STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Ritz · Dooney & Bourke

apartment delimma: advice needed

Hermione · Kate Spade

i would live in the smaller apt in a nicer area - i think you'll feel much better coming home to a nice pretty neighborhood with better amenities ...

right now i live in a huge CHEAP CHEAP GHETTO apt, and if i could afford a smaller place in a nicer area, i would. unfortunately, you can't beat the ghetto rent i'm getting!

downsides are -

hating my neighborhood

not wanting to have people being over

being embarassed of my apt b/c it's so ugly inside (not my stuff, but the apt itself) - also goes with above

not feeling quite as safe as i might in a nice area

upside?

being able to afford my rent!

Cortney1982 · Chanel

Well, if it's just you and a small place at a luxury complex is big enough, I'd go for that. I don't see how anybody would turn their nose down at you just because your place is smaller and maybe not as fancy. If they do, they have self-esteem problems!

Lilykind · Hermes

I would get the smaller place in a nicer neighborhood with loads of amenities. You'll be much happier, you'll feel much safer, and I highly doubt that people are going to turn their noses up at you for living in a small space in a nicer neighborhood. If you're by yourself and you're just starting out, you don't need a whole crapload of space for your life's posessions. A good closet never hurt anyone, though.

It's also REALLY difficult to fill up a large 1 BR apartment IMO with furniture (after almost three years, mine is still not really full) and you'll probably feel like you need to overcompensate to fill it up with not-so-great stuff if you move into a 1BR in a crappier neighborhood. Also, sue me but I would rather spend money on clothes and shoes and bags rather than furniture.

I live in a really nice neighborhood in Los Angeles that most of my co-workers/friends always say they could never afford. I didn't compromise on space, but instead compromised on amenities (small laundry room, no gym, small garage, pets allowed) in order to live in a great location. The fact that I can walk a few blocks to two 24 hr pharmacies in emergencies without worrying excessively about my safety gives me HUGE peace of mind. Now I also am within walking distance from my work so it's very much an ideal situation. Admittedly, I'm definitely spending too much of my budget on my rent.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

as long as the area is still good, take the bigger apartment! My favorite apartment ever was a HUGE one bedroom on a super old building (no central heating/air- just radiators, no washer/dryer, no gym) in a fantastic neighborhood. I enjoyed that apartment way more than any of the other luxury apartments that I've lived in- plus it was cheaper so I was saving money. As long as the neighborhood is safe and the apartment is nice and you have everything you need nearby...how much time do you really spend at home anyway?

shopgirl82 · Chanel

i would go with the little, but nicer apartment. just something to think about...if you plan on joining a gym, let's say $30 a month (i think that's a low estimate of what most gyms cost), you're saving $360 a year on gym memberships by living in that apartment complex. yes, the apartment still may be more, but probably not as much as you think after you subtract not paying for a gym membership.

also, maybe consider signing a 6 month lease. for example, i know so many people who have researched chicago online, and then ended up moving to an area that they thought was something else (by wrigley field, the lake...and then they see a ton of rainbow flags. not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not what they expected...)

good luck with everything. you're heading for such a great time in your life! i did all that two years ago, and despite the two panic attacks , it was such an exciting time for me....

lynnie · Chanel

ok, not sure how minneapolis is- but i know in nyc- no one has these amenities unless they are paying a shitload. you can live without. in general, its about the neighborhood you live in. i lived somewhere shitty for a long time and it SUCKED even though my apt. was bigger. now i'm much much happier in a younger, funner area. I'd choose the area you'd rather live in first and foremost, as long as the place isn't a dump.

laken1 · Hermes

Smaller apt in nicer area for all of the reasons everyone else said. Plus if it is more of an upscale apt & you aren't attached, you'll meet guys that live there at the pool. And if never hurts if they can afford the nice apt.

-- Edited by laken1 at 08:58, 2006-01-26

JoceyBaby23 · Gucci

I agree with the others.. smaller but nicer all the way. I think the safety factor is important here especially since you will alone.

