Apartment Living – Is it For You?

Apartment living has many advantages for just about any age group. Young adults learn how to get along with roommates and hone some people skills, along with learning how to budget and pay their rent and other bills.

Older adults sometimes choose apartment living if they decide to downsize after their children grow up and leave. Still other people tend to move frequently because of their jobs and they find it much easier to live in an apartment than to go house hunting in each new city.

There are many styles and options to think about. One of the most popular is the high rise in the middle of a big city. Many kids dream of moving to places like New York or Chicago and being able to walk everywhere. No matter what they want or need to do can be just a few blocks away, or just across the street. Theater, restaurants, banks, and even dog parks are usually close by.

These apartments usually have other pluses as well. Onsite stores, restaurants, post offices, and personal services like nail salons or dry cleaners are common. Larger buildings have a laundry on each floor and even a concierge service that will help you with everything from finding some take out food to getting good tickets to a ball game.

Of course, all this comes with a price – which many simply can’t afford. Your apartment may not even be very large or very attractive, but the lure of the big city and all it has to offer frequently overshadows what might turn out to be some costly commitments. However, many newcomers find sooner or later that literally spending all their money for this of convenience might not be the best choice, and they head to suburbs or a cheaper city.

There are complexes built just for families, too. For anyone who likes the good life but can’t afford it all alone, there are gorgeous complexes with everything you can imagine – pools, parks, gyms, spas, stores, and even day care centers. Club houses have weekly get togethers, and even story hours for the kids.

There is also the age old question of apartment vs. Condo. Some people believe that if you enjoy that type of lifestyle, you might as well own your unit. However, in a condo situation you are faced with all the problems of real home ownership (property taxes, insurance, upkeep, etc.) in addition to monthly maintenance fees that can increase dramatically overnight. An affordable condo with a $150 a month maintenance fee might suddenly become a financial burden if those fees go to $500 a month – and this is a frequent complaint of many condo owners.

Before committing to anything, ask if they have a move in special, free rent, or reduced deposits. Rental managers know they need to compete just homeowners who are trying to sell. This competitive behaviour will allow you to cut some corners and ask for some kind of bargains so that they know you’re at least a little serious. It’s a renter’s market out there!

Author Bio: Searching online for Toronto apartments for rent? Then make it a priority to browse through Torontorentals.com in order to find the best Toronto rentals that suits your needs.

Category: Real Estate
Keywords: apartment, rental, house, home, family, business, society, living

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