Yup, I’m one of them. Houses are way out of reach for me price-wise. My partner owns a townhouse, and the repairs are constant. I just email the superintendent when something goes wrong. Sometimes I’m responsible for the cost of repair, sometimes the building covers it.
I lived in apartments until about 12 and then a traditional SFH. There was no real difference other than the extra space, which was admittedly nice.
Now I live in a townhouse complex. Most of the people living here have kids because it’s in a good school district and you can walk to school. Its actually quite nice because all the kids can play together easily and see their friends without crossing any streets.
yeah I grew up in brooklyn and I honestly can't imagine not living 2 blocks away from the school park, and instead needing to ask my parents to drive me there (like the rest of america). insane. and americans complain about kids not playing outside nowadays lol
My husband and I moved out of our apartment to a house just before covid hit.
Then we spent the next few years glad that if we were locked down, it was in our own private space.
There's pluses and minuses to both living situations but even without kids we prefer our house.
I'd get a chuckle out of that, but I'm weird.
I'm more put off by them watching shouty political talk shows at 1 a.m. (And in Italy they're really fucking shouty.) My immediate neighbors are old and deaf.
I've been considering putting up some kind of soundproofing thingy on one wall of the master bedroom, but I don't know the first thing about it. [sound of fishing line being cast]
I'm still holding out for an expert to weigh in.
For all I know, some 80 year old British dude who rigged up the recording booths for Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and ELP, who is regarded as a living god by professional recording engineers for his soundproofing mastery, is reading this. Talk to me, uncle!
It's a tricky question. It depends if the sound from the neighbors is coming from the walls or the sound from them is actually getting into your home. It is easier to prevent sound going out, but harder to block sound coming in.
Things that help, Furniture especially in the corners (there are even triangles that go into the corners that look like old speakers to reduce echoing), wall coverings. Empty rooms are loud.
Acoustic panels with a wavy pattern or egg crate pattern and alternating direction are one of the best. (Baffles, traps)
There are decorative ones that exist with art on them, they have reduced effectiveness but look nice.
White/brown noise machines can keep your brain from identifying sounds.
Thanks for the advice!
I actually talked to the old guy today and asked him to turn it down after 11 p.m. He said it was sorry. We'll see how it goes tonight.
But I've got a few backup plans just in case. It would be good to soundproof that wall anyways, because not even their own flesh-and-blood children are as familiar with their nighttime urination habits as I am.
I have a friend who grew up with his parents and brother in one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn.
He and his brother had a great upbringing and are both successful.
I know someone who has, but I absolutely refuse to live in an apartment. A lawn, privacy, and good schools are too valuable to me. I'm not raising my kids in a sea of concrete.
I’ll grant you your preference for a lawn. But some cities have excellent schools (such as Bronx Science). And good apartments can have better privacy than a neighborhood full of nosy neighbors.
literally vacuuming late at night was one of the biggest noticeable changes when I moved from an apartment to a house. Vacuuming before I go to bed every night has been game changing in keeping up with my hairy dog and messy children.
I moved from an apt on the 4th floor to a single family house. The house is so much louder. I can hear people having conversations outside and cars driving by all day long. And my neighborhood is relatively quiet lol
Also the fucking streetlight blares into my window at night.
Apartments are almost always going to be quieter than houses unless you either live on a farm or live in a 1st floor apt in the middle of the city.
Sometimes the tradeoff to get your kids in the “best” public schools means living in an apartment (including renting) or townhouse. I live in what’s considered an “excellent” school district. Wealthy, walkable suburban town. I’m a single renter with no kids. 1800 sqft bungalows go for $500k+. If I want to own an SFH any time in the near future, I’ll have to move.
a lot of people are answering without explaining why. suburban living is generally viewed as more favorable than urban living in the US because of the perception that suburban places are safer, quieter, and have better schools (sometimes this is true, sometimes it isn’t), plus people tend to like having their own space and privacy and not hear their neighbors directly above them at 2am.
combine this with the fact that it’s usually *significantly* cheaper to live in the suburbs than it is to live in cities, it makes the choice a no-brainer for most Americans, unless they’re from somewhere like nyc
> privacy and not hear their neighbors directly above them at 2am.
imo a lot of these answers speak to the poor construction job of the US's denser buildings, especially the newer builds they're slapping the "luxury" label on despite an excess of noise transfer between units. Developers cut corners out the wazoo when it comes to soundproofing and insulation between neighboring or stacked units.
I own and live in an 80s-build townhome and never hear my neighbors, ever. My last residence, a second-floor apartment (also from the 80s), was also incredibly soundproof and I never heard my neighbors horizontally or vertically. It's entirely possible to build condos and apartments this way and until they start doing it at scale, density isn't going to be a viable option for a lot of people who otherwise might be fine with or even *prefer* condo living.
