https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 24 Apr 2026 08:59:10 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2332200 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 20:15:32 +0000 Mrs. Pen 2332200@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Are there differences in utilities?</p> <p>We have found that makes a big difference in price of apartments when some are included and others aren't. </p> <p>I've lived without a washer and dryer in my unit for over three years now so while I wouldn't say it's ESSENTIAL, it is an incredible amenity to have!<br /> but if it's only for a year and you want to save money, it might be worth it to go with the cheaper option.<br /> However, I think you should keep looking if you and your husband feel so differently. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2332183 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 19:54:09 +0000 regberadaisy 2332183@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So I would keep looking. A standard residential door is 6'8". I'm looking at that door and thinking even a crib is a tight fit in 7x7. What happens when she's out of a crib? You would barely fit a twin in there. Neither are ideal to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2332154 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 19:01:02 +0000 Lilbear 2332154@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We live in an apartment and we bought a portable washing machine that hooks up to our kitchen sink. When we aren't using it, it is wheeled into the corner of our kitchen. We dry the clothes on a drying rack. It's not perfect but it has greatly improved our quality of life over the laundromat days. I know that not all apartments allow washers in the unit, but that may be an option for you that gives you some more options while apartment hunting. </p> <p>I personally would keep looking for a 2 bedroom that is in a nicer building - more of a middle ground between your two options. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331796 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 14:01:19 +0000 kick641 2331796@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I chose a one bedroom luxury apartment in the past, and I kind of wish I had gone with a cheaper one and stashed more money in my savings. I'd also rather have space than really nice amenities, since I'm more of an introvert. It might be worth going with the nicer one if you really hate coin laundry or if you'll be at the included playground all the time which will save you travel time/money. I would never live somewhere I was uncomfortable, even temporarily. I know this is a lame trick, but if you are sure these are the only two options for you, flip a coin to decide. How you feel about the result of the flip will tell you where you'd better live. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331721 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:23:57 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2331721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sorrycharlie: :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331710 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:18:30 +0000 sorrycharlie 2331710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>oh just saw about the closet. I'd also be a little worried about ventilation..</p> <p>my youngest daughter's room is 10x10 and she has plenty of space. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331707 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:18:08 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2331707@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sorrycharlie: She had posted in a response above that its an extra master closet that is approx 7x7. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331703 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:17:27 +0000 sorrycharlie 2331703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>yeah...laundry is huge. I have laundry in my basement (one floor home that we own) and it's still a pain. I'd die if I had to do coin laundry - I'd never do it! but I'm cheap and lazy &gt;&lt;</p> <p>anyway - what's the bonus space like? I mean, open to the living room? or like an office, or? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331699 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:15:56 +0000 Meowkers 2331699@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For me, the washer and dryer in unit would be mandatory. That being said, neither of these sound that great. The luxury unit seems really small, and without a separate space for your little one, I think you'll find it really hard to have adult time. I would keep looking. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331698 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:15:44 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2331698@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think a 7x7 closet is large enough to be a "room". Most bedrooms are 10x10 at minimum so its not that far off. But I would be concerned about air circulation. If you close the door is there an air vent in there? Is there a ceiling light that could be wired for a small fan? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331691 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:13:39 +0000 Truth Bombs 2331691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd keep looking. Laundry in unit would be a must for me, but I wouldn't want my 2 year old in a closet off my room for her bedroom. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331684 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:11:57 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2331684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yea $2,000 for the amenities is worth it. </p> <p>Laundry costs plus pain of dragging laundry add up!</p> <p>Plus think about maybe cost savings from having the pool/gym/etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331677 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:08:43 +0000 ShootingStar 2331677@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd keep looking. I wouldn't want my kid in a closet off of my bedroom. We like to be able to talk at night, watch tv, read, etc in our bedroom. I need that adult time and to not be worried about waking him up. And no way I'd live in a building full of college students at this point in my life. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331136 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 06:18:12 +0000 honeybear 2331136@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What does it cost to rent a condo from an individual owner? In the areas I've lived in, particularly cities, the buildings that are all rentals are typically a bit pricier. (This isn't necessarily true of the suburbs, but it's worth finding out for your area.) I'd check Craigslist. The only caveat is that you might need a slightly longer lead time for a private rental because condo buildings can have a lot of hoops to jump through. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331133 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 06:15:46 +0000 gracecat 2331133@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would keep looking. It seems like only 1 of you would be happy and $2000 is a lot of money. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331122 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 05:09:53 +0000 BandDmommy 2331122@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would keep looking. