If I were to move to an apartment, I'd take one on the first floor.....UNLESS there was an elevator in the complex. I don't like lugging groceries and pups up and down the steps.

I agree, I wouldn't want the stairs either. Another option is to see if the apt. complex would allow you to install a security system if you decide to take the 1st floor apt. Just a thought.

Which suits your needs? I am sure the larger one not available until next month or thereabouts is more expensive. Any procrastination here? An intruder can intrude on a second floor just as well as a first. Living anywhere we must take proper percautions. Really though, in the end if this isn't just a transitional move, if the larger one suits your needs better and you can tolerate your father for that time..do what YOU think best.

I think I would want to live on the bottom floor if I was heavy footed. I think the top floor is nice, that way you don't have people on top of you. The grocery issue is a challenge. I always like the top floor because it is closer to heaven...Hugs~Shelley

No neighborhood is 100% safe. My husband was a locksmith by trade, and he had seen it all. When we looked for an apartment before the wedding, he specified a second floor. More secure if I was home alone, and harder to break into. We had a sliding glass door that locked. We always put a broom handle along the track so that the door couldn't be pulled open.

The benefit of a first floor is to avoid the stairs. I would choose peace of mind for safety reasons, and climb the stairs for exercise.

Blessings, Debbie

OH Debbie..that awful word...exercise!!!! LOL

Groceries, the bed and the couch all good reasons for the first floor. I preferred the 2nd because I felt that if they were going to break in (which didn't happen) I was going to atleast make the sucker work for it. Plus, I didn't have anyone walking, jumping, vacuuming over my head. And I didn't have to pay for pot. Yep, My neighbors below me smoked so,.lol...but I never inhaled. There are pro's and con's to both so you have to look at what best suites you.

A lot depends on how your building is set up. Are the 1st floor windows easy to access by a burglar, is your entrance directly to the outside or through a hallway, etc. On the 1st floor you would probably want to be more careful about opening windows, and perhaps not feel so inclined to keep your curtains open because people could see into your place more easily. First floor is easier for groceries, moving furniture, etc. and in case of fire it may be easier to get out. Consider your needs and choose what will work best for you.
Good luck! laurabp

are there balconies from apartment to apartment? how many floors are above? how many apartments are there total? I'd go with the second floor, reasons: it's harder for someone to break in (but not impossible), could leave a window open (but I'd make it so it could only open a couple of inches by putting a board above and below so they couldn't move the window unless they removed the boards), the biggest thing, don't get too complacent (I think that is the word I want) with your surroundings, stay on your guard, watch who is coming and going...hugs, Sandi

If somebody wants in, they'll get in, believe me. We owned a few rentals before we moved. The only one that was ever attempted to be broken into was an UPstairs apartment. The thug walked the rooftops.

The dog won't be coming with me as I've made it a gift to my father. I didn't want the poor thing sitting alone all day while I work because we work 12 hour shifts.

I think it would depend on the rental amount. If money isn't an issue, you may want the 2 bds. for your step chldren to visit. If not then I would consider the price of a security system that took care of any widows or doors. It would probably pay itself off fast as compared to the difference in rent. The stairs wouldn't bother me right now but I'd be concerned if I had older company. Hug, Donna

I agree with everybody else - I'd probably take the first floor for the ease of getting around absent an elevator, but I'd be inclined to take the second floor if the first floor is noisier and certainly if that space is smaller. (Do they face the same direction, or IS one likely to be quieter?)

And I have to say that the biggest delight so far in my coming back to DS is to see that you're moving out and getting your own place!! You've had such hard times and I know how it was with your father.