Busting Some Common Apartment Rental Myths
Posted on October 20, 2008
Filed Under Apartment Living | 18 Comments
Not sure if renting an apartment is right for you? Perhaps you’ve been scared away by some of the rumours (or so-called “facts”) you’ve heard about living in an apartment building? Well, despite what you may have read or heard, apartment living is extremely desirable, safe, and efficient. This article will “bust” some of the long-standing myths about apartment living. Just be warned – the realities might surprise you.
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Myth #1: Nobody would willingly choose to live in an apartment.
Many people think that the “ultimate dream” is to live in a nice house with a garage, a big backyard, and the proverbial white picket fence. But is it really? Research conducted by the U.S.-based National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) shows that apartment living is steadily gaining in popularity – and that a surprising 40 percent of people living in an apartment do so by choice (and not because of their financial situation).
So, why would people choose to live in an apartment, even if they can afford a home? It’s quite simple, actually. Among other reasons, apartment complexes usually offer superior locations that are closer to workplaces and popular shopping centres, renters appreciate the lack of maintenance and repair responsibilities, and the freedom to pack up your things and move to a new location on a regular basis (as opposed to being tied down to a lengthy mortgage) cannot be overlooked.
Myth #2: Apartment buildings have high crime rates.
Many people think of apartments as havens for “undesirable” segments of the population and that these buildings are rife with drugs and crime. However, in reality, apartments actually help create safe and secure neighborhoods.
Much of the belief that crime is higher in apartment complexes is based on the faulty logic in believing that one apartment building is the same as a single “house”. If you compare the two this way, then yes, chances are there is more crime in an apartment than an ordinary household. But if you think of an apartment as dozens or hundreds of separate “houses”, you’ll find that the crime rates are no higher than they are in any other type of dwelling.
Furthermore, many apartment residents say they choose apartment living specifically because they feel more secure! With 24-hour security systems, “Lobby Watch” video cameras that can be monitored on your own television, intercom packages, and onsite superintendents, modern apartments are extremely safe. And with so many people coming and going, it is actually more difficult for criminals to act without being discovered.
Myth #3: Apartments contribute to a neighbourhood’s traffic congestion.
While there’s no denying that a single apartment building can be home to hundreds of people, it simply isn’t true that apartments generate more traffic congestion than other types of dwelling or neighbourhoods.
As a large amount of apartment residents are young professionals, students, and seniors (as opposed to large families), they average only one vehicle per family/household, as they are more likely to use public transportation to get around town. As well, people who rent apartments generate 30 to 40 percent fewer vehicle trips than the average single-family home.
Myth #4: Apartments increase local infrastructure costs.
While some people believe that apartment buildings put an increased burden on the community as a result of a local infrastructure costs, the clustering of apartments makes them substantially less expensive to service. It actually costs less, on a per-household basis, to provide public services to apartments, as they require few kilometres roads, sewers, and water lines.
If more people lived in apartments, instead of buying up new single-family developments (which require public services and utilities to be spread over a larger geographic area), more funds and resources could be used to support other areas of the community.
Remember, don’t let the myths fool you – when it comes to great locations, affordability, security, and minimal impact on local infrastructure and resources, renting an apartment is always an excellent choice.
Watch the video related to apartment living expenses
The shocking revelations of how Tory, Labour and Lib-Dem members of parliament have grossly abused their positions of trust to make the taxpayers pay up for food, housing and other expenses just gets worse and worse. The latest revelations include: – Prime Minister Gordon Brown has claimed more than £100000 in second-home allowances despite having two grace-and-favour properties. House of Commons figures show that Mr Brown has claimed a total of £116234 in the Additional Cost Allowance for …
Help answer the question about apartment living expenses
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18 Responses to “Busting Some Common Apartment Rental Myths”
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i’ve enjoyed your videos and they are very interesting
Just curious have you been able to save while living in Japan? I know some people go abroad to teach so that they can either save money to payoff loans or pay for graduate school.
