Let's be honest, apartment living has its pros and its cons. As a three-year apartment-liver myself, I've had ample time to see both the former and latter. It seems that apartment living is beginning to creep away from its previous stigma i.e. only young, broke people rent and is moving towards a more invigorating, free way of living. Below, I've listed three major pros and three majors cons of living in an apartment and why you should take into consideration when you're considering whether to rent or to buy.

Pros

1. You aren't tied down or overly committed to anything you're unsure about.

Let's face it, if you settle down in a city that you quickly come to loathe, you can wait out your 6-month lease (albeit grudgingly) and then up and leave to the next exciting destination once the lease expires.

Renting does give you a significant amount of freedom to do and choose as you please, nearly month by month, so long as you stay vigilant about what you currently need. Typically, renters need to choose between a six month or one year lease and this option alone can be a big plus.

2. Extra costs could (possibly) be lower than owning a home.

For example, I only pay for rent and electricity at my apartment complex. Utilities such as heat, water, garbage services, etc, are all paid by the company that owns the building. Keep in mind, however, that the utilities can and probably will be built into the cost of the rent itself.

But that's just a part of renting. You may possibly have fewer bills to deal with in exchange for a single rent payment. *Keep in mind that not all apartment complexes pay for the utilities listed above, I provided a general list that I have experienced.

3. Short and sweet, it provides a good platform on which to build.

This point, in particular, is a shout-out to other young Millennials out there. Affordable apartments tend to be smaller than actual homes and provide a good space to accumulate possessions. As time goes by, you'll notice that the previously bare kitchen counters begin to fill with miscellaneous items that you'd never thought you'd either own or need.

Enter the spice rack. Who knew? Obviously, you can fill up a bought-and-paid-for-home just as easily, but should you need to move, an apartment allows you the flexibility to up and leave.

Woohoo, we made it through the pros. Needless to say, apartments have a lot in their favor. Now let's take a look at the cons of apartment living.

Cons

1. Space, space, space, space, space, space, space.

I'll say it again, space. In no way is it impossible to find an apartment with good closet and/or storage space, but it certainly isn't easy either. The fact is that you'll either need to downsize on your possessions, enter garage sales, Good-Will runs, etc, or you'll need to shovel out some extra Benjamin's to pay for a storage space.

Amenities like attics, garages, and the like simply don't exist in apartments. Sorry, but it's true! However, if you have a handy husband like I do, I'm sure you can find ways around having little space. For example, my husband builds additional storage cabinets and bins that I can use to store things.

2. Neighbors.

Oh, the neighbors. If you don't like people walking on your head or sounding like they're coming through your bedroom walls, either look for a single level apartment or a rental house. The insulation between apartments is about as thick as a human hair and you'll hear your neighbor's every fight, every conversation and every love-making session.

Yes, that's when you go for an unscheduled walk around the block. I've come to the reluctant conclusion that living whilst squished together with others of my species is going to be somewhat unpleasant. It's a part of apartment living. **If you get lucky and live alongside other caring, reasonable people, you can live in mutual respect and relative quiet.

3. The sad truth is, you aren't working towards much while renting.

Sure, you can go to school and work towards a degree, but you're essentially throwing away money every month to maintain a space. You're not working towards ownership, which is pretty important in this day and age. I plan on taking a personal sigh of relief when my future home is, someday, paid off.

If taking ownership of, not only your life, but a home and property is important to you, start working towards buying a home. And if that means that you have to live in an apartment for a couple years, so be it. Do it! Apartment living is oftentimes a stepping stone to owning a home, don't count it out!

Every couple or individual is different. What might not work for me, i.e. the lack of space, may not be a problem for someone else. Keep that in mind when you're looking for a way to start, or continue, your life.