So, I've never lived in a city with a population greater than about 1-1.5 million. I've always lived in homes, duplexes or short (3-story or less) walk-ups.
But, now we are moving to an area where population density will be much higher, and transit/walking are much more viable options. We will have a car available, but are hoping to keep it to very occassional use.
What kind of things should we keep in mind when we look at apartments? Obviously, we want to look at convenience to DH's work, and convenience to groceries and to rail/bus stations. But, is there something else we should be looking at, location-wise?
We have no kids right now, but might have our first while living there. No pets, and no interest in getting any. (I figure this might impact stuff we should look for...)
(And, yes, I am utterly distracted by this whole move. It's the biggest thing running thru my head, and probably will be until we get there...)
Something you may not think of...proximity to fire station, hospital etc. We are near one and I barely slept the first 4 weeks. It took a loud fan and some time to get used to it.
I prefer to live in neighborhoods that are affirmatively residential rather than businessy, and I wouldn't want to live *too* close to my office -- I like to be away when I'm away. So I weigh that against good commute.
I also really, really, really love being able to get to restaurants, bars, and such by foot rather than car, cab, or even subway. So I love living in an area where there are a ton of amazing eating options within a 20 minute walk. That also means that I get extra exercise on the weekends! I am really happy if I can go a weekend without being in any kind of car or on a subway.
And I really like being near large parks. If you aren't used to living in an urban area, parks can be godsends.
Definitely keep in mind what the neighborhood is like at night/on weekends and which way the windows face, particularly if you are on a low floor. When I lived in Philly I lived on a 3rd floor directly above a bar, two doors down from a bigger bar, and on a street with a ton of buses. Our living room was in the front, and we could hear lots of fights outside the bars, and every bus that went by made our windows shake. Bedrooms were in the back of the apartment, but at 2 am we got to hear the bars dump all of the bottles into the dumpsters in the alley.
Also pay attention to proximity to firehouses, hospitals, and police stations. Sirens are noisy.
Being in a walk-up type building above a restaurant can be conducive to mice, cockroaches, etc., so I'd make sure the building is tight and well-maintained if you move to that kind of place.
Ask about parking. Some places restrict how many cars you can park. (I think it depends on the city) Look for a w/d in the unit.
Look for complexes that allow customization. Ours allows us to have 1 wall painted in an accent color for free, and if we want any more, it's $50 per wall. BUT-we don't have to recover it when we leave, and it's professionally done. We are also allowed to mount our tvs for free, but the maintenance guy does it so it's hung correctly.
I'd look for something that is close to shopping areas. I live 2 minutes away from a huge shopping center, and I love it.
Look at the school district, depending on how long you plan to stay in the apt.
I'd stay away from complexes that are near colleges, just because you might have some rowdy college parties.
Oh, it looks like you just have 1 car. Reading fail.
Post by LoveTrains on Nov 27, 2012 15:52:58 GMT -5
I will just add onto what v said in regards to bars. I lived in an apartment once that was down the street from a lot of bars, but behind the apartment was a municipal parking lot. It could get really loud right outside my bedroom when the bars closed because people would walk to their cars in the parking lot (and then drunk drive home). Sometimes there were fights out there, too. But then I found ear plugs and it was fine!
I always take into consideration the floor level (I prefer top level) and the facing (I prefer southwest) of the unit. The average community age, my current complex is a mix of college age kids and young professionals, as compared to a bunch of retirees like a place I once lived.
Family friendly if you are planning on starting while there. Room to grow with you. Closeness to parks or other family friendly venues.
GL!
ETA - Oh I forgot W/D in unit. I don't have one and it sucks. Sucks!! I've bought more underwear in the last 2 weeks so I don't have to go to the laundromat. Even if it's 2 blocks away.
I also think it's important to have groceries within comfortable walking distance (not just convenient via subway/bus). I hate taking all my bags on the bus or train because I always feel like I'm poking people. also remember walking distance is shorter when you're carrying six heavy bags.
we've lived in 2nd and 3rd floor walk ups and are now on the 11th floor - I much prefer being higher up, as we don't hear as much street noise.
