You’ve been living in a house for a while, and you are about to make the move to an apartment. There are lots of perks that come with apartment living, but you also need to know what to expect. It looks slightly different than being in a home. Embrace the change, and enjoy the easier side of life.

1. Less Space: On average, an apartment will have less square footage than your typical house. When you are moving from a house to an apartment, you can expect to have to downsize your living. For some that’s a major plus. It’s a way to live a simpler life without as many things. For others, that can be a big hurdle. You don’t have to get rid of everything, but you do have to decide what you need to use everyday, and what you don’t. The things you need will find a place in your new apartment first. If there’s room left over, you can fit in the other things.
2. Limited Storage: In a home, you usually have a garage, crawl space, attic, and other closets to keep your things. Now that you are in an apartment, you not only have less space, but there’s also less storage space. You need to be creative with the ways that you store things, or you need to let go of a few pieces of furniture. Identify the things that you must keep, and sell the other pieces that aren’t necessary for everyday life. It’ll free up space, and give you extra cash in your pocket.
3. No Yard Maintenance: One of the benefits of apartment living is having the lawn care managed for you. You don’t need to cut the grass, pull weeds, or trim the hedges anymore. You can let someone else do all of the heavy lifting while you get to enjoy the clean cut lawn. Throughout the year, there will be new flower beds placed, trees trimmed, and other decorations to celebrate the holidays.
4. Convenient Amenities: Now that you’re in an apartment, you have several resources at your fingertips. You have a gym on site, a pool, grills, places to play games, and to relax all included in your monthly rent. You don’t have to clean the pool, or buy any of the gym equipment. It’s there ready for you to use whenever you want.
5. Living in Close Quarters With Neighbors: You’ll need to get used to the faint sounds of hearing neighbors. Expect to hear neighbors walking down the halls, and sharing elevators. You’ll be sharing a building with many other people, and there’s no way for you to avoid all human contact. Take advantage of it, and use it as a way to meet new people and make new friends.
6. Don’t Have To Worry About Maintenance: You’ll never have to fix another leaky faucet again. Call in a maintenance request to have an expert come out and repair it for you free of charge. You won’t have to worry about calling a plumber or an electrician – the apartment will handle the maintenance.

You won’t have nearly as many responsibilities in an apartment as you do a home. You’ll have less to clean, less to mow, and less to shovel on snow days. You can relax by the pool, and make fast friends with neighbors. Setting your expectations for your new apartment lifestyle sets you up for a happy stay.