons. I like that your pets are getting along much better. Its OK if the neighbors don't say hello. I don't like inconsiderate people and surely, they know they are being inconsiderate.

    I hear ya on the laundry. Thankfully, hubby does the laundry these days. I wish he'll add off loading the dishwasher to that list as well :-).

    So...is PA starting to feel like home? Are you watching HGTV (our favorite channel by the way) to see what you'll be doing in your new home? ;-)

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  22. Ha! I can watch House Hunters on repeat every night :)

    xo, tasha
    twenty-something blog

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  23. OMG Faith the broom sleeping is hilarious! I would be doing the same if I had crazy people living upstairs too! If I don't get enough sleep....I'm not a nice person the next morning lol. There are definitely pros and cons to apartment living and I would say enjoy the pros while you can! P.S. Having your own bathroom is muy importante!

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  24. I think I'm going to sleep with a broom here! HA!
    We had a townhouse once & I did hear the neighbor's kid...I used to get so mad! Little did I know what was ahead of me having two of our own! HA!
    I'm glad Fella has adjusted well! That's a plus!

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  25. I too know both sides to the coin. While we were selling our last house, me and my family moved into our one-bedroom condo (that we normally rent out) while some renovations were being done. Yea, chew on that. lol

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  26. I also used to live in an owned house, and I also had a difficult time adjusting to living in a smaller apartment. It's a good thing that you acknowledged the good side of apartment living though, some people would just rant about how terrible their conditions are. And I'm loving the humor! Good luck on settling in!

    Susan @ BallaratApartments-Newington.com.au

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