If you won't have a washer/dryer at your disposal, keep in mind that you may need to lug stuff back and forth from the laundromat or dry cleaners at least once a week. And, like you said, places where you can buy groceries. Carrying all that stuff was such a PITA when I lived in walk-ups (especially with limited street parking).
IDK if this would apply to you, but if you're near a waterfront then keep the flood zones in mind. I know a lot of people in NYC and North Jersey who got really screwed by this recent hurricane, in addition to those poor people along the shorelines.
Maybe you'll want to take your neighbors' ages and backgrounds into consideration, too. Do you want to live near young families, quiet retired folks, singles or DINKS? Both for the noise/activity level and for making new friends.
Check how close you are to convenience and especially grocery stores. When I first lived in DC, without a car, I lived nowhere near a safe grocery store. I had to take the metro to a grocery store or have them delivered.
How much does height in the building impact noise from the street? Some of the buildings in the area look to be many stories high...
DH will need to be at work no later than 6:30am every weekday, and also be expected to respond quickly if he is needed after hours (many of his coworkers will live on base, literally steps from the office, but that isn't an option for DH).
I'm not sure how well separated purely residential vs. commercial/blended areas will be. But, it is certainly something to keep in mind.
Yes, we will have one vehicle, and will be in this area for 2-3 years. Although, DH has let me know recently that there is a chance he'll get moved from one base to another in the area that may cause us to move apartments partway thru our time in the area.
And, parks. Yeah, green space of some kind will be important.
Two important things I take into consideration are: - having a washer/dryer in the building - having a grocery store (even a small one) within a short walking distance
In addition to all the great advice above, I'd add that I would most likely not live on the 1st floor in an urban setting. There are a lot less bugs on the second floor and up and the foot/traffic noise begins to die down about floor 3 or so.
Waterfront shouldn't be an issue where we'll be, thankfully.
I hadn't thought about relative age/demographic for nearby residents. Huh. I also won't speak the local language, so I'm not sure how much I'll be socializing with my neighbours.
We will have a washer and dryer on loan while we are there. (and a fridge, apparently those don't always come standard in these apartments?!) I'll be looking in each place we view to figure out where in the apartment we would be placing them.
Agree with MB -- in building washer/dryer is HUGE (in Philly I had to walk several blocks to a very shady laundromat to do my laundry -- not fun when you have to carry the laundry those blocks (and up stairs when you get back home)).
I will be honest -- I'm not sure that I'd ever live in a walk-up building again because I like being near things, and with that comes street noise, so I'd want to be higher than the third floor, except that the reality of bringing groceries etc. home to higher than the third floor isn't fun. I feel like a 5th floor walkup building often has no ideal floor because you usually have street noise/lack of privacy or lots of stairs to deal with. But that's in a busy part of a busy city -- in a less urban area I think that could be fine.
On the other hand, during the storm I realized that living 18 flights up *REALLY* isn't fun when your elevator isn't working! Something to keep in mind if you live in an area that has power failures.
Also, I would never live on street level (or below) in a big city.
My biggest thing has always been the walkability factor, especially if you might need to park or store your car in a ramp or garage that is a few blocks or more away. I need to be able to reasonably be able to walk and be able to get basic necessities like groceries, toiletries, coffee and alcohol. I also like being able to walk to the gym or a park to run in. Having always lived in the northeast, I want to be able to continue most of my routine even in bad winter weather, which means I can't always rely on being able to drive somewhere or have public transport run on time.
How much does height in the building impact noise from the street? Some of the buildings in the area look to be many stories high...
It can vary a LOT depending on what kind of windows you have. Some are pretty sound-proof, some are not.
Also, it depends on where you face. In our last apartment, we lived on the 8th floor, windows were normal, and we faced the back of the building. We'd hear trucks or sirens occasionally, but it wasn't bad (and I'm a light sleeper). In our current apartment we're higher, and face an entirely enclosed courtyard so when our (very big) windows are closed, we only hear when our neighbors are having a loud party with windows open or when there are fireworks and such. Even with windows open, we usually can't hear anything at all. But I hear that the apartments that face outwards are very loud even though 3/4 of our block is very quiet (the other side is not).
In Philly, we lived in a slum and the windows were super big, rickety and old, so we could probably hear a pin drop on the street.
Also, it looks like most of the apartment buildings in the area we are looking at are relatively newly built. Say 5 years or less from what I can tell.
