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Apartment or House: Which is Right for You?
by Kari Lamanuzzi
examples of apartments and houses

When looking at new places to move into, sometimes it can be difficult to decide if an apartment or a house is the better choice. There are several different things you should take into consideration, like how many roommates you want to have, how much you're willing to spend on rent and utilities and whether or not you want to deal with having a yard.

In most cases, living in a house offers you much more space than you'd get with an apartment. Sometimes renting a house comes with a yard, which is great if you have a dog. That said, a yard can be a lot of work, which includes mowing the lawn on a regular basis. Also, when you live in a house there tends to be less noise to deal with, which is great if you prefer your home to be a quiet place to study or watch TV.

On another note, houses make much better places for parties are much better for parties than cramped apartments are. If you're a social butterfly who likes to entertain, apartments aren't usually the best places to live. Because you don't share a wall with the people living next to you, you can choose to get a little wild and crazy without having to worry so much about it takes a little more before the police being get called or angry neighbors banging on your door and telling you to be quiet.

Living in a house with several bedrooms can also translate to spending less of your money paying rent. When the cost of living is split three or four ways, utilities are extremely cheap (although there may not be much room in the fridge for your groceries). Also, when a few people live in the same house dishes tend to pile up and it can be difficult to keep the place tidy. While this can be true for both houses and apartments, since more people tend to live in a house, the messes in them tend to grow a lot faster.

When you live in an apartment, sometimes the noise from your neighbors (upstairs, downstairs and on either side) can be a nuisance. However, there will be no yard to take care of and if the apartment is in a secure building you can feel safe knowing that it's difficult for burglars, beggars and bible magazine salesmen to get to your front door.

While living in a house with a few roommates cuts down on the cost of utilities, sometimes when you live in an apartment the landlord will pay for everything but the electric bill. If you're sharing a house, it's usually customary for the tenants to pay for other bills, sometimes even including the water bill. Also, sometimes the privacy that comes with living in an apartment by yourself or with only one roommate is well worth a little extra money in the form of rent each month.

Essentially, the difference between living in a house or an apartment boils down to two things: price and privacy. If you do enough looking, you can probably find a house or an apartment that will fit all of your needs. There are both houses and apartments that offer you privacy without being too expensive. What you should consider the most is if you can afford the place you're looking at moving into. Next, take a long, hard and objective look at the location. From there, the apartment versus house debate should take care of itself.


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