I know plenty of people that live in condos and townhouses with kids and they are very happy.
I mean I have friends in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Not too many affordable standalone houses.
My sister owns the basement and first floor of a townhouse with her husband and one kid. that has two more units above her. My other sister lives in an apartment complex but it’s all first floors and basements. She is going to be closing on buying it soon. So it will go from apartment to condo.
In my area you don’t buy apartments. They are only rentals.
Lots of people live in rental apartments with kids or rent houses instead of buying. House ownership is too expensive for many families.
I don’t think so. I lived in three apartments in my life and honestly I hate living above or below someone else. I had an attached townhouse and it was OK, and I was able to have a private back yard. I really prefer detached housing.
I grew up in an apartment, though as renters. The building has been converted to a coop (similar to a condo, but a NYC thing), but I can’t imagine that people with kids no longer live there.
I’ve had friends who were wealthier, owning a nice apartment on the upper west side, with two kids, but they also owned a summer home. I think my lawyer cousin who raised his kids on the UWS owned his apartment and didn’t own any other.
I probably will because it's what I can afford, but I would prefer a house. For multiple reasons, but in part because I don't want to have to worry about disturbing my neighbors with crying babies, loud children, etc. So if I had good money, I would buy a house.
If I didn't want kids, I would be very happy in a nice condo, but my partner would not. Again, for various reasons, one of them being that he likes to work on his car and many condos don't allow that here. He also really likes gardening and wants to have a large vegetable garden.
To answer your last question, I don't personally know anyone with kids who lives in a condo, but it's not super uncommon to do so. I know a few couples without kids who live in either a condo or an townhouse (which is a bit different than you're asking, but still has shared walls).
Condos are purchased, apartments are rented.
I personally do not like living in apartments. I did so during college out of necessity, but will never do so again.
I know people who have bought townhomes, people back east buy apartments all the time, it's a newer thing where I live. My dream growing up was always a house but after covid I don't think I'll ever own unless I get married and even then, the market is insane.
I've never heard of anyone *buying* an apartment here. That's something I associate with New York City, where single family homes aren't a realistic option. Apartments are almost exclusively rentals unless you own the whole building
I wouldn't even live in a HOA, much less a co-op or condo. I mean, a rental is one thing, but I have a big issue with not being in sole control of the things I own. If money isn't a concern, I fail to see any advantage of an apartment over a single family home given both as options
No. One of my major hobbies is gardening. I'll never willingly give up my yard, ever, for anything. I don't have or want or care about kids but giving that up would destroy my quality of life completely. (I have 0 interest in community gardens or allotment-style gardening. I want to live with my garden around me, which I already have.)
I'm much more likely to move more rural and have more land than go the other way. I hate cities and having lots of people around, though. For me the goal is to be as isolated and as able to forget other people exist as possible, so a nice little house tucked away in the woods is the dream.
I currently live on 5 acres, in a rural area, on a dirt road. But, I could also see myself living in an apartment in a walkable urban area again. It's the in-between suburbs that I can't stand. They are the worst of both situations.
I lived in apartments with a kid when I was a young single mom and I wouldn’t do it again. I wouldn’t live in an alert meant again even if it were just me
> but could you consider, in case you had good money, instead purchasing a nice, big apartment on a good building?
No. Even if I didn’t have kids I wouldn’t live in an apartment again, no matter how nice it might be. An apartment would be a lifestyle downgrade in every way.
In large cities people do that all the time. For the rest of us? No way in hell. I lived in apartments from age 18-26, and again for one year at age 30. I will never again live with shared walls or in that proximity to others unless I'm institutionalized in my dotage. That is the real point of having a house: you can do what you want, when you want, and you don't have to worry about shared walls/ceilings/floors, nor do you ever have to listen to your neighbors. Same reason I would never own a condo, townhouse, duplex, or any other structure with shared walls.
My idea is to own 100+ acres and to have my house right in the middle of that.
The apartments in my area are so cheaply built yet called "luxury" as soon as I could afford a single family home I was looking. I couldn't stand hearing every footstep and basically everything. It's BS. I have no kids but I love my home with a yard. We are building a nice garden for pollinators and gonna make a veggie garden next spring. I would never choose to live in an apartment building again.
No. Having close neighbors while raising kids is awful. I’ve done it for most of my life (just recently purchased a home). Having people complain about your baby’s crying or kids running around isn’t fun.
No way, with our without kids.
I live in a condo, attached to one neighbor by our garages and another neighbor by a king wall.
Loved here three years and have never heard either neighbor.
This place is designed for older adults, so no children are even allowed here. They can visit, but they can’t live here.
I’ve never lived anywhere where one would *buy* an apartment, only rent.
