Are you looking to rent an apartment in the Windy City? Whether you’re a working professional who needs a place in the city center or a family who prefers urban living to suburbia, apartments are the newest real estate trend.
They’re a great way to start a family while you save money to buy your own house and experience the hustle and bustle of city life.
Apartment rentals will generally cost you a lot less than a house in terms of monthly expenses like utilities, maintenance, and rent. You may also get some amazing amenities in the building to make your life more enjoyable.
Keep reading to discover 10 great things about apartment living that we know you’ll love.
- Minimalist Living
Big houses are easy to clutter, especially because there’s tons of storage to put away the stuff you don’t need. On the other hand, apartments will teach you the art of minimalism and controlled shopping.
You’ll have limited space and storage and you’ll want to fill it with only the necessities. You may even learn something about your shopping habits and discover you already own too much stuff.
- Access to Amenities
One of the best perks of living in an apartment building is access to amenities. These may include:
- A fully-equipped gym
- A shared or in-unit laundry room
- A swimming pool
- A business or media center
- Children’s playground and daycare
- Pet Amenities
- Car garages and bike storage
- A yoga studio and spa
- Gated access and security services
- A recycling center
The more amenities there are in a building, the better the quality of living you can expect. The amenities’ service cost is often included in the rent or bills and won’t break your budget.
- Flexibility
Renting an apartment comes with a greater sense of flexibility than buying a home. Owning a home keeps you locked in one location which you base your life decisions on. As a renter you’re able to choose where you live and for how long. There different type of leases to choose from that allow you to move from year to year, or even month to month.
Maybe one year you want to live by the beach, the next in the city, or even closer to nature. You can relocate with much greater ease for your dream job, for love, or to be closer to family. Renting gives you the opportunity to make life decisions as you see fit.
- Less Cleaning
The best thing about living an apartment life? You’ll have less square footage to clean! Instead of spending hours cleaning just the first floor of a house, you’ll only have one single floor to clean in an apartment.
If you have a busy lifestyle and don’t have time to clean at all, you can hire cleaners to come in weekly while you enjoy doing more productive things. Your building may also offer cleaning and laundry services for a small fee so you can come home to a sparkling clean home after work.
- Lower Utilities
Paying low utilities is possibly one of the best perks of apartment living. Some of these are fixed and included in the rent, so you’ll only need to worry about electricity, gas, and internet.
Imagine living in a big house where you’d have to heat and cool every room, hallway, and bathroom, on each floor. Then, you’d have to pay any maintenance fees yourself, pay for landscaping, and be careful how much electricity you spend with the lights turned on in several rooms.
- Sustainability
Small home living will make you reconsider your shopping habits. You’ll own less stuff because you’ll have less space to store it. You’ll spend less money on cooling and heating,
Many modern buildings are specifically constructed to be eco-friendly and sustainable. They have excellent insolation, cutting your utility bills in half. Plus, you won’t have to turn up the cooling and heating all the way up because neighboring apartments tend to warm and cool each other.
- Accessibility
By renting a house in the suburbs, you’ll probably need to own a car in order to drive to the nearest store when you run out of something. In a city apartment, you can get by easily without one because everything is close by.
You can get to shops, malls, and bars on foot in your area or catch a bus or a subway to get to a different neighborhood. You won’t deal with traffic and if you ever need a car for a remote destination, you can always catch a cab or call an Uber.
- A Sense of Community
Any apartment guide will emphasize the sense of community you get in an apartment building. Your next door neighbors are quite literally the door right next to yours and this is a great way to make friends and get to know the people you share a wall with.
Of course, not all neighbors are friendly, but in big buildings, you have better chances to meet great people who share the same interests. You can hang out by the pool, have playdates for the kids, and build quality social relationships.
- Location
With houses, you’re limited in your choices of location and there’s usually a limited number of homes for sale in your preferred neighborhood. With apartments, the whole city is your playground. You can decide on the neighborhood and whether you want to be closer to shops or transportation, or bars and restaurants.
Families can choose an apartment near children’s playgrounds, parks or a school so they can walk their kids to and from school every day. Busy professionals may prefer the downtown areas with corporate office buildings, and artists can opt for a neighborhood with a vibrant cultural scene.
- Affordability
Apartments are much more affordable than big family homes for several reasons. First, there’s less square footage, which means fewer maintenance costs. Buildings often have managers who take care of repairs and maintenance and this service is included in the rent or utilities. In some cases, smaller apartments actually cost more, so you can get better value for your money if you rent a bigger apartment.
You’ll also pay low utility bills because many expenses are shared among the tenants, and you’ll have less stuff to own. Apartment living will teach you to be wiser with your money and control your shopping urges when you remember there’s limited storage.
These Are the Perks of Apartment Living!
If you’re thinking about renting an apartment, but needed some convincing, these benefits will show you small homes can be as enjoyable as big houses but without the huge expenses and mortgage payments.
Learn all about apartment living over on our blog where we share useful tips and real estate advice.
Ready to look into some great apartments? Search our database and find your perfect fit.
