4 ms·

This is a distinction I also grew up with, I think it's a regional thing. Pretty sure it grew as something like, "apartment" != "apartment building", where the

by Izkata 4y ago

This is a distinction I also grew up with, I think it's a regional thing. Pretty sure it grew as something like, "apartment" != "apartment building", where the second is read as "(adjective) (noun)" instead of as a compound noun, and just describes the physical layout of the whole building, while just "apartment" is describing the individual units and has an implied rent-not-buy.

heavyset_go 4y ago
In my experience, it's a distinction made in suburbs, I suspect because of the influence of NIMBYs who are opposed to rental apartments existing or being built. They say it's because they're afraid it'll lower property values and attract the "wrong" kinds of people that they chose to live in suburbs to stay away from. "Apartments" says urban sprawl, poor people and minorities, "condos" says the opposite. The first says "there goes the neighborhood" and the other implies luxury housing that raises property values. In cities, "apartments" is generally used for rental and owned apartments.
- zrail 4y ago
  It gets even weirder in some places. We owned a house in an HOA for awhile in Michigan that was technically a "site condominium". We owned the exclusive right to build an house on our lot and the house that the previous owners built but the HOA owned the common areas and if I recall correctly the mineral rights for our property.