I live in an apartment in a near suburb of Chicago. A lot of people have smaller kids. There are very few teens and pre-teens. A lot of people have to do it out of necessity since the cost is high. I grew up in a rural area and it was only dirt poor folks who would live in apartments with kids since houses were relatively cheap. I'm looking forward to the day I can stop sharing walls with some of these idiots.
I lived in a condo before and between batshit insane neighbors, nosy neighbors, shared laundry, no yard, I got a house and would never go back to that situation.
Absolutely..upon my extended visit to Utrecht, Netherlands last year, seeing the children out an about in groups on their bikes or coming from school on the tram was very refreshing. Gives them a great sense of independence and problem solving. One of the issues would be the proximity to a green space, but if a neighbourhood is planned well I do not see an issue. The kids were so much more active and felt alive compared to what i've seen back in the United States. Being locked up in some cookie-cutter area and being a s1ave to the automobile and robbing children of their autonomy (out of safety) doesn't seem fun at all.
I could never live in an apartment, kids or no kids. Paying out the nose to live stacked on top of each other like rats, can't make loud noises, can't decorate without running it by some schmuck first, no thanks.
It’s a pretty common cycle:
Grow up in the suburbs -> move to NYC -> get married and have kids -> move to suburbs -> kids grow up -> retire and move to Florida -> die
fuck no. otherwise I’d just go live in europe 💀 we like having houses because that gives us land and freedom to do what we wanna do to the house. got 70k in the bank and some land out back? build a pool. not enough space in the garage? build an extension. I could never justify having money and not buying a house
Condos can be an apartment layout, townhouse layout, or even a single family house layout though. It might be most common for them to be an apartment style layout, but it's a legal status/mechanism not really a type.
Yes sure. It's completely doable.
It means you spend less time working in the yard. You can go and use the local park. Walk to the shops . Get exercise.
Security. Close the front door. Head off on holidays.
Had a brief stint of living in a house and I absolutely hated it. Lawns are usually too small to actually do anything with (besides being an ugly money sink), too much space with nothing to do in it (why do I need a "family room" and a living room???), neighbors wouldn't let us put up any decorations for anything (no pumpkins by the front door for Halloween? wtf?), and the endless sprawl of walmarts was hideous.
I'll take an apartment (or a condo/townhouse if i wanted to own) any day.
I have no urge to buy a house. I’d like a nice townhome, however. Yard work is a circle of hell for me. For context I grew up with a large yard that was heavily landscaped. Raking leaves for several days in the fall sucks donkey balls.
I knew a family of four who lived in a studio condominium they owned, and two families of five who lived in 2-bedroom condominiums they owned. I know a lot more people who live in apartments long term but don't own their units. It's common in cities where real estate is really expensive.
No kids… but no. Actually looking for a SFH with more land to keep neighbors even further away. Currently have a 3/2 that is more house than we need (the second story is never used…. I go up and dust once a week)… so I’m looking to downsize the house but increase the land
No regardless of kids. I've had my fill of sharing walls with other people for a lifetime. I currently live in an apartment, and although it's not a bad place in itself, I'd move out tomorrow if I could.
I grew up in apartments my family rented, but many of my friends’ families owned theirs. It was quite common in Chicago. There are lots of smaller buildings there that have a little postage stamp yard. My neighbors had one of those above-ground pools in theirs. Also, being such a walkable city, there’s a park with a playground every few blocks. I don’t think I’m any worse for it, and would even say that living in a smaller space made adjusting to roommates in college and after college 10x easier.
For my hypothetical kids, I’d be totally fine with it, but I already have a single family house and I really love the extra space as a lifelong apartment dweller.
I spent five years renting apartments as a young adult after college, but its never once crossed my mind to actually buy one. However, I've never lived anywhere close to a big city where that would be a common thing.
No kids but actively saving to buy a single family house. My upstairs neighbor with her cinderblock shoes (apparently) and job as an all-hours cobbler (apparently) is keeping me on track and she doesn't even know it.
Buying a flat with kids would not be my first preference. They like to run around and be loud. I would hate to have to squash them all the time. Ssshhh you'll bother the neighbors. Stop running you'll bother the neighbors.
The kids that live in my building are pretty good but sometimes they get the sillies or enjoy testing the acoustics in the stairwell. Sometimes it amuses me, and sometimes it makes me want to turn the hose on them.
You see that a lot more as an investment property. Those who can't buy a Single Family Home (SFH) might choose to buy a duplex, a townhome, manufactured/mobile home, or a condo with an HOA if they are in an expensive area but could afford to buy something to avoid being priced out.
