I hated it when I lived in an apartment for a year. I was on first name basis with several sheriff's officers because I ran into them so often in the parking lot. One time I was doing laundry in the shared laundry room, came back down to check my clothes and someone had taken all of my clothes out of the washer through them on the floor and put their's in because they were to cheap to pay 50¢ to use the machine. I put all of their laundry in the trash and pissed on it. Fucking tweakers!

My lease has a no noise policy. It is strictly enforced. Owner is German. Apparently they have a different idea of peace and quiet than most Americans.
Next door neighbor is a gay school teacher. Across the hall is a black medical student. No noise or drama from either one. Another neighbor is a cat lady works from home IT person. She feeds our cat and picks up our mail when we are out of town. They are all liberals but we all get along. They are fine with the fact that we are the only residents in the building who are firearms owners. If the city starts burning guess where they are all going to want to hang out until it’s over?
During Houston’s great freeze we had a generator running and shared with the neighbors. Last hurricane a tree fell blocking the entrance to the parking lot. I fired up my chainsaw and took care of it.
One neighbor had a BLM flag in her window. Lesbian with pink and green hair. When she figured out that we were good neighbors to have around she started saying hello and being friendly.
We have no complaints about apartment living inside the loop.
I used to fucking hate all those little repair jobs that go with homeownership.
We have an on-site “handygirl” female maintenance person. Guatemalan. She does the yard work and can fix most maintenance issues. Bigger problems she calls a contractor and stays with them until the problem is fixed.

Our condo has a poured concrete substructure and very thick walls. Some sound travels (mostly footfalls. no voice or music), but overall it's really quiet. The best part is they're almost all second lake "homes" for the rich and shameless, which means we live in a half vacant building (there are only five units to a building, four buildings) for seven or eight months out of the year. When they are here, our neighbors are older, successful and like to share good food and drink. It's actually kind of a cool arrangement.

If you were blindfolded and led in, you'd never know you were in a condo. Two stone fireplaces, two decks (one off the master), Italian porcelain tiling and hardwood flooring, granite surfaces and Viking appliances on 1,700 sq feet...with panoramic glass looking out on the lake. They rarely come up, and when they do the units almost never reach the MLS.

Not all condos are created equal.

I had some Nicaruaguan [sp?] dancers that lived above me for a bit. It was worth it.

Dude, I had sex in my POOL and HOT TUB! and also the gym room!! Damn, I miss apt living!!

You had a pool and a hot tub, inside your apartment?

No. regular pool and hot tub set-up. just got drunk with women and had sex there. The hot tub one had HUGE tits. I met her while my short stint in retail work. Holy hell, I miss those magnificent titties!

Why? It sounds like a good place.

Probably a swamp cooler.

Did the luxury apartment thing for a few years. It was ok until they started taking rental assistance for whatever reason. A large multi family moved in next to me and grandma died shortly afterwards. They didn't do anything until I complained about a weird smell that seemed to be coming from the wall. I was sleeping in my living room because I couldn't stand being in my bedroom without feeling sick. I had designated parking spots in the garage where I kept the car and motorcycle. People would move my motorcycle to park. If I locked the steering wheel they'd just knock it over. You always had to have some sort of background noise going as the sound insulation wasn't that great. They raised the rates to get the rest of the original tenants out and that was the end of it. Place is a dump now, they had to sell the land they were going to expand with to a different company.

Moved into a rental townhouse. Price was a little cheaper and I got a garage. Appliances and the interior was much older but it didn't bother me none. Rates were raised by 25% this year and the landlord is using some new luxury condos as his new price comparison. Told him I didn't think this place was worth it and that I was moving out. I'm apparently not the only one as he's now asking me how much of an increase I would be willing to take. Sorry, I found a much better deal.

I'm sick of the rate increases. Sick of the shared walls. Sick of the shared parking. Sick of the shared noises. Sick of the shared smells. Sick of appliances that don't really work but since they aren't on fire they won't be replaced. Sick of not having to have a place to store a trailer.

There were definite upsides but I enjoy owning my home now.  Enjoy the silver linings, OP.

Would you feel emasculated if you called the tow company?

I dont mind it, but I don't plan on doing it much longer.

I have had great neighbors, never hear a peep out of them.

Gated community with my building next to the entrance. I'm always gone on the weekends, so the added security and not having to deal with a yard are the 2 biggest pluses for me.

Did it for a year in Alabama.  I was miserable the entire time.  Couldn't wait to go home every month or so.  I'd like to say never again, but you just never know.

Technically, I'm not supposed to.  In the 27 pages of lease documents, it mentions no fire or burning items on your patio, to include propane heaters or grills, and no smoking in any public areas.  Especially not at the pool, gym, putting green, or dog park.  But I figure until someone complains, I'm good.

First apartment - 80s crappy construction -  AC in the unit upstairs froze up and then flooded down and left mine a soggy mess with the greatest mildew odor ever

Second Apartment - super shitty late 90s paper thin wall construction.  The guy next door had one of those radio cellphone things and talked to his wife 24/7 across the state, beeping and arguing constantly.  Then he got one of those talking dartboard things for when he wasn't on the phone.  Then the people behind me other side of building left their alarm clock goign off all spring break every morning and I am pretty sure they forgot their cat.  Then several halfway houses or whatever came into the neighborhood and it got sporty.

Third Apartment -  Some old converted warehouse from early 1900s.  Car was broken into regularly so I kept leaving it unlocked - when there was nothing to steal they started peeing in the car - this was still better than apt 1 and 2... until the hippies moved in upstairs.  To this day I don't know if they were a couple or siblings or both.  A massive infestation of roaches arrived and the same time as their drum circles.  With the crime, supposed haunting, and afterhours rave club next door the hippies/roaches were the worst part.

4th Apartment post-ww2 Ok apart from the crazy high owner's dues and the old lady downstairs grandfather clock constantly ringing.

5th Apartment - post 2000 crappy paper thin wall construction in NOVA -  That whole area sucks but there was at least a gym, bar and mongolian bbq across the street.

--
18 years later my 15year mortgage is the same as my rent was in NOVA

This, fuck a yard.

That being said, I need a bigger apt.  This 1br isn't cutting it.




Whattttt?  Liberal folks can be nice, too?  I've been led to believe by GD that someone with the slightest liberal lean is a US-destroying monster that eats babies through a straw because it hurts more.