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After living in a single family home for the last 15 years, my wife and I thinking of moving to a rental condo or apartment in an urban environment in DC, maybe a high rise. We are looking at economics of the move and wonder if we are going to save a fair amount of money in utilities in a DC area urban setting high rise vs living in the standard 1/4 lot single family home.
I notice that many apartments say UTILITIES INCLUDED. That sounds good in theory but still would pay for a phone, cable TV, Internet, and maybe other things. But what about water, gas and or electricity? Right now we are paying about $250 for water, gas and electricity combined. What would we pay for gas and electricity in a 1200 Square foot 2 bedroom high rise DC Apartment?
Anyone made a move from a single family home in the suburbs to a high rise apartment in an urban setting near the METRO and have observations? Thanks!
You pay a lot more for less square footage, but I love it. I love being so high up, with floor to ceiling windows, amazing finishes, nice amenities. Great for a bachelor pad and you can walk to everything. Most people would say I paid too much for mine, but I don't care, the lifestyle is worth it.
My friend who has a studio pays about 60-80 dollars a month for all utilities (electric, heat, water).
Coming from a single family home, you will notice the lack of privacy. You'll be able to hear your neighbors arguing, watching TV at high volume, kids jumping up and down in the apartment above you, or the neighbors might be complaining about you. In my old apartment people would stand in the hallway and have long conversations and the sound would travel right through my door. Cigarette smoke is another issue. Also you have to make numerous trips back and forth from your car to unload groceries.
Hirise > SFH especially if you are into doing stuff, and not just sitting at home/working on the yard. Do it, you wont regret it.
I made the move from SFH to hirise, and I was depressed that I didnt do it sooner. Its a huge change, the best way I can describe it, is like going from living at home with your parents, to college, or working from the office vs working from home.
Diet will change, excerise will change, frineds will change, sex life will change (much for the better) etc. When you dont have a big lawn to mow, or a drive to worry about you spend way more time with the wife/kids/important stuff.
I went for a run and then stopped and grabbed a warm bagel....simple things in life make a huge difference.
Word for the wise: Drop that paper on a nice place (or find a great deal). You dont want to deal with a shoddy building, or crappy management. Spend an extra 3-4-500 bucks and do it right.
Another word: Make sure city living is for you, there are some people that hate the city and love the burbs, and moving to a hirise wouldnt be the best move...
I live in a high-rise now in Penn Quarter. It's good for the single life, but if I were married, I think I'd want to live either in a townhouse in the city (maybe Woodly/Cleveland or Eastern Market) or a regular house...the thing with a high-rise is the noise, the walls are thin, parking is incredibly expensive (about $250/parking spot/month) and if you own, you question why your HOA dues keep on going up every year.
Rent in a high-rise for a year and see if you like it, the flip side is that it could be exciting with all the accoutrements at your door step.
I live in a high rise condo, or it's described like that at least, in DC. We've got concierge and all this stuff and my girlfriend made the comment that I basically live in a modern college dorm building. I guess that's a good way to put it. Not because I have young neighbors, but...you don't have to worry about all the outside maintenance, lawn care, etc etc. I pay $310 in condo fees, but it includes all utilities except cable/phone/internet. You're probably looking at double that in a 1,200 square foot condo.
But yeah, I like it, no complaints about it really. My neighbors aren't nosy or noisy, there isn't a smoking problem. It's pretty awesome.
I live in a high rise with a husband, child, and dog, and I love it. Vicnice has it right: If you are into doing stuff, it is awesome. A concierge gets our packages, and a super maintains the common spaces. We have very little maintanance, which fits our lifestyle perfectly. We love the sense of community in the building. And, none of this is negated by the fact that we have an elementary school child. Sure, you might hear a little more sound than you would in a single family home, but we thrive on it.
I live in a decent-sized (for DC) one bedroom condo in a newish building. Friends who have always lived in SFHs or townhouse apts. are shocked by how small my place is. You have to have a whole different relationship with your "space". The con side is I am rarely able to entertain more than, say, 6 comfortably. The plus is my place is not cluttered with lots of furniture, electronics and gadgets I never use and is easy to keep clean. I'm fortunate that my building has lots of part-time residents and skews a bit older-- so noise is not an issue and the upkeep is good.
My Pepco bill runs about $90/month in the summer is next to nothing in the winter (I haven't turned on my heat yet). I know folks in SFHs who spend 4x's that.
I have read some message boards about apartment living and there is a share of people who just HATE living in an apartment because of the noise. There are tons of stories about people walking above them 24/7, slamming doors and loud talking and music that goes through the walls. Do you experience much noise where you live?
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