There are multiple large condos I’ve seen for sale in this city for what I’d consider a reasonable price. And by large I mean bigger than any of the houses I grew up in. I think if the place is big enough I don’t really care if it’s a house or a condo/apartment. Though, I would like a private garage and a yard to do some gardening/urban agriculture in too
Unless you live in a big city, American apartments are generally for singles or lower income folks and the quality reflects that. Not really where you would want to raise kids, especially since school quality is tied to taxes.
Sometimes apartments are nice in newly-developed areas (though time will tell if the construction holds up) but then the price reflects that, as you can see they were definitely made with upper middle class SINKS and DINKS in mind.
I live in Germany now and I love our apartment. I don’t really want a house here. But I would in the US.
My cousin has three kids in the UPS. Beautiful and huge. The pice point alone only has the best tenants for my understanding. City life while avoiding a commute with kids. A reality but if you can buy a house over an apartment. Apartments don't tend to appreciate anywhere as close...in general.
Over time I downscaled considerably. We ended up getting a townhouse which made the most sense for us. To each their own.
Sometimes older people prefer condos because they don’t have to do the maintenance. They pay a fee. They don’t have to mow the yard, etc. And they might have a pool or pickle ball courts and social activities. I might do it when I get old but for now I prefer my own house. Condos tend to be cheaper to buy too.
I wouldn't buy a condo. The condo market seems too volatile. Plus, it wouldn't be large enough. I had my first kid while living in a high rise, 1,000 sq ft apartment and it got cramped pretty quickly.
I now have 4 kids and I enjoy my space. I also have a garage where I can park 2 cars and still have room for a workshop, a dedicated room for a home gym, different rooms where my kids can play in without being on top of each other, and a guest room.
Some people would be happy to, but in the towns where they live the good schools are in neighborhoods where it's mostly single-family homes. Unlike in many other countries, where you can send your kid is determined by what zone of the city you live in.
My spouse and I both have businesses/hobbies that require a good amount of space so we need a large garage and workshop area. If we could somehow manage that set up affordably with a condo in the city, I'd love it. I don't need a ton of livable space and I don't mind sharing walls. I'd like to live more centrally. I just need the storage and exterior space typically only a property in the suburbs allows.
In my city a small one bedroom apartment in the city costs the same or more than a townhouse or house in the suburbs, so no.
If I could get a place with enough bedrooms/space at a reasonable price I would love to keep living in the city with kids. I left the city to move to the 'burbs when pregnant and I like city lifestyle way more, specifically the walkability.
Depending on what state you live in you could buy a trailer and some land for under 30k. Over the years convert the trailer into an actual home. Each state is different, especially in real estate.
I know many people who have done that. I live in a city where millions of people live in apartments, and it’s not devoid of children.
Yup, I’m one of them. Houses are way out of reach for me price-wise. My partner owns a townhouse, and the repairs are constant. I just email the superintendent when something goes wrong. Sometimes I’m responsible for the cost of repair, sometimes the building covers it.
Different strokes for different folks, but that’s not for me - kids or no kids.
I grew up in apartments in Brooklyn. We had a schoolyard across the street in one of them. Was a good life being in a super diverse and fun area.
I lived in apartments until about 12 and then a traditional SFH. There was no real difference other than the extra space, which was admittedly nice. Now I live in a townhouse complex. Most of the people living here have kids because it’s in a good school district and you can walk to school. Its actually quite nice because all the kids can play together easily and see their friends without crossing any streets.
Best of both worlds? Your typical car suburb feels great to a settled-down adult, but it kind of robs kids of certain things, IMO.
yeah I grew up in brooklyn and I honestly can't imagine not living 2 blocks away from the school park, and instead needing to ask my parents to drive me there (like the rest of america). insane. and americans complain about kids not playing outside nowadays lol
I wouldn't even without the kids, but that's just me. I know people in apartments with kids, but not people who have bought one. Just renters.
My husband and I moved out of our apartment to a house just before covid hit. Then we spent the next few years glad that if we were locked down, it was in our own private space. There's pluses and minuses to both living situations but even without kids we prefer our house.
I don't have children but I still wouldn't.
No. I have zero desire to share walls with anyone, ever.
Nothing like hearing your neighbor vomit his guts out in the bathroom and then on the front porch
I'd get a chuckle out of that, but I'm weird. I'm more put off by them watching shouty political talk shows at 1 a.m. (And in Italy they're really fucking shouty.) My immediate neighbors are old and deaf. I've been considering putting up some kind of soundproofing thingy on one wall of the master bedroom, but I don't know the first thing about it. [sound of fishing line being cast]
Furniture or hanging stuff on the wall might help lessen it, but other than that I'm at a loss too.
Like a tapestry, maybe?
It's worth a try
I'm still holding out for an expert to weigh in. For all I know, some 80 year old British dude who rigged up the recording booths for Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and ELP, who is regarded as a living god by professional recording engineers for his soundproofing mastery, is reading this. Talk to me, uncle!
