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lived in hoa places was nothing but head aches did not like the cast iron furniture on patio, could not have shade or curtain in picture window(did it any way) down to color of curtains/blinds(shades) this was in the 90's they could only be white we found black blinds just because it looked clean and nice there thing was to have it uniform
lived in hoa places was nothing but head aches... down to color of curtains/blinds(shades) this was in the 90's they could only be white we found black blinds just because it looked clean and nice.
It works out fine as long as you settle in a community that has similar aesthetic values as yours.
If you're thinking, "That place looks wonderful!" you should be fine. If you're thinking, "That place *would* look wonderful if I could change from rosebushes to cactii, change the blinds from white to black, switch from a medeterranean look to a modern look..." you should probably avoid. My HOA uses the rod on people who use the balconies to hang laundry or store rusted bikes, who are intoxicated in common areas, who decide to yank out all their plants, who decide to paint their house a color that doesn't fit our community, etc. They also respond quickly to security issues and organize community activities on holidays. I'm pretty satisfied with them.
Definitely read the CC&Rs before moving in or confirm key points. I've avoided HOAs that did not allow hanging an American flag (even though I don't hang one) or holiday decorations.
Wow, these complains are ridiculous. Maybe it's just me, but I love living in an apartment:
1. You don't have to pay or worry about fixing ANYTHING - the maintenance takes care of everything
2. You don't have to worry about taking care of anything outdoors, either. The grass gets mowed and the streets cleaned and you don't ever have to worry about it
3. You have so much more free time
4. The OP complains about the gym - well, guess what, it's FREE. Even if you get a gym equipment for your home, you still have to buy it. All you need to do at the apartment complex is figure out the least busiest time of the day to use the gym. I've never had problems with that. Again, it's FREE. Included in the rent, but still.
5. I've always lived in apartment complexes with a pool. I'd never buy a house with one. Too much pain in the ass to maintain it. And too expensive. But I'm glad I have one here.
6. If I don't like my apartment or get a new job far away, I can always move. Try to do that with a house.
Mail is centralized. You have to walk a considerable distance just to get the mail. Because of this, I have to get the mail on the way to my apartment when driving home.
Look at this as an opportunity to get some exercise. Plus, there is always someone to sign for packages for you, which you don't have at home if you work.
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The trash dumpsters are centralized and are way too far to walk to. Again, I have to freekin' drive with the trash bags in my car all the way to the dumpster.
Again, look at this as an opportunity to walk. And be grateful you don't have to pay for the trash service, or haul trash cans out to the curb and back every week, and replace them when someone runs over them.
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Parking is not assigned, which means you aren't guaranteed a good parking spot.
This one is annoying, but I would never rent a place that didn't have covered parking with assigned spaces, in the first place.
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My unit is on the 2nd floor, which makes it a pain in the a$$ to carry groceries back and forth from my car. I have to lock my trunk each time I make a trip to my apt and unlock the doors, etc. A big pain.
Again, opportunity for exercise. Sometimes I wish my house had stairs, to help keep me in shape going around my daily routine.
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Dealing with snow is a nightmare, with no garage. This morning I spent a good 20 minutes shoveling my way out of the parking space, and there's no where to put the snow, unless you walk like 15 feet away for each scoop, dump it off, and repeat.
See my response above on covered parking
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The gym is always busy with other people in there, using the freekin' equipment and turning their TV's on so loud it becomes annoying. I quit going to the fitness center, because of this. Can't even work out in privacy.
Oh, how I wish I had a free gym membership that not only was on site at my house, but that I didn't have to maintain any of the equipment or pool.
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And the worst -- the neighbor above me blasts his music so freekin' loud every morning while taking a shower and sings along to it, as well as every night from 10:30 - midnight. It's as if someone is listening to music in the room next to me.
The neighbor above me does exercises (probably jump rope) that cause the floor to shake in a constant repetitive manner, and it shakes my whole ceiling.
This one I can agree with. #1 complaint in apartments are noise based. I was lucky in my apartment living days to have quiet neighbors.
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The apartments have central air forced heating from the ceiling, which is THE worst method of heating EVER. I have to set the thermostat to 76 just to make it comfortable in my apt. Ridiculous.
Normal apartment style. I have even seen this in some single family houses, if built on slab rather than on a crawl space. Some areas, this is normal, I believe. I'm not sure if your problem here is with central air forced heat (which is the norm in nearly all houses where I live) or just that it is from the ceiling.
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There is a lack of closest space, making it impossible to even store certain things such as trash bags and clothing.
Get rid of some stuff. If you don't have enough closet space, you have too much stuff. Apartments do not have a lot of storage, that is part of the territory. Don't expect to fit a 1500 square foot house worth of stuff in an 800 square foot apartment. A 6000 square foot house could be said to not have enough closet space if you had too much stuff. There is an old saying that you can never have too much money or too much closet space.
I lived in an apartment for 3 years when I first got married. Sure, there are some things that aren't ideal, but other than neighbors who are noisy at off hours, everything else is tolerable. The best part is that if you hate it, you move when your lease is up. Plus, as others have said, if something breaks, you make a call to get it fixed, and it isn't out of your pocket.
Never do it. Not ever. If you do and you have trouble - you're an idiot.
Never do it. The person above you is an idiot. All people above you will be idiots. Always,.
Never do it. Never never never never never never never never never.
I disagree with this. It depends a lot on the unit. I have had upstairs neighbors six times and had problems with noise twice. The apartments I had problems in were the two newest. I would agree that if you are uber-sensitive to noise, looking for a top floor is a good idea in general, but also the quietest apartment I ever had was on the 3rd of 5 floors, in an old, historic hotel that had been converted to apartments. I never once heard my upstairs neighbor. They don't build them like they used to.
I also had the reverse problem once. We lived on the second story of a two story building where upstairs had carpet and downstairs had hardwood, and we could constantly hear our neighbor stomping around in heels. It drove us crazy. She really liked to pace. She also really liked to move her furniture around at 2am. The odd thing, though, was that we didn't have an issue with other noise, like loud music or TV. Just things hitting the floor.
I think the biggest problem with apartment living is the cheap construction.
The other problem is a design / urban planning problem. They plunk these huge, cookie cutter complexes down in the middle of suburbia so that you get all of the annoyances of high density living, but none of the advantages. EG. You still need a car to get everywhere and transit is inconvenient or non existent and there are often no stores to walk to. If there are stores within walking distance, they are car oriented strip malls that are have deisgns hostile to pedestrians.
I live in an older apartment building from the 1920s. It's 16 units. Plaster construction. Lacking in typical "modern" amenities like a dishwasher, and doesn't have enough electrical outlets. But the walls are thick, so I rarely hear my neighbors. The mailboxes are downstairs & the dumpster is just outside. The grocery store is 3 blocks away. The library is a block away. The movie theater is 4 blocks away...you get the idea. I'm happier living here than any other apartment I've lived in my entire life.
The key is to avoid the large, cookie cutter apartments if possible, although I know that's not always easy. Older, smaller, but well maintained apartments (with fewer or no amenities) are often a better value.
As far as having a garage goes, those are expensive. So you're going to have to pony up more rent and/or rent a condo if you want a place with a garage.
EXACTLY!!! Where can I find one like this in Gaithersburg, MD or surrounds????
EXACTLY!!! Where can I find one like this in Gaithersburg, MD or surrounds????
You might not be able to. As I said, it's an urban planning problem. Americans have been conditioned to believe surburban living is superior. Most see the cheap, cookie cutter apartments, condos, & townhouses that get built and wrongly assume that quality urban living isn't possible.
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