Loans for students help the student to deal with all the expenses that are to be incurred during his education phase like it includes entire cost of the student’s education from tuition fees, accommodation, books, and computers to transportation and many more.
http://student-loans-info.50webs.org/
Many Banks, financial institutions, online lenders etc are ready to offer the loans for students. But students considering their precious time and finds easy to via online as it provides easy access than other source. There are a large number of requirements other than college or course fees.
http://loan-house.we.bs/studentloan.html
Some of the most crucial are computer expense, hostel charges, and books and so on. The best college student loans are one which comprises all such expenses. But, to qualify for any such one, you have to give it your best shot as far search is concerned. Such purpose can be accomplished by exploring World Wide Web. You will find an innumerable number of lenders offering college student loans.
Since you have no credit it's unlikely you will be able to get a loan on your own. If your parents are willing to co-sign for a private student loan, that money will be sent to you and them directly and you can use that for living expenses.
Private student loans, like federal loans offer an option to defer payments until after you leave school. However they have a higher interest rate than a federal student loan. As such you should borrow smart with them. Only take out the absolute minimum you need. Shop the lenders for the best rate and fees at sites like http://www.studentloanconsultants.com and check each of the lenders website for specific information about re-payment and discounts that may be available.
I'd approach your parents and ask if they'd be willing to pay for the living expenses and let you pay for the tuition. Then you could apply for federal student loans after completing your fafsa. If you get a federal student loan you wouldn't need them to co-sign although you'd need to show their income if you are still a dependent under the federal guidelines.
I like your sweater : D
I'm going to start from your list. Rent-I live in Iowa we have studio apartments for rent that are 450 per month with all utilities included. I suggest renting something like this because it means you don't have to worry about six different bills. But if there isn't any available in your area you will have multiple bills. Rent, hopefully renters insurance (usually very very low, here it is less than 20 per month) gas 20, electric 50-75, WATER40-50, cable 30-40, internet10-50, PHONE 35-40. Food for one person should be low 200 max. Also like the other people said transportation-car, insurance, gas etc.
If you are in college you may want to reconsider. If I moved off campus I would lose some of my financial aide.
It really depends on where you live and the kind of amenities you want.
Hope this helps
It depends very heavily on your area, especially the rent.
Where I'm at:
Gas: $30
Electricity: $30ish, it varies around there.
Water: it is paid for by the apartment in my case. Check your contract.
Internet: is also paid for by the apartment here. Other local places its $30.
Rent: My share is $225. Total for the whole apartment: $675 Other local apartments go from 400 total to 1000 dollars and up.
Other things to consider:
Land-line phone bills, cable if you want it, any type of insurance you may want to get, transportation bills, etc.
If you're renting from a corporation, watch out for annual rent increases. Renting from a private party (aka, Joe Shmoe's basement) avoids that, but then Joe Shmoe might have kids that have to be asleep at 8:00 pm sharp, so choose your battles.
Inexpensive local rentals can often be found in either the local paper (in this case, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal) or Craigslist.
I did a search in the J-S for rentals under $600 per month within 10 miles of Oak Creek and got 55 possible rentals, down to $425 per month, and rooms for rent as low as $350 per month for a single room with a kitchenette.
Craigslist had apartments in Oak Creek as low as $525 per month. (I'm not sure what you consider "cheap".)
Mouse urinating on cotton…LOL
If you have any money left over after your tuition and books are paid (or if they are already paid) yes, your school will give the money to you (usually a few weeks after school has started) to do with as you wish.
Room and board is just a generic term and yes, it can be used to supplement your rent and utilities and such.
Try to ignore all the spam. Every time someone asks a question about a loan, they explode with horrible companies wanting you to borrow from them at high interest rates.
Yes, you can use your student loans to cover any direct or indirect costs you incure because of school attendance. That includes the cost of paying your rent and all your food and bills. The problem here is that it could be difficult for you to get a private student loan without a cosigner. Federal backed student loans like the Stafford loan do not require a cosigner.
i like your sweater too, nice vid.
Dear dnice:
You will need to do 2 things to make this work.
* Get a Roomie~
* Find a job that pays DOUBLE!
Good Luck!
So Grand Fuji is the Japanese Walmart
It depends on the size of the apartment and how you arrange to pay for them. Some will cover all utilities, some will have you pay for water or electricity or both.
Usually, you can call the power company and ask for the most recent year's average bill on electricity.
who braids your hair in japan?
45 mins a month did i hear that right? what do people only text?
you look pretty in this vid