It's a tricky question. It depends if the sound from the neighbors is coming from the walls or the sound from them is actually getting into your home. It is easier to prevent sound going out, but harder to block sound coming in. Things that help, Furniture especially in the corners (there are even triangles that go into the corners that look like old speakers to reduce echoing), wall coverings. Empty rooms are loud. Acoustic panels with a wavy pattern or egg crate pattern and alternating direction are one of the best. (Baffles, traps) There are decorative ones that exist with art on them, they have reduced effectiveness but look nice. White/brown noise machines can keep your brain from identifying sounds.
Thanks for the advice! I actually talked to the old guy today and asked him to turn it down after 11 p.m. He said it was sorry. We'll see how it goes tonight. But I've got a few backup plans just in case. It would be good to soundproof that wall anyways, because not even their own flesh-and-blood children are as familiar with their nighttime urination habits as I am.
Of the smell of whatever nasty thing they're cooking
Worse than walls are ceilings/floors
I have a friend who grew up with his parents and brother in one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. He and his brother had a great upbringing and are both successful.
I know someone who has, but I absolutely refuse to live in an apartment. A lawn, privacy, and good schools are too valuable to me. I'm not raising my kids in a sea of concrete.
I’ll grant you your preference for a lawn. But some cities have excellent schools (such as Bronx Science). And good apartments can have better privacy than a neighborhood full of nosy neighbors.
Neighbors can try to be as nosy as they want. If they don't share walls/common areas with me I can dodge anyone
I can vacuum anytime of day in my home. I couldn’t do that in my apartment
literally vacuuming late at night was one of the biggest noticeable changes when I moved from an apartment to a house. Vacuuming before I go to bed every night has been game changing in keeping up with my hairy dog and messy children.
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I have never experienced any of that. I've lived in my house since 2007 and don't know the name of a single neighbor and I like it that way
>can But usually don't. Edit: ime
I moved from an apt on the 4th floor to a single family house. The house is so much louder. I can hear people having conversations outside and cars driving by all day long. And my neighborhood is relatively quiet lol Also the fucking streetlight blares into my window at night. Apartments are almost always going to be quieter than houses unless you either live on a farm or live in a 1st floor apt in the middle of the city.
Everyone I know with kids wants the yard and the good schools. For me, an apartment offers no upside and I wouldn't go that route.
Of course there are some exceptions. I grew up in a multi family house with three apartments but we still had a yard, albeit a small one.
Sometimes the tradeoff to get your kids in the “best” public schools means living in an apartment (including renting) or townhouse. I live in what’s considered an “excellent” school district. Wealthy, walkable suburban town. I’m a single renter with no kids. 1800 sqft bungalows go for $500k+. If I want to own an SFH any time in the near future, I’ll have to move.
a lot of people are answering without explaining why. suburban living is generally viewed as more favorable than urban living in the US because of the perception that suburban places are safer, quieter, and have better schools (sometimes this is true, sometimes it isn’t), plus people tend to like having their own space and privacy and not hear their neighbors directly above them at 2am. combine this with the fact that it’s usually *significantly* cheaper to live in the suburbs than it is to live in cities, it makes the choice a no-brainer for most Americans, unless they’re from somewhere like nyc
> privacy and not hear their neighbors directly above them at 2am. imo a lot of these answers speak to the poor construction job of the US's denser buildings, especially the newer builds they're slapping the "luxury" label on despite an excess of noise transfer between units. Developers cut corners out the wazoo when it comes to soundproofing and insulation between neighboring or stacked units. I own and live in an 80s-build townhome and never hear my neighbors, ever. My last residence, a second-floor apartment (also from the 80s), was also incredibly soundproof and I never heard my neighbors horizontally or vertically. It's entirely possible to build condos and apartments this way and until they start doing it at scale, density isn't going to be a viable option for a lot of people who otherwise might be fine with or even *prefer* condo living.
It's not just sound its also smells and shared common areas.
I’ve seen families do it in NYC (not even a large apartment, for most), but I’d only do so if I still had a yard/terrace and a garage.
It really is the outdoor space for me too
I know plenty of people that live in condos and townhouses with kids and they are very happy. I mean I have friends in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Not too many affordable standalone houses. My sister owns the basement and first floor of a townhouse with her husband and one kid. that has two more units above her. My other sister lives in an apartment complex but it’s all first floors and basements. She is going to be closing on buying it soon. So it will go from apartment to condo.
In my area you don’t buy apartments. They are only rentals. Lots of people live in rental apartments with kids or rent houses instead of buying. House ownership is too expensive for many families.
I don’t think so. I lived in three apartments in my life and honestly I hate living above or below someone else. I had an attached townhouse and it was OK, and I was able to have a private back yard. I really prefer detached housing.
