Sound insulation isn't that difficult, it just costs money, and it's one of the easiest places to cut corners. When people are looking at an apartment they look

Sound insulation isn't that difficult, it just costs money, and it's one of the easiest places to cut corners. When people are looking at an apartment they look to see how the kitchen is, if it has hardwood floors, a balcony, etc. No one asks, "how is the sound insulation," but they should. Municipalities would be doing civilization a huge favor if they upped the minimum sound insulation requirements for apartment/condo buildings. Some neighbors are just plain rude and in their own world, but a lot of the issues that buildings can have are from poor materials. The good news is that it's pretty cheap to throw down extra foam insulation under the floor to mitigate noise issues. But don't expect builders to do it.