Sadly, I can't see many apartment listings because we will be required to rent via an "approved realtor", and only one of the approved realtors for this base has a website...
How much does height in the building impact noise from the street? Some of the buildings in the area look to be many stories high...
When we lived in Chicago in a high rise, we were on the 6th floor (of 24), we still heard street traffic but we also waited for the elevators all the time (there were 3). So we walked 6 flights often if we weren't carrying anything. I will never be that high again.
Unfortunately, while we will be getting loaner washer/dryer, we won't have a choice in what style/model it'll be. I'm guessing it's an all in one unit. We plan on airdrying a fair amount of stuff. Between the things I've heard of the combo units, and the cost of electricity there, this seems prudent. We have bought an extra drying rack for our household goods shipment.
We'll be in the Republic of Korea, on the north end of Seoul. I have no idea how this will impact the neighbourhood feel...
Sadly, we will be some of the first people going in DH's unit (the whole unit is going), so there isn't really a local source of info I can get. I'll end up being an info source for others, though. Technically, the Advon group has already gone over, but none of them brought their families along - either they are going unaccompanied, are single, or their families are following later. And they are primarily focused on getting the place ready for the rest of the unit to show up. DH and I are in the first flight over after the Advon.
The area doesn't have a huge number of military families, from what I can tell. So I'm not sure there will be much for military families. Expats, on the other hand, we might have better luck with, but I'm not sure how to tap into that community prior to getting over there - most of the people I've found online are farther south in the country.
ETA: The camp we're going to is so empty right now that apparently the Commissary and PX won't open until after we get there. Likely, we will end up in our apartment well before those open. It'll make life interesting for the first few weeks. Good thing we're not too fussy about foods...
When I visit my ILs in the country I can't sleep through the "quiet" country of freaking crickets and canadian geese.
I have that problem at my parents' My parents have a lot of things that go bump in the night in their woods!!!
My in-laws live in high suburbia and I can't sleep at their house because there are too many cars driving down the street (and they're much closer than the cars in the city are to our windows!)
I'm trying not to be stalkerish, but I've been following your impending move and want to comment. I know you said you would be on the north side of Seoul, but I would look up on Facebook and see if there is a spouses page for Yongsan. Before we came to Korea, I had a hard time getting information and found various facebook pages to have the best information. There should be good information about living in Seoul. You should also be able to use their commissary and exchange. Make sure you get an apartment with 110 outlets. We also found that using many different realtors was best. They'll all show you different units. Good luck and if you have any other questions just pm me. My DH is Army and we live south of Seoul.
I'm trying not to be stalkerish, but I've been following your impending move and want to comment. I know you said you would be on the north side of Seoul, but I would look up on Facebook and see if there is a spouses page for Yongsan. Before we came to Korea, I had a hard time getting information and found various facebook pages to have the best information. There should be good information about living in Seoul. You should also be able to use their commissary and exchange. Make sure you get an apartment with 110 outlets. We also found that using many different realtors was best. They'll all show you different units. Good luck and if you have any other questions just pm me. My DH is Army and we live south of Seoul.
Unfortunately, we aren't heading to Yongsan. That will be the nearest place for most medical care, but we're far enough away that I'm not sure how much info will translate to our location. Certainly no one has mentioned there even being a possibility of getting 110 outlets in a rental near where we'll be! (near Yongsan, I guess there might be enough Americans in the area that some places offer it, but non-Koreans will be pretty thin on the ground in our area). We don't plan on taking any electronics that need 110 voltage. I've heard that some rentals do provide transformers, but I'm not sure I want to run high power appliances thru transformers...
We can use the commissary and PX's at any of the bases/camps in Korea, as far as I know. Getting to/from them may be a pain, particularly when we first arrive, as our car won't be arriving for a while, though, especially if we're buying a chunk of homegoods.
We do plan on using an assortment of the realtors that are recommended.
This has nothing to do with your initial question, but check our eatyourkimchi.com. It's a funny blog about Korean life written by a Canadian couple living in Seoul.