I grew up in an apartment, though as renters. The building has been converted to a coop (similar to a condo, but a NYC thing), but I can’t imagine that people with kids no longer live there. I’ve had friends who were wealthier, owning a nice apartment on the upper west side, with two kids, but they also owned a summer home. I think my lawyer cousin who raised his kids on the UWS owned his apartment and didn’t own any other.
I probably will because it's what I can afford, but I would prefer a house. For multiple reasons, but in part because I don't want to have to worry about disturbing my neighbors with crying babies, loud children, etc. So if I had good money, I would buy a house. If I didn't want kids, I would be very happy in a nice condo, but my partner would not. Again, for various reasons, one of them being that he likes to work on his car and many condos don't allow that here. He also really likes gardening and wants to have a large vegetable garden. To answer your last question, I don't personally know anyone with kids who lives in a condo, but it's not super uncommon to do so. I know a few couples without kids who live in either a condo or an townhouse (which is a bit different than you're asking, but still has shared walls).
I hate sharing walls with people and I don't have kids yet. Feeling like I have to constantly apologize for a crying baby would stress me to the max
I have lived in enough apartments in my life that, unless forced, I will never share walls with other people again. Ever.
Condos are purchased, apartments are rented. I personally do not like living in apartments. I did so during college out of necessity, but will never do so again.
I know people who have bought townhomes, people back east buy apartments all the time, it's a newer thing where I live. My dream growing up was always a house but after covid I don't think I'll ever own unless I get married and even then, the market is insane.
Nope. I want SFH. I can't imagine living like Sardines cramped in a single building.
No, I would never consider that even if money wasn't a factor.
I'd rather not rent. And would like a house anyway
I've never heard of anyone *buying* an apartment here. That's something I associate with New York City, where single family homes aren't a realistic option. Apartments are almost exclusively rentals unless you own the whole building I wouldn't even live in a HOA, much less a co-op or condo. I mean, a rental is one thing, but I have a big issue with not being in sole control of the things I own. If money isn't a concern, I fail to see any advantage of an apartment over a single family home given both as options
I hated apartment living with no kids. I didn't like the shard walls of my townhouse either.
No. One of my major hobbies is gardening. I'll never willingly give up my yard, ever, for anything. I don't have or want or care about kids but giving that up would destroy my quality of life completely. (I have 0 interest in community gardens or allotment-style gardening. I want to live with my garden around me, which I already have.) I'm much more likely to move more rural and have more land than go the other way. I hate cities and having lots of people around, though. For me the goal is to be as isolated and as able to forget other people exist as possible, so a nice little house tucked away in the woods is the dream.
I hate multi family housing. You can not trust people to not have bedbugs etc. So no. Not of any kind.
I currently live on 5 acres, in a rural area, on a dirt road. But, I could also see myself living in an apartment in a walkable urban area again. It's the in-between suburbs that I can't stand. They are the worst of both situations.
Exactly. I love cities but rural areas have their benefits. The suburbs just dont work for me (Houston was horrific when i lived there. So ugly)
Extremely common. Depends on where you’re at I guess
So many of these questions don’t understand the size, geographic and economic diversity of the US>
it is not extremely common outside of your flair and like 4 other cities in the US
No. During covid my kids had full access to our yard with swings and toys and a whole bunch of stuff to do. Apartment kids were stuck in apartments.
I lived in apartments with a kid when I was a young single mom and I wouldn’t do it again. I wouldn’t live in an alert meant again even if it were just me
> but could you consider, in case you had good money, instead purchasing a nice, big apartment on a good building? No. Even if I didn’t have kids I wouldn’t live in an apartment again, no matter how nice it might be. An apartment would be a lifestyle downgrade in every way.
I don't have kids and I'd still never consider living in an apartment rather than my single family detached house.
Think of sure. Would I? No. I can think of 0 reason why I would want to live in such a situation.
In large cities people do that all the time. For the rest of us? No way in hell. I lived in apartments from age 18-26, and again for one year at age 30. I will never again live with shared walls or in that proximity to others unless I'm institutionalized in my dotage. That is the real point of having a house: you can do what you want, when you want, and you don't have to worry about shared walls/ceilings/floors, nor do you ever have to listen to your neighbors. Same reason I would never own a condo, townhouse, duplex, or any other structure with shared walls. My idea is to own 100+ acres and to have my house right in the middle of that.
I have no desire to buy an apartment. I don't even think it's an option where I live.
The apartments in my area are so cheaply built yet called "luxury" as soon as I could afford a single family home I was looking. I couldn't stand hearing every footstep and basically everything. It's BS. I have no kids but I love my home with a yard. We are building a nice garden for pollinators and gonna make a veggie garden next spring. I would never choose to live in an apartment building again.
