Apartment Living: The Complete Guide to Buying, Renting, Surviving and Thriving in Apartments was published in July 2004 by ABC Books rrp $29.95
Australia is currently going through the most dramatic lifestyle shift in 50 years, with the culture of the quarter acre block rapidly giving way to a nation of apartment-dwellers, both owners and renters.
Sue Williams and Jimmy Thomson wrote APARTMENT LIVING both in response to this trend and as a result of their own experiences renting, owning and investing in apartments.
The book is full of cautionary tales, hilarious anecdotes and useful information on how apartment dwellers, whether they are renters or owners, can have comfortable, enjoyable and profitable lives.
But the authors also have dire warnings for anyone who rushes into this sector of the property market without considerable care. They say that:
- The current laws are so stacked against purchasers that developers are cheating their shareholders if they don't cheat apartment buyers.
- Multi-unit buildings worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and with six-figure operating budgets, are being run by "enthusiastic amateurs".
- Some developers are 'hi-jacking' bodies corporate, with owners having to sign away basic rights - including having defects and faults repaired.
APARTMENT LIVING also tells you everything you need to know starting from the very basics, including:
- How to choose a good apartment
- How to have a say in your building's running
- How to be a good neighbour - and how to deal with bad ones
- How to handle the vexed question of pets
- How to turn your apartment block into a true community
Full of well-researched, practical information as well as amusing and frequently amazing true stories, APARTMENT LIVING is as entertaining as it is informative and is as relevant to apartment veterans as it is to those taking their first tentative steps into the high rise world.