NCshopper · Hermes

JoceyBaby23 wrote:

I agree with the others.. smaller but nicer all the way. I think the safety factor is important here especially since you will alone.

Ditto. You'll sleep better and just be more satisfied if you live in the nicer neighborhood. Also, Lilykind had a good point--if you're just starting out, it's hard to fill a larger apartment with furniture.

blubirde · Chanel

I say go with neighborhood. You want to be in a neighborhood that you want to come home to. Also you want to be around people like you. (Don't live in a geriatric community if you're 20, for instance. Or a straight-laced corporate high-rise when you're young and artsy.) Things like that.

I've lived tons of different places and it's all about location. My apartments have changed size, rent price, and quality and I'm happiest when I'm in a certain neighborhood that makes living convenient and pleasing for me.

Good luck!

luckylily · Gucci

I'm confused...I don't think Ritz ever said that the bigger apartment was in a bad neighborhood, but everyone seems to be assuming that it is.

I'm not a fan of luxury apartments. They tend to not have very much character, IMO. An older apartment can have some really great features, depending on when and how it was built.

I'd take the bigger apartment as long as it is in a fun and safe neighborhood.

Hermes

I'm all for being the small fish in the big pond. Who are you wanting to impress, anyway?

bumblebee · Coach

i choose neighborhood over size/amenities every time. it's way more important to me to be able to walk to things i like (restaurants, a gym, bars, dry cleaners) than to have a super-fancy apartment building. so i'm with lynnie--pick the neighborhood that you think will be fun yet safe, convenient to where you need to be going for work, and work backwards from that.

also, a lot of times you will find a much better deal if you drive around and find smaller buildings that are owned by private individuals as investments, rather than huge corporate behemoths run by management companies. they tend to have more character, and you aren't paying through your rent for all of the costs associated with running the corporation, amenities you may or may not use, etc.

it's totally a personal thing, though, so you have to figure out what your own preference is. i have friends who live in enormous complexes with resort-ish pools and tennis courts and "free" brunches they never eat, and they love it and think it's totally worth it.

scarlett · Marc Jacobs

For me, safety and convenience are the biggest factors when choosing where to live. For example, I just moved from Brooklyn into Manhattan. In Brooklyn, I paid a little less and had a one bedroom, my own washer and dryer, a porch, a fireplace, and a dishwasher. It had a lot of character. That was great -- but the building was very old, drafty, and leaky (we had a big flooding problem once that centered on my apartment -- yippee) and it took me a lot longer to get home at night from work and/or school. Now I'm in a studio apartment, but in a luxury building with a gym, and financially it works out to be the same cost when I work out transportation, gym membership, etc., and it's made my life a lot easier to be near where I go to school, where my BF lives and works, and just general conveniences. Also, this is my first doorman building, and it does make you feel safer. Just starting out in a new city can be freaky and I think a doorman would be a nice thing for you to have at the beginning. Can you look at any of these places in person before you go there? That can tell you a lot, just the feeling you get from seeing them in person.

Ritz · Dooney & Bourke

thank you! you helped me to put my mind at ease..

to clarify, i would imagine all the places are safe and in great locations.. from what I have heard, the "luxury apartments" are just in the cooler areas, near fun stores/restaurants, etc. whereas the other ones- which are less than $100/month less are a little further out, and then have less amenities... I have quite a bit of time before I actually move, but I will be going out there to pick an actual complex, so obviously, whichever one "feels" best will be it.. I really just wanted to make sure the whole "small fish" thing wouldn't be a bad idea.. i didn't really think it would be, and you reassured me!

plus laken1, the idea of meeting fellow male residents at the pool is very exciting.. other than the fact that it's minneapolis and from what I hear will be cold all the time!:)

Thanks again!

nicoley · Coach

I was stuck with this same dilemma a couple of months ago, upon moving to columbus, I chose the nicer area... and am so happy i did. It really makes a big difference, in my opinion.

honey · Gucci

if the difference is less than $100 a month i would go the luxury route. the money you save on gym & transportation costs would more than make up the difference.