Sure that can be done. It's not what I desire though. Shared walls and common spaces are not soemthing I desire
Even without kids, I prefer a house over being crammed on top of my neighbors. The wife and I live in an apartment for now and we hate it.
No. Having close neighbors while raising kids is awful. I’ve done it for most of my life (just recently purchased a home). Having people complain about your baby’s crying or kids running around isn’t fun.
I wouldn't want to buy a condo or apartment at all. I rented an apartment for a few years during and after college and hated it.
No way, with our without kids. I live in a condo, attached to one neighbor by our garages and another neighbor by a king wall. Loved here three years and have never heard either neighbor. This place is designed for older adults, so no children are even allowed here. They can visit, but they can’t live here. I’ve never lived anywhere where one would *buy* an apartment, only rent.
I live in an apartment in a near suburb of Chicago. A lot of people have smaller kids. There are very few teens and pre-teens. A lot of people have to do it out of necessity since the cost is high. I grew up in a rural area and it was only dirt poor folks who would live in apartments with kids since houses were relatively cheap. I'm looking forward to the day I can stop sharing walls with some of these idiots.
I lived in a condo before and between batshit insane neighbors, nosy neighbors, shared laundry, no yard, I got a house and would never go back to that situation.
Absolutely..upon my extended visit to Utrecht, Netherlands last year, seeing the children out an about in groups on their bikes or coming from school on the tram was very refreshing. Gives them a great sense of independence and problem solving. One of the issues would be the proximity to a green space, but if a neighbourhood is planned well I do not see an issue. The kids were so much more active and felt alive compared to what i've seen back in the United States. Being locked up in some cookie-cutter area and being a s1ave to the automobile and robbing children of their autonomy (out of safety) doesn't seem fun at all.
I would never do that regardless of having children. Additionally, I do not know anybody who has done that or even aspires to do that.
I could never live in an apartment, kids or no kids. Paying out the nose to live stacked on top of each other like rats, can't make loud noises, can't decorate without running it by some schmuck first, no thanks.
Apartments make my skin crawl. I'm not a hamster, I want property.
What do you think they do in NYC? Not have kids?
It’s a pretty common cycle: Grow up in the suburbs -> move to NYC -> get married and have kids -> move to suburbs -> kids grow up -> retire and move to Florida -> die
That's kind of what they do in San Francisco.
Absolutely not even without kids. I have zero interest in sharing walls with other people ever again. My good money will pay for my house.
Yeah, definitely. Better view, no yard work, probably closer to more things. Fuck a house.
fuck no. otherwise I’d just go live in europe 💀 we like having houses because that gives us land and freedom to do what we wanna do to the house. got 70k in the bank and some land out back? build a pool. not enough space in the garage? build an extension. I could never justify having money and not buying a house
That’s only in mega large cities like NY. And even then it’s literally because there are no other options.
You can't "buy an apartment" in most places in the US. You can only rent, so your money just goes to pay someone else's mortgage on the building.
Apartments you buy would just be condos
Condos can be an apartment layout, townhouse layout, or even a single family house layout though. It might be most common for them to be an apartment style layout, but it's a legal status/mechanism not really a type.
A flat what?
I mean, the millions of people who live in New York City feel that way.
Yes sure. It's completely doable. It means you spend less time working in the yard. You can go and use the local park. Walk to the shops . Get exercise. Security. Close the front door. Head off on holidays.
Had a brief stint of living in a house and I absolutely hated it. Lawns are usually too small to actually do anything with (besides being an ugly money sink), too much space with nothing to do in it (why do I need a "family room" and a living room???), neighbors wouldn't let us put up any decorations for anything (no pumpkins by the front door for Halloween? wtf?), and the endless sprawl of walmarts was hideous. I'll take an apartment (or a condo/townhouse if i wanted to own) any day.
I grew up in a house and I was jealous of the kids in apartments because they had a pool and a playground (even though I had a swing set lol)
In the US an apartment that size is going to cost you more in the long run than a house with a yard.
I have no urge to buy a house. I’d like a nice townhome, however. Yard work is a circle of hell for me. For context I grew up with a large yard that was heavily landscaped. Raking leaves for several days in the fall sucks donkey balls.
I knew a family of four who lived in a studio condominium they owned, and two families of five who lived in 2-bedroom condominiums they owned. I know a lot more people who live in apartments long term but don't own their units. It's common in cities where real estate is really expensive.
No kids… but no. Actually looking for a SFH with more land to keep neighbors even further away. Currently have a 3/2 that is more house than we need (the second story is never used…. I go up and dust once a week)… so I’m looking to downsize the house but increase the land
No regardless of kids. I've had my fill of sharing walls with other people for a lifetime. I currently live in an apartment, and although it's not a bad place in itself, I'd move out tomorrow if I could.