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331121 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 05:07:39 +0000 Torchwood 2331121@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would never, ever choose not to have a washer/dryer if I could afford to have them. That alone would sell me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331111 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 03:41:16 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2331111@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Luxe! But, why pay more when you can pay less? Laundry, aesthetics! Duh! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331109 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 03:33:27 +0000 Greentea 2331109@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would go lux on this one!</p> <p>Living in a nice space kind of uplifts your life! Plus laundry, pool, playground! Life changing things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331101 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 01:54:19 +0000 lamariniere 2331101@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It all boils down to laundry for me. I do laundry nearly every day! For years I had to schlep my laundry to the local laundromat, so having my own laundry facilities still feels like the biggest luxury! But also, living in a "nice" space makes a huge difference in quality of life, at least for me. I am very picky about home aesthetics and since I WAH I want my living space to be nice and appealing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331081 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 00:40:58 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2331081@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Grown-up for sure. It would be my nightmare to be near drunk college kids while I'm trying to put my baby to sleep! Plus that laundry situation isn't worth the extra hassle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331078 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 00:33:34 +0000 AprilFool 2331078@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are in a two bed townhouse with a two year old and space is tight.... I wouldn't want to be in a one bedroom. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331053 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 23:31:00 +0000 shellio 2331053@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Skadi: Luxury sounds totally worth it in this case! I agree with all the points made above. We had our second DS sleeping in a closet until recently, he is 2 in a few weeks. It was smaller than 7x7 and was totally adequate. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331049 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 23:25:43 +0000 wheres_c 2331049@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I vote keep looking! Neither sounds ideal... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331047 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 23:18:40 +0000 sapphire 2331047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You sound like you are heavily leaning toward option 1. If you can afford it, why not go for it? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331042 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 23:13:30 +0000 mrschickpea 2331042@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The luxury 1/bd no question! You still have a separate space for your LO, laundry (crucial IMO), more than likely non college aged neighbors, (I'm from a college town and after a while this really bothered me on weekends and I don't even have children yet :shocked: !) and better amenities! </p> <p>And yes, I imagine your DH would be singing a different tune if he had to do laundry lol :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331041 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 23:10:00 +0000 rattles 2331041@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My first instinct was to vote for the first option. That said, I'm less sold hearing that the bonus space LO would be sleeping is a closet. The size doesn't sound like a problem to me, but I'd worry about ventilation if you're planning to close the door. I'd also want a second point of egress in case of a fire. Obviously I haven't seen the space, so maybe neither would be an issue, but it's something to consider. Having had a baby in a one-bedroom condo with community laundry though, I totally understand prioritizing in-unit laundry over a second bedroom and wanted that in our subsequent place!</p> <p>ETA: congrats on the new job! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331033 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 22:57:44 +0000 Skadi 2331033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jhd: I didn't want to bias anyone, but I'm leaning toward the luxury one for that very reason. DH is not convinced it's worth a $2000 difference, though. Maybe he'd feel differently if he did the laundry. :wink: </p> <p>@mamacate The 1 bedroom has two separate closets. One is sort of regular sized (similar to what we have now) and one is a huge 7x7 walk-in. Even without LO, I have no idea what we would put in the walk-in since we already use a pretty small closet and we're planning on purging clothes before the move. I guess a 7x7 foot room might seem really tiny to some people (maybe cruel in a Harry Potter sort of way?), but I feel like that's plenty of space for a toddler who is just going to sleep in there. The closet is in the bedroom and has a door, so we'd be able to closer her off from us after she goes to sleep.</p> <p>@littlecasita1122 It's really interesting to hear your perspective! I think my DH in particular is finding it hard to see the value...he wonders if they're just overcharging people for something new and shiny. But the washer/dryer and the playground are huge bonuses for me! I'm going to mention the maintanence issue to him, as well as the neighbor demographics. Those are definitely things we need to consider. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331029 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 22:49:36 +0000 IRunForFun 2331029@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd keep looking. If you could afford to pay $860 for a luxury 1 bedroom, maybe you could find a 2 bedroom in a similar price range that falls somewhere on the spectrum between "luxury" and "drab and outdated." Like a mid-range option!</p> <p>ETA: What type of space are you living in now? If you're already used to living in just one bedroom with your LO then I think that might make it easier to go with option #1, but if you and she are used to having separate spaces it could be a tough adjustment. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-apartment-would-you-choose#post-2331026 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 22:43:43 +0000 littlecasita1122 2331026@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I work at a luxury apt community and our rents are crazy high but I can see how the new construction and upgrades are worth every penny. You probably won't be dealing with much maintenance issues. And not having to share washer/dryer is awesome! Also think about the type of people that will be your neighbors - do you think it's more college-environment at the 90's place? With the luxury apt you'll most likely be living next to young professionals or retired people who are downsizing from homes. </p>