To anyone who lives in (or has lived in) an Apartment

Mar 24, 2010 13:32

 Yo, i'm checking out properties and i want to know what it's like living in an apartment.  Pros, Cons, anything worth mentioning...

house hunting

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ketamine_ninja March 24 2010, 05:35:32 UTC
Uh well I can sum it up in 3 words. It Fucking Sucks.

If you're living alone, it will be very expensive. If you're sharing it will seem very cramped. Space is always a concern. No 1BR apartments have good storage space. If you're really lucky you might get one with a hall cupboard/linen closet, but from my experience even have built in wardrobes are a luxury. The kitchens are all tiny, most of them are just a corner of the living room.

Noise is also always a problem, I agree with selina, most new places will have insufficient sound proofing between flats, and you would also be surprised how much noise carries down from up stairs. There is almost always going to be some kind of temperature problem, since they will usually share at least 2 walls with another flat, more often 3, so ventilation is a problem. The place I shared with marta was unbelievably hot ans stuff, impossible to keep comfortable in summer. The place i just moved out of was always cold because it was on the ground floor and only got a bit of sun in the late afternoon.

Lastly you will be restricted in many things by body corporate policy and also things which pertain to the whole building, such as utilities and gardening etc. Body corporates are a fucking PITA and they will get up your ass for things as petty as hanging washing on your balcony because it doesnt look neat.

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buzzpuppet March 24 2010, 05:41:52 UTC
Hmmm... this is actually for purchasing a place, not renting. I'm looking for a 2BR place, so hopefully a bit more space than u're suggesting.

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ketamine_ninja March 24 2010, 05:45:47 UTC
well... purchasing or renting, the same things still apply. You'll likely get a bit more cupboard space at least, but everything else will still be small. Apartments are built on the concept that space is limited, there's not really much way around that.

Everything else about the noise, the temperature, utilities and body corporate will still apply.

Where are you looking at buying and how much are you looking to spend? Last time I looked I couldnt find any decent 2br places within reasonable distance of the city for under 500k... well, not outside the western subs anyway

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buzzpuppet March 24 2010, 05:54:20 UTC
Searching a range of areas close(ish) to CBD. My last realestate.com.au search was:

MONT ALBERT NORTH,BALWYN,IVANHOE,TOORAK,ST KILDA,ST KILDA EAST,BRUNSWICK EAST,CLIFTON HILL,COLLINGWOOD

But also been looking at

THORNBURY, HEIDELBERG, EAGLEMONT, TRAVANCORE, ASCOT VALE, NORTHCOTE.

Basically anything with easy access to public transport and not too far from the CBD

the ones i'm finding are in the price range of about $380,000 - $400,000. Not houses, mostly units or apartments.

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ketamine_ninja March 24 2010, 05:56:33 UTC
hrm yer... just did a search myself... looks like $400 isnt unrealistic... gotta keep in mind tho that most properties are going at auction for much much more than their 'suggested' price ranges

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misskittiness March 24 2010, 06:30:07 UTC
Try Elwood. I'm not sure what price are like now, but it was pretty good 3 years ago. It's st kilda without the crap of st kilda

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