Have you ever heard that not-so-surprising question: “Why are you raising your family in a 1,000 square foot apartment?” or “Aren’t you looking for a house?” or “Really, an apartment for you, your spouse and your kids?!”
While many go house hunting, there is also a new desire to now occupy apartment spaces as part of the upcoming real estate living trends. So why exactly are people shying away from the norm of home living, and switching to apartment living instead? What’s the draw to apartment living? What benefits can this form of lifestyle living give us?
Here are 7 reasons why we absolutely love apartment living, and we think you might too:
Connection
Connections thrive in intimate places that would add to a great blend of apartment living. These connections could be within your families, your faith and spirituality, or even to yourself. With less home to manage and maintain, family time, prayer and meditation, and personal wellbeing can become a daily practice in your life and not a side note.
An apartment’s more intimate space allows families to be more present for one another, creating meaningful relationships with an everlasting bond to take you through life. This leads to more shared experiences and connection, ultimately resulting in lots of happiness.
You will talk more, play more and do lots more together because you’re physically closer in proximity, whilst also having that breathing room when needed because apartments offer a great balance between the two.
Community
In the era of so much digitalization that has evidently increased social connections through social media, ironically our physical connectedness to each other has somewhat deteriorated that has left people feeling isolated. Apartment living ensures feelings of isolation are hard to come by.
Befriending that elderly couple next door can be especially rewarding. The tales and memories they share are almost always about family and experiences, rather than materialism and stuff. Hearing stories from their lives over a cup of freshly brewed tea will remind you to slow down and keep a big-picture perspective on life – something we all need to hear sometimes to keep ourselves going.
Apartments come with a built-in community that residents can reap the benefits from. Many have weekly activities or clubhouses where neighbors can meet and have a friendly chat. Stay-at-home parents or professionals who work from home can benefit considerably in this way of life. A face-to-face conversation is easily found within the complex, which can be very welcoming during the day spent taking care of your families and a home – or even after a tiresome day of working hard.
Financial Flexibility
Apartment living helps you shape your spending and expenses around the lifestyle you feel most called to. If you and your family value relationships, travelling, health and generosity, but your finances are going towards renovations and repairs, then you won’t be able to focus as much on those values that could be pivotal to your overall wellbeing and happiness.
Consider the trade-offs and see if they make sense. Instead of allocating finances to new roof, you could use that money to see a new country or perhaps travel to see some close relatives. Instead of renovating your kitchen floor, you could have regular nights out with your loved ones. Instead of fixing your basement foundations, you could invest in organic eating for a healthier lifestyle. Instead of restructuring your parking spaces, you could donate to a charitable cause you’re passionate about.
Contentment
Happiness lies within being true to yourself and the values you hold close – not someone else’s. Research also shows time and time again that more possessions don’t hold the key to our happiness, contrary to the idea and media messaging of happiness being a bigger home, more things, flashy cars and private jets.
Raising your family in an apartment also instills in your children what happiness truly means. As your little ones observe your family’s lifestyle, they will realize that you don’t have to live the way everyone else is living to reach contentment and happiness. They’ll learn that they had it all along.
A Tidy Home
Regardless of where you live, any living space requires upkeep. Apartments by their design are easy to keep tidy. More coziness means less to clean in less time which means more time to focus on your values. When upkeep doesn’t seem so daunting, you’ll be more motivated to do it. And the harmony that comes from a clean, uncluttered living space will motivate you to maintain this balance within your home.
Home maintenance systems are also hassle free to implement. For instance, when your washer and dryer are only steps away, you’re more inclined to stay on top of laundry rather than having to walk down two sets of stairs to wash your clothes. Being within close proximity to your daily chores will most likely increase the chances that you will actually get them done.
Simplicity
Because apartment living offers a simpler way of living you get to live a happier, lower-stressed life. This way of lifestyle provides the space to figure out what matters most and the freedom to focus on these things rather than dealing with so many complexities on a regular basis.
Some people may love doing a ‘fixer-upper’ where you revamp and renovate your home, which also is a great way should you choose to do it. But if that isn’t how you’d like to spend your limited time in a day, then apartment living would mean you would be free of those obligations and responsibilities.
Instead of spending your weekends and free time on home management and maintenance, you could take your kids to a local forest and the pool. You can relax more and sneak in those cheeky naps without thinking about things that need to be done around the house. This isn’t classified as lazy living, quite the contrary to say the least. It’s intentional living that focuses on what you believe matters most, in complete synchrony and harmony with your lifestyle.
Minimalistic
Apartment living is minimalist by structure and design, which means you simply can’t fit a lot of material things in it. This reality forces you to alter your life constantly by making active decisions about what stays in your home.
If you let clutter pile up in your home, you would essentially be losing living space. In a more intimate space, you’re not tempted to buy more because you don’t have the space for them. When new things do come into your home, other things must go.
Interestingly, this way of life has become one of the living norms today – an emerging mindset of “less is more”. A life that offers refreshing coherence because you quickly come to learn the feel of “enough” in your home and strive to maintain this perfect balance.
We know that apartment living isn’t for everyone. But for us, a minimalist lifestyle in a smaller space leads to more purpose, fulfillment, and family togetherness.
If you’re looking for a way to simplify your lifestyle and focus more on your values, why not explore the opportunities around you for a shot at apartment living? It could just be the right move for you.
