topic Re: Advantage of Apartment Living in Community Chat

Advantage of Apartment Living

ALRATIBA — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 18:27:55 GMT

Last night I entered a service order online that my freezer compartment in the fridge wasn't freezing.

Today - tech came to look at the fridge - determine it needed to be replaced.

New fridge will be here later today.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

On It — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 18:31:14 GMT

@ALRATIBA That is a huge advantage. I'm glad you got it done so quickly.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

Etoile308 — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 19:16:58 GMT

That did work out wonderfully for you. But it definitely depends on the building's management. I had a family member's major appliances go out. They considered themself lucky there had been an empty apartment where the appliance could be removed and used as a replacement. Otherwise they were looking a several months for a replacement.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

kivah — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 19:18:31 GMT

Two years ago, I had the same problem. I had a 24-yr old Whirlpool refrigerator - and the freezer stopped working. I didn't call a repairman since it was so old. I went to Lowes - 7 minutes from my house - and ordered a new Whirlpool refrig. It was delivered the following day.

The salesman said this refrigerator should only last around 8 years - as they make refrigerators cheaply these days.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

millieshops — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 19:48:30 GMT

@ALRATIBA Your complex is obviously well maintained and managed. When they are, renting can be a good deal for lots of people. Sad to say, many complexes are not nearly as responsive as yours is.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

RealtyGal2 — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 20:14:22 GMT

@ALRATIBA wrote:
Last night I entered a service order online that my freezer compartment in the fridge wasn't freezing.

Today - tech came to look at the fridge - determine it needed to be replaced.

New fridge will be here later today.

I own my home and have a home warranty plan that includes my refrigerator. They have someone come out to repair my refrigerator, or if it cannot be repaired, they replace it with a new refrigerator.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

hckynut — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 20:16:45 GMT

@ALRATIBA

Glad it worked out good for you. I was born in Public Housing Projects Apartments and lived in them until I was almost 15. Common walls in Projects? Glad there were no men in them I can only imagine what would be going on in some of them through the drywall.

Lived in an apartment after I sold our house after my mother died. Back to hearing toilets flush and some *$%> words. That was for about 6 years, and then I bought a Townhouse.

It was a triplex, but! It had a Firewall between them, not just drywall. Lived there 2 years and then had my 2nd Townhome built. This was a Duplex with no common walls in the homes. The 2 car garages for each unit were connected, not the homes.

Lived there for 20 years, good things/bad things about the HOA, more bad than good. Love our home with our 2 acres, but the work? Had to tell a story, ya know!

=^..^=

hckynut

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

FancyPhillyshopper — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 20:35:33 GMT

Good for you! I think many folks really do enjoy the ease of apartment living. But my personal philosophy regarding apartments is if one catches on fire, they can all catch on fire, and if one gets bugs, they can all get bugs. I also do not like the lack of ownership of items--in my home I can pick out and buy exactly what I want.

Finally, and most important, I have a lot of fur and feather babies! In my home there are no rules regarding pets like apartment buildings.

Hopefully I can stay in my house until the end of my life.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

agb80 — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 21:00:52 GMT

Many apartment owners are upping the rents to outrageous amounts. I'm so glad I will never have to put up with that; another home owner here. Our refrigerator is very old but still going strong, however, the freezer was always too small for our liking. Yesterday we found an upright standalone freezer at Sams and we bought it. It's energy efficient and is just perfect for our needs. We didn't want a gigantic freezer that pulls a lot of amps so this upright one is perfect.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

ALRATIBA — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 21:03:20 GMT

Well .... it's done!

The guys showed up with the new fridge about five minutes after I finshed emptying the old one.

(I had stuff piled all over the kitchen and dining room table. Amazing how much stuff fits in a fridge!)

Removed old fridge - gave me time to sweep up "26 years of accumulated dust" and a quick once-over with the swifter wet jet.

Installed the new one - I reloaded and now I'm going to collapse.

Brand new fridge - less than 24 hours after I put in a maintenance request!