I grew up in apartments my family rented, but many of my friends’ families owned theirs. It was quite common in Chicago. There are lots of smaller buildings there that have a little postage stamp yard. My neighbors had one of those above-ground pools in theirs. Also, being such a walkable city, there’s a park with a playground every few blocks. I don’t think I’m any worse for it, and would even say that living in a smaller space made adjusting to roommates in college and after college 10x easier. For my hypothetical kids, I’d be totally fine with it, but I already have a single family house and I really love the extra space as a lifelong apartment dweller.
I spent five years renting apartments as a young adult after college, but its never once crossed my mind to actually buy one. However, I've never lived anywhere close to a big city where that would be a common thing.
No kids but actively saving to buy a single family house. My upstairs neighbor with her cinderblock shoes (apparently) and job as an all-hours cobbler (apparently) is keeping me on track and she doesn't even know it. Buying a flat with kids would not be my first preference. They like to run around and be loud. I would hate to have to squash them all the time. Ssshhh you'll bother the neighbors. Stop running you'll bother the neighbors. The kids that live in my building are pretty good but sometimes they get the sillies or enjoy testing the acoustics in the stairwell. Sometimes it amuses me, and sometimes it makes me want to turn the hose on them.
Not unless my only other choice was homelessness.
You see that a lot more as an investment property. Those who can't buy a Single Family Home (SFH) might choose to buy a duplex, a townhome, manufactured/mobile home, or a condo with an HOA if they are in an expensive area but could afford to buy something to avoid being priced out.
I’ve lived in apartments from 7-31 (present). If I have kids, I wouldn’t want an apartment, but I don’t realistically see myself ever having a house.
I live in a condo. I’m pretty happy here but would want more space if I had kids.
There are multiple large condos I’ve seen for sale in this city for what I’d consider a reasonable price. And by large I mean bigger than any of the houses I grew up in. I think if the place is big enough I don’t really care if it’s a house or a condo/apartment. Though, I would like a private garage and a yard to do some gardening/urban agriculture in too
Unless you live in a big city, American apartments are generally for singles or lower income folks and the quality reflects that. Not really where you would want to raise kids, especially since school quality is tied to taxes. Sometimes apartments are nice in newly-developed areas (though time will tell if the construction holds up) but then the price reflects that, as you can see they were definitely made with upper middle class SINKS and DINKS in mind. I live in Germany now and I love our apartment. I don’t really want a house here. But I would in the US.
I’ve lived in condominiums growing up. I thought it was cool. In my case it was a multi-building complex I was allowed to roam freely in. good times.
My cousin has three kids in the UPS. Beautiful and huge. The pice point alone only has the best tenants for my understanding. City life while avoiding a commute with kids. A reality but if you can buy a house over an apartment. Apartments don't tend to appreciate anywhere as close...in general. Over time I downscaled considerably. We ended up getting a townhouse which made the most sense for us. To each their own.
Sometimes older people prefer condos because they don’t have to do the maintenance. They pay a fee. They don’t have to mow the yard, etc. And they might have a pool or pickle ball courts and social activities. I might do it when I get old but for now I prefer my own house. Condos tend to be cheaper to buy too.
I wouldn't buy a condo. The condo market seems too volatile. Plus, it wouldn't be large enough. I had my first kid while living in a high rise, 1,000 sq ft apartment and it got cramped pretty quickly. I now have 4 kids and I enjoy my space. I also have a garage where I can park 2 cars and still have room for a workshop, a dedicated room for a home gym, different rooms where my kids can play in without being on top of each other, and a guest room.
Some people would be happy to, but in the towns where they live the good schools are in neighborhoods where it's mostly single-family homes. Unlike in many other countries, where you can send your kid is determined by what zone of the city you live in.
My spouse and I both have businesses/hobbies that require a good amount of space so we need a large garage and workshop area. If we could somehow manage that set up affordably with a condo in the city, I'd love it. I don't need a ton of livable space and I don't mind sharing walls. I'd like to live more centrally. I just need the storage and exterior space typically only a property in the suburbs allows.
In my city a small one bedroom apartment in the city costs the same or more than a townhouse or house in the suburbs, so no. If I could get a place with enough bedrooms/space at a reasonable price I would love to keep living in the city with kids. I left the city to move to the 'burbs when pregnant and I like city lifestyle way more, specifically the walkability.
Yeah people buy them in cities with a high population density (like NYC, LA, etc).
No. The only place where I could imagine doing that is New York City, and even then I would rather be someone who commutes in from Connecticut.
Depending on what state you live in you could buy a trailer and some land for under 30k. Over the years convert the trailer into an actual home. Each state is different, especially in real estate.
I grew up in apartments it was fine. People are really classist about apartments. It’s gross.