What advantages does apartment living offer over home ownership?

“What advantages does apartment living offer over home ownership?”

Moving can be stressful enough without adding the emotional difficulty of a separation or divorce. You may find yourself in various stages of transition, which can include finding a new address. If you’ve lived in a home for the last five or more years, you may not realize that an apartment is an attractive option that can offer many unique advantages over home ownership.

The convenience of maintenance-free living affords renters appealing lifestyle options. Whether you love to travel, require the convenience of a bi-coastal residence, or just seek carefree resort-style living, when making a move, don’t make it without considering an apartment.

Most apartments are equipped with all the conveniences you would expect in a home, like washers and dryers inside the apartment, convenient one- or two-car attached garages, state-of-the-art appliances, alarm systems with optional monitoring, and high-speed Internet access.

When shopping for an apartment, be clear about what your needs are, and be willing to ask a lot of questions. There is such a wide range of apartment rentals available; you’re sure to find exactly what you want. There are certain questions to ask right up front. If you have custody of Fluffy or Fido, no worries; many communities are pet-friendly. However, this is one pre-qualifier that will narrow down your selection right from the start.

If a fully-furnished apartment home would make your life easier, there is also a broad selection of choices available in the furnished apartment rental market today. You can choose from a virtual menu of options that include housewares, linens, appliances, home computers, cable television service and more. You can rent basically everything you need to be comfortable for as little as a 31-day stay or all the way through a 12- month lease and beyond. A furnished apartment can provide you the utmost in luxury combined with flexibility. The choice is yours.

Many apartment communities today also boast resort-style amenities like heated pools, relaxing hot spas, 24-hour fitness center, resident business center, clubhouse with catering kitchen, home theater, kids’ craft room, and computer lab… just to name a few!

One of the most welcome benefits of rental living today is that all of your maintenance needs are taken care of for you. You won’t even have to change a light bulb! Forget watering the grass, painting the eves or fixing that leaky sink-your community maintenance staff will take care of all of these little annoyances so that you can concentrate on what really matters: you!

Apartment living can be the next best decision you make. Make this time of transition easier on yourself by finding the perfect place to call “home!”

Colleen Lambros is vice president of marketing & sales for The Irvine Company Apartment Communities, and she manages the rental-living Apartment Information Center in Irvine. The center maintains a database of more than 80 rental communities throughout Northern and Sourthern California (including Santa Monica, Orange County, and San Diego). One call or visit to the Information Center will put you in touch with a personal consultant who will match your criteria to available apartments. Call 1(800) IAC-5115