If you are thinking of possibly having a kid where you will live next -- I would check out the size of the elevators (if there is one) and how accessible a stroller is to get on off the elevator... What kind of walls do the bedrooms share -- the sun exposure -- which sides of the apt get the most, if any. What kind of heat -- floor heating or forced air. I would also look up what kind of sex offenders are in the area on the nat'l website. If you live near a school I don't think you would find too many nearby.
Well I just saw that you are moving over seas... so some of my above responses won't apply.
Where you are you moving again? I think S. Korea pops into my head for some reason so forgive me if I'm incorrect, Seoul? And sorry if I'm a creepy stalker.
I like to ask people in the area the best places to move, etc because different areas have such a different feeling and personality. Do you know anyone there?
Where you are you moving again? I think S. Korea pops into my head for some reason so forgive me if I'm incorrect, Seoul? And sorry if I'm a creepy stalker.
I like to ask people in the area the best places to move, etc because different areas have such a different feeling and personality. Do you know anyone there?
I've mentioned it enough it doesn't shock me a few folks have dredged up the memory of where we're heading. Yep, Seoul, although we'll be on the northern outskirts of the city.
Unfortunately, my attempts to reach out to folks over there has resulting in getting a decent amount of general info about South Korea and the large base in the middle of Seoul, but very little/nothing specific to the area around the camp to which DH is being assigned. DH is actually my best source of information, because this will be his second time going over there - he was stationed there before I met him, at one of the camps near the one we're heading to on this assignment. Unfortunately, that was over 10 years ago.
So, we're going over a bit blind. We'll make the best of it, but it does mean I'm grasping at straws a bit to figure out what I can before we go.
Where you are you moving again? I think S. Korea pops into my head for some reason so forgive me if I'm incorrect, Seoul? And sorry if I'm a creepy stalker.
I like to ask people in the area the best places to move, etc because different areas have such a different feeling and personality. Do you know anyone there?
I've mentioned it enough it doesn't shock me a few folks have dredged up the memory of where we're heading. Yep, Seoul, although we'll be on the northern outskirts of the city.
Unfortunately, my attempts to reach out to folks over there has resulting in getting a decent amount of general info about South Korea and the large base in the middle of Seoul, but very little/nothing specific to the area around the camp to which DH is being assigned. DH is actually my best source of information, because this will be his second time going over there - he was stationed there before I met him, at one of the camps near the one we're heading to on this assignment. Unfortunately, that was over 10 years ago.
So, we're going over a bit blind. We'll make the best of it, but it does mean I'm grasping at straws a bit to figure out what I can before we go.
Ah Alright. Well good luck! I get really ansy and scared before an move (and I have never moved outside of the country), and like to know EVERYTHING about the area before a move. Before I moved to Seattle I lurked a lot on city-data because there were a lot of people answering questions about neighborhoods with certian requirements people were looking for. I don't know if there is anything similar for other countries but those sites can be very useful.
My brother has lived in Seoul for about 2 years, I have no idea in what area though.
I've mentioned it enough it doesn't shock me a few folks have dredged up the memory of where we're heading. Yep, Seoul, although we'll be on the northern outskirts of the city.
Unfortunately, my attempts to reach out to folks over there has resulting in getting a decent amount of general info about South Korea and the large base in the middle of Seoul, but very little/nothing specific to the area around the camp to which DH is being assigned. DH is actually my best source of information, because this will be his second time going over there - he was stationed there before I met him, at one of the camps near the one we're heading to on this assignment. Unfortunately, that was over 10 years ago.
So, we're going over a bit blind. We'll make the best of it, but it does mean I'm grasping at straws a bit to figure out what I can before we go.
Ah Alright. Well good luck! I get really ansy and scared before an move (and I have never moved outside of the country), and like to know EVERYTHING about the area before a move. Before I moved to Seattle I lurked a lot on city-data because there were a lot of people answering questions about neighborhoods with certian requirements people were looking for. I don't know if there is anything similar for other countries but those sites can be very useful.
My brother has lived in Seoul for about 2 years, I have no idea in what area though.
Strangely, this isn't the first time I've moved to another country blind, but that one was a move from Canada to the US, so it wasn't that much of an adjustment. But, it gives me hope that I can handle this move.
Right now my biggest stress is trying to wrap everything up here. The contemplations in this thread are just some fun distraction from the mountain of work it's taking to get prepared for the move...