Tips for finding a QUIET apartment? (floor, phone, top)

[Arya Stark]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

And as mentioned, make sure most if not all people work, preferably full-time, outside the residence, and not weird shifts which could contribute to off hours noise. My neighbor is on disability and is up 18 hours a day and very active and noisy -- not pleasant versus having a neighbor who works full time.

Yup.. look for full time employees (very little cars in the parking lot during the day). And top floor a must but, I got an apartment top floor, all full time employees. Only to have to snot under me decide it was perfectly ok to get drunk and party on the balcony below me at 2 AM on Saturday and Sunday. I had to run him out of town by calling the cops on him every time I heard a peep. Any possibility you could rent a townhouse? If it is an apartment complex you are look at check out yelp.

[mdovell]

It's natural to hear some sounds


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLb1xMTniwQ

I live in downtown springfield and to be frank it can be quieter than suburbs. Trees don't absorb that much sound but buildings tend to. As a result, what I used to hear half a mile away I can't here.

Sometimes it's better to kinda indicate what you hear. If I'm hearing really heated arguments I'm going to be concerned. At the same point I gradually learned what sounds came from what areas and what they were. I'm on a first floor but there is a basement and I see outside to a parking lot.

I had a neighbor from India and I heard entire phone conversations around 11am. I think she was calling friends and relatives after they got back out of work. I can't call that a complaint because she has a legit reason to speak on the phone, might be considered discrimination otherwise. Inside the building isn't so much of an issue but outside it's hard to regulate. The air conditioner at the mass mutual center can be a bit loud but they turned it down.

The other thing you might want to look at is if there are any hills nearby or roads that prevent or at least slow people down from getting in the area. Being near a cul de sac might be ok but cars will turn around constantly.

There's always going to be some form of sounds. Police, fire, ems, ice cream trucks, parades, sporting events etc. Some of this is going to be seasonal like moving in and out days, weather related etc.

Worse comes to worse maybe you could get a amazon echo and put on the nature sounds.

[ryanthegoldengod]

Most apartments suck for noise. Everywhere. Noise is the reason I'm thinking of renting or buying a house.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by missionhill

-- i.e., reinforced concrete. Yes, that's good advice.

acoustic layer of concrete, do you mean?

[bigfatdude]

Noise will be an issue unless you rent or buy in one of those poured concrete everything seven figures for a 500sqft shoebox towers. And i’m talking legit uber-expensive luxury buildings, not ikea boxes like Troy where everything is made out of paper. You won’t be able to hear your neighbors through thick concrete floors, and more importantly you’ll be dead due to starvation after paying a couple months worth of rent and as we all know dead can’t hear.

[bgrasser]

As an apartment bldg. dweller and owner, I can tell you first hand that quiet apts. don't exist.
After retirement we sold off all RE except a high rise condo on the shore of Weymouth, Weymouthport;
doors slamming, heavy footed people above, cigarette odor in the hallway, open the windows and listen to the A/C chiller...total nightmare.

The guest house/cottage sounds like your next move.

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by bgrasser

As an apartment bldg. dweller and owner, I can tell you first hand that quiet apts. don't exist.
After retirement we sold off all RE except a high rise condo on the shore of Weymouth, Weymouthport;
doors slamming, heavy footed people above, cigarette odor in the hallway, open the windows and listen to the A/C chiller...total nightmare.

The guest house/cottage sounds like your next move.

There's a big variation between apartments though. I've been in triple decker's where within the same unit someone in the living room will have the TV on moderately loud while you can't hear a thing in the bedroom next to it with the door closed.

Not something thats easy to test when buying though.

[City Guy997S]

easy fix!

Go to a gun range and fire a few hundred rounds of large caliber ammo without ear muffs. You won't hear anything after that!

[ryanthegoldengod]

Townhouse apartment. But those are harder to find and not always cheap. But having no upstairs or downstairs neighbor is a dream. Next door noise is negligible from my experience.

[MassVt]

Top floor, corner unit if applicable, no college students/guys in 20s, limited number of cars ( in good shape) outside, tree-lined street, etc. Check neighhborhood at night, to get a better sense..