4 Tips To Making Friends With The Neighbors

(Image courtesy of Cristiano Betta)

You live in a great apartment community with many opportunities to open your door and meet the neighbors. Hanging out in the fireside lounge, the terrace or the fitness center will open you up to meeting many of your neighbors. Though we have many resident events and activities, your social interaction with your neighbors doesn’t have to stop there.

Meeting the people living around you is only first step in creating friendships. This article from apartmentguide.com has some great tips to get you started hanging out with your great new neighbors. Keep reading to learn more. 

Hang-out prep tips

Rule #1 of hanging out is finding people to do it with — but you don’t want to jump the gun on this. You need to scope out your apartment community and ease into conversation to find out which neighbors are “hang-out-able.”

Luckily, it’s easy. Just walk around. Linger at the mailbox (not too long, stalker!) and say hello to anyone who looks interesting. The same goes for the pool, gym, dog park and even the parking lot. The more mobile you are, the more people you meet.

Once you’ve created a few “hello, how’s it going” relationships, start stretching out your conversations to see whether you have common interests. When you find a few peeps that like the same things you do, it just might be time to take your hang-out to the next level.

Chill one-on-one

Now that you’ve pegged a few potential hanger-outers, a one-on-one meet up will give you a chance to get to know them better. Two-person hang-outs can be a little intimidating because it’s up to you to keep the convo flowing, but it’s the best way to focus on your new friend and build a rapport.

Now, this face-to-face time doesn’t necessarily mean sipping herbal tea and commiserating about the girl/guy who broke your heart in 4th grade. Keep your first hang-out light and casual, but be yourself. Set up a plan to play tennis, go for a walk, carpool to the grocery, or sit by the pool after work. Easy-going chit-chat and a no-pressure vibe will help you find out whether your new friend is ready for a group hang.

Host a group hang

Hanging out in a group is super fun when you have the right people in the room. Definitely invite the one-on-one hangers who seem like they’d get along with a variety of personalities. Then organize a larger hang-out event in your apartment community – a party, by any other name!

Consider hosting a dinner party, book club, wine tasting, game night or cookout by the pool. You can cast a wide net by posting flyers at the mailboxes and on bulletin boards to invite the entire community. Or keep it smaller and only invite people on your floor or in your building, as well as the folks you’ve hung out with individually.

However you choose to organize it, a group hang-out is a great way to relax and get to know more people in your apartment community, as well as introduce them to each other.

Avoid awkward moments

Remember, hanging out properly is a skill. You don’t want to come off as the person who will never leave a party. Until you get to know people better, keep your interactions short and your conversation light. If you get invited to a hang, don’t be the first one to show up and the last one to leave. Arrive 5-10 minutes after start time, bring a drink or snack and leave while the energy is still up. People will love hanging out with you, and you’ll likely get invited back.

Be mindful that if someone doesn’t seem interested in hanging out, there’s no need to push the issue. Just move on; there are plenty more people in your apartment community who will be worthy hang-out buddies.

While this may seem like a lot of guidelines for something as simple as hanging out in your apartment community, it’s smart to start off on the right foot. Once you get a solid crew of people to hang with, your social agenda at home will be set!

Valentine's Day Isn't Just For Couples

(Image courtesy of fysclass)

Our apartments are very personal places. It’s where we let our guard down - the one place where we look both our best and our worst and can completely be ourselves. If you share your apartment with someone else, whether they’re a friend or a significant other, chances are that person knows you better than anyone else.

Just because you live with a friend doesn’t mean that you can’t show them some love this Valentine’s Day. Try some of these simple tips to show your roommate that you appreciate him or her, courtesy of apartmentguide.com.

1. Clean the place.

Imagine your roommate’s delight if he or she came home to a freshly cleaned apartment. Stick to the communal spaces – your roomie might feel like you’ve been invading his or her personal space if you try to clean their bedroom or bathroom – but a thoroughly cleaned living room or kitchen is a nice little surprise.

2. Cook them dinner (or order in!)

You can even make it a surprise. What’s your roommate’s favorite dinner or beloved takeout place? Once you find out, pick an evening when you know they’ll be home and give them a tasty treat.

3. Make them a lunch to take to work/school.

Remember when your mom or dad used to do this for you as a kid? If your roommate takes a lunch to work or school every day, they’ll appreciate you taking the time to pack some food for them. Don’t forget to write a nice little note on the napkin.

4. Handle one of the bills yourself instead of splitting it.

If you can afford it, this is a nice thing to do for your living partner. Paying their share of the rent may be a stretch, so pick a smaller bill – the water, power or cable, for example.

5. Upgrade something.

Take stock of the things you use together, like the toaster, blender, or stereo system. Is it old and busted? If so, and if you can afford it, upgrade! Even if you take it with you when you move, you’ll both be able to enjoy it now.

6. Take them for a night out, on you.
Call it a platonic date night. Pick a restaurant you know your roomie loves and a movie he or she is dying to see. If you’re new roommates, or just haven’t bonded yet, this would be a great step towards becoming BFFs.

Is Your Apartment Pet Proof?

(Image courtesy of The U.S. Army)

Adding a pet to your home can be a great change. You’ll always have someone there to greet you when you come from work, and having a pet can make your apartment feel more like a home. As many long time pet owners know, though, bringing a pet into your home requires more than just love- there are some very important steps that need to happen first.

Caring for your pet in an apartment is different than caring for your pet in a home. When you bring a dog or cat into the picture, even the set up of your apartment can change. This article from renters.apartments.com walks through the steps all pet owners (new and old) need to take to make sure their apartment is pet ready. Keep reading to learn more.

Pet supplies: Before bringing your new pet home, you need to have food (and a bowl to put it in), somewhere for him to sleep, a collar and leash if it’s a dog, and maybe some treats and toys to help ease his transition into his new space. If you got a puppy that will need to be housebroken, a crate is a good idea to help prevent accidents in every corner of your apartment (not to mention a serious dent in your security deposit). Other necessities may include medicine, poop bags, a hair brush, shampoo and toothbrush.

Cleaning supplies: As cute as they are, pets can also be messy, especially a dog who needs to be walked in all types of weather, thereby bringing mud, ice and snow back inside with him. Stock up on carpet and floor cleaner for whatever he tracks in, as well as inevitable accidents and sickness. Another key factor is hair – consider investing in a heavy-duty pet vacuum if your new companion is a big shedder, and stock up on lint rollers for your clothes and furniture.

Pet proofing: Another thing to consider before bringing your pet home is what hazards he could get into. Anything that lives close to the floor – like trash cans, power cords, stuff crammed under the bed – could look like enticing chew toys to your dog or cat. Get as much off the floor as you can, especially potentially hazardous items like pills, cleaning supplies and electric cords. When you’re not home, be sure to close off any rooms you don’t want him in unsupervised. And if he learns how to open cupboards and trash cans, it’s time to get some locks to keep him – and your stuff – safe.

Training: Just as important as making your apartment suitable for your pet is making sure your pet respects your apartment. Sign up for obedience classes right away if you get a dog, and set limits for what’s OK and not OK at home. It may be cute the first time your dog grabs a sock out of the laundry basket, but your roommate won’t be happy if she comes home to a half-eaten shirt. Make your house rules – whether the pet is allowed on furniture, if he can eat table scraps, etc. – and stick to them to maintain a happy household.

Learn more about living with pets in your apartment.