House or Apartment: Pros & Cons

Are you currently on the look-out for a new home? There’s no doubt about it, the Irish housing market is pretty frantic right now. For most buyers, location and home type are dictated solely by budget. But if you’re one of the lucky ones able to choose between house and apartment, you might find this article helpful. Maybe you’ve got your heart set on a particular location, and opting for a one-bed apartment would financially allow you to live there. Or perhaps you’ve your heart set on a three-bed semi, meaning you’ll likely venture further outside the city. Whatever your circumstance, here’s some handy information exploring the pros and cons of house versus apartment living…  

Apartment Life – What You Need to Know

For starters, your energy bills will be lower. The more compact space means you won’t need to be constantly worrying about heating room after room, and the nature of an apartment building means yours is most likely surrounded by others on every side – so heat is retained much more efficiently than in a house. Apartment blocks are often located in incredibly handy spots; smack-bang in the middle of the city, or if not in the centre, a trendy neighbourhood nearby, meaning you can wave goodbye to that tedious commute.

Now there’s no denying an apartment can be considerably less spacious than a house, but this doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, depending on your situation. Single? Married, but no kids? It’s easy to naturally gravitate towards the idea of buying bigger, but too much space where it’s not needed won’t necessarily make life any easier. With so much accessible interior design advice and affordable, stylish homeware available, there are many ways to make a smaller space work for you and your needs.

What About a House?

On the other hand… if you’re raising a young family, space is key. An extra room at 3am when you’re up with the baby, but don’t want to wake their brother who has school in the morning, can’t be underestimated. It’s a factor worth considering if you plan to start a family at some stage down the road.

Let’s not forget the issue of pets. Do you love dogs? Have you availed of apps like Borrow My Doggy with dreams of getting your very own, one fine day, the day you finally have a backyard? Some apartments won’t allow pets, while ones that do may not have enough space for your cat or dog to roam around. And sure, you can bring them out for daily walks, but it’s still not the same as giving them free reign over a little garden out the back where they can mooch about to their heart’s content.

The back garden’s not bad for you either. Fancy getting your hands dirty? Gardening has been found to greatly reduce stress and promote positive moods. With life’s pace continuing to quicken at lightning speed, nature’s calming benefits can help to soothe our frazzled souls after a hard day. And while living right in the centre of an urban jungle down the road from work has its up-sides, basing your house haven out in a suburb separated from all the excitement can help minimise your work stress associations with home. You can even look at your evening commute as a way to unwind.

Whatever Path You Go Down, We Can Help with Your Mortgage Queries

Talk to one of our Mortgage Advisors and start your journey today.

Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is an authorised agent and servicer of AIB Mortgage Bank in relation to the origination and servicing of mortgage loans and mortgages. Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. and AIB Mortgage Bank are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Copyright Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. 1995.Talk to one of our Mortgage Advisors today and start your mortgage journey.