I think that anything that I have to contribute has already been said, but in my experience things that people often overlook but later regret are: - How thick are the walls/floors/ceilings; and - How many power outlets and telephone jacks does the place have? My apartment is almost twenty years old, and is quite large - three bedrooms, separate lounge and dining room, and a large verandah at the front and a courtyard out the back. It's right next to public transport and is close to cafes and shops. It's on top of a hill so we have lovely views and also get nice breezes on summer afternoons and evenings. It's solid brick and concrete and so we hardly even hear the neighbours. So far so good. However, there is only telephone jack in the entire apartment and that is, for some reason, located in one corner of the smallest bedroom. In these days of cordless phones with base stations, it's not such an issue as it used to be. However, it is still a frustration and I can't help but wonder why on earth the builder chose to wire the jack into such an inconvenient location. Similarly, the dining room has three powerpoints - two on one wall and one on the opposite wall. We have no use for any of them. Curiously, however, the living room has only one powerpoint. When we first bought the place, I was really happy about the solid construction - and it is great at insulating the place, both in terms of sound and temperature. However, the solid concrete construction also means that it is virtually impossible to reroute wires or to install new jacks or power outlets. I wanted to have a combination light/heater installed in the bathroom ceiling but was told that due to the narrowness of the conduit that had been used to originally wire the bathroom light, that it would be impossible for the electrician to install a heater/light combination unless he pulled out the original wiring and then gouged a channel from the lightswitch, up the wall and across the ceiling to the light fitting. I declined his offer. A friend of mine bought an apartment next to a mad alcoholic a few years back - it was blissful when the neighbour went into rehab every few months, but it was hellish when he was there, as he would wake up in the night and start screaming and shouting imprecations at all and sundry, whilst thumping on the walls. As he owned the apartment, there was little that could be done about him, and if they called the police it only served to inflame the situation. My friend finally managed to sell his apartment and promptly bought a house, with a vow to never again live in an apartment.