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

wagirl — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 21:05:17 GMT

yes, apartments do have advantages---same thing happens when I need something fixed---and it doesn't cost me anything---but there are disadvantages too-----

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

sceniccoast — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 21:07:55 GMT

@hckynut

I grew up in a public housing project also. My Mom got very worried when people looking to purchase drugs showed up at our door a few times. The project originally was for Vets, then they allowed certain people there & it went downhill fast! Then, she found out about a one-street public "duplex" housing that was being built. She applied & you'd think we were living in Hollywood! Thinking back, it was but it's funny in memory.

I envy you with 2 acres. I realize there's more work on a larger property .. but thinking of the quiet, peacefulness, beauty .. I'm sure it beats our "less than 1/4 acre" city lot. Some things in life are worth the sacrifice.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

ALRATIBA — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 21:10:07 GMT

@millieshops

Yes - great place to live - NYC - 80 acres along the East River - all sorts of amenities - great management - staff of 500.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

ALRATIBA — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 21:19:45 GMT

@wagirl

Having grown up in a house and owned two of our own .... give me apartment living any day.

Other than rent and amenities charges - anything that needs to be fixed - all I do is either email or call the office.

I'm sure there are disadvantages ... but in my 26 years of living here .... haven't come across any of them.

-----------------------------------

@wagirl wrote:
yes, apartments do have advantages---same thing happens when I need something fixed---and it doesn't cost me anything---but there are disadvantages too-----

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

HonestLife — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 21:28:50 GMT

@RealtyGal2 What company do you use for your Home Warranty? I'm looking to get a policy but not sure which to use. Thanks!

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

hckynut — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 21:57:02 GMT

@sceniccoast

I was born in '39, no WWII vets while we lived there. Mostly just mothers raising their kids with no dad. My mom was of the few that worked, the others kept having more babies.

Don't know if there were government help back then, but no way my mother would ever take money she didn't earn. Drugs weren't around back then, but lots of booze was around.

We love where we live. Rural, but can get to about any part if town in half hour or less. Close to Interstates and mostly 4 lane roads. We are buried away and unless you have been here, most do not know there are even homes here. One way in, one way out, and very few houses.

Stay well now,

hckynut

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

kaydee50 — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 22:03:07 GMT

@ALRATIBA I understand what you're saying but paying rent for decades without anything really to show for it does not appeal to us. (Maybe you're in a rent controlled apartment??) Our condo management is very responsive to problems although not, of course, replacing a broken appliance. For us it's the best of both worlds--home ownership and not much home ownership responsibility.

BTW, we're heading to NYC next week with the intention of buying an apartment there.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

icezeus — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 22:08:30 GMT

@RealtyGal2 wrote:
@ALRATIBA wrote:
Last night I entered a service order online that my freezer compartment in the fridge wasn't freezing.

Today - tech came to look at the fridge - determine it needed to be replaced.

New fridge will be here later today.

I own my home and have a home warranty plan that includes my refrigerator. They have someone come out to repair my refrigerator, or if it cannot be repaired, they replace it with a new refrigerator.

@RealtyGal2

I own my home and have a home warranty plan as well. The downfall is that they do not come out immediately, at least that has been my experience. It's normally a wait of at least three days. Then you have to hope that whomever they send out can make the repair that day, normally my experience has been that the repair can be made the same day. However, if not you have to wait even longer. I have a good GF who has the same warranty company. It took over two weeks for her AC to be repaired.

My AC has been going out for one reason or another for the last several years every darn summer. This year, I decided to just pay to replace my whole system myself. I was in a constant state of anxiety thinking it would go out and it would take forever to get it repaired by my home warranty plan in the height of summer.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

Shelbelle — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 22:10:34 GMT

It can go either way, i know some who moved due to lack of apt management.

Re: Advantage of Apartment Living

Snowpuppy — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 22:22:17 GMT

Where I used to live the maintenance guy would bring in a New to Me used fridge from a vacant unit. 😄

I used to replace my own smoke alarm batteries for that reason.

The items aren't free they are paid for with your rent.