Are Stairs Really A Problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you store your stroller in your car trunk? Presuming your car is parked in a parking lot right near your front condo door, of course. That’s what we did when we lived up stairs with babies. It was no problem. And such a short time that it’s an issue.

OP here. Both condos offer 1 parking that is underground in the same building as the unit. Both offer storage units and we can store the stroller in the car or storage unit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's more of a problem for groceries, etc...

If you need to save money and have a place that is livable now, I would go ahead and buy it. I smucked groceries up the stairs for ten years before we could afford a non-stair house, and not a townhome.

OP here. We get groceries delivered.

[Anonymous]

Stairs to the condo.. hard no. You have to carry up groceries and what ever you buy. You can leave a stroller in the car, etc. but carrying up everything is worth the extra money.

[Anonymous]

We had 25 stairs down to our 3-level townhouse from the parking lot and it was torture with just one kid when she was little. Lugging the infant seat, my work bag, breast pump, and her daycare bag each day was a pain in the ass. I'd often go out to put the stuff in the car that I could the night before so it would be easier. And then I had to have knee surgery when she was 3 so that was a lot of extra fun.

[Anonymous]

I hate stairs but 25k plus updates is a lot of money for an elevator.

[Anonymous]

The stairs in your case would be a deal breaker for me, but I understand the $25k upgrade idea is nothing to sneeze at.

[Anonymous]

In every walk up that I have ever lived in, the families with children have left their strollers in the foyers, lobbies, back stairwells, or somewhere else secure level with the street. Even if those spaces are small, normal neighbors should not mind. I use my stroller AAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL the time. If I were you, as long as I could leave my stroller in the foyer, then this unit would be fine. If I had to carry it up/down from my unit or even up/down from the garage, it would not. I travel by car with my kids infrequently (so heavy bucket seat would not stop me from buying the unit)...little need for the car is one of the reasons I live in the city. I've been getting my groceries delivered for 7 years. But if you need to lug carseat or groceries often, YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your kids are not in strollers I think its fine. Lugging a stroller up and down stairs would be a pain though. And what about bikes, scooters etc?

Great exercise! We sit in front of screens all day these days, I'm so grateful for the stairs we have, honestly.

We live in a DC rowhouse and i can bump our stroller (Uppababy Cruz) up and down stairs without any issues - it ends up being quite smooth for the baby too. Carrying groceries is no different than carrying them from the car to the elevator, and same for bikes, etc.

The only actual bottleneck I can think of for strollers is the width of the stairs and the door. But even having to open both door wings for the stroller, I honestly don't mind the stairs one bit. If we wanted a narrower stroller, it would have fit through the single door wing.

[Anonymous]

At 2.75% interest on a 30-year loan, $25k comes out to an extra $102/month. It's cheaper now (and your condo fees will be lower without an elevator to maintain) but it will definitely appreciate slower and have lower resale/rental value.

I think you'll find it annoying but you'll be able to manage it, unless someone gets hurt. My aunt lives in a similar unit and when she broke her leg she had to stay with extended family for a few weeks, and then needed someone to stay with her to help her get to PT, the grocery store, get out in case of fire, etc. She couldn't manage all the stairs on crutches for about two months. If she hadn't had nearby relatives I think she would have gone to a hotel or something. If something like that happens you'll need to figure it out. It will also suck if you have a c-section with your next kid. But only you can decide if you can deal with that in exchange for cheaper housing.

[Anonymous]

Hard hard no, and I’ve lived in your situation. Medical issues, kids falling asleep in the car at 6 years old, groceries, strollers.
Please just get the condo with the elevator and save your sanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are the kids, how many kids, and do you plan to have more?

OP here. We have a 4 month and plan to have a second one in the next two years. We plan to stay here until oldest is ready for school and we move to the suburbs.

Definitely no on the stairs for me in that situation.

I can’t imagine trying to get from the car to the condo with a diaper bag, baby, toddler, and groceries. Sounds like torture and definitely worth the extra money for the elevator.

If you ultimately want to move the suburbs in less than 5 years, why buy the condo now? Find what you want in the suburbs. -signed person who lived in 2nd floor walkup apartment with a newborn- 2 year old and does not miss the stress of lugging things up and down the stairs.

[Anonymous]

We’ve always had stairs. We had baby gates when the children were young.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's more of a problem for groceries, etc...

If you need to save money and have a place that is livable now, I would go ahead and buy it. I smucked groceries up the stairs for ten years before we could afford a non-stair house, and not a townhome.

OP here. We get groceries delivered.

Make sure you tip them REALLY well if they're having to carry your groceries up the stairs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hard hard no, and I’ve lived in your situation. Medical issues, kids falling asleep in the car at 6 years old, groceries, strollers.
Please just get the condo with the elevator and save your sanity.

What? You can wake the 6 year old up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are the kids, how many kids, and do you plan to have more?

OP here. We have a 4 month and plan to have a second one in the next two years. We plan to stay here until oldest is ready for school and we move to the suburbs.

Definitely no on the stairs for me in that situation.

I can’t imagine trying to get from the car to the condo with a diaper bag, baby, toddler, and groceries. Sounds like torture and definitely worth the extra money for the elevator.

If you ultimately want to move the suburbs in less than 5 years, why buy the condo now? Find what you want in the suburbs. -signed person who lived in 2nd floor walkup apartment with a newborn- 2 year old and does not miss the stress of lugging things up and down the stairs.

OP here. We want to stay close to our jobs, daycare, and the city. We don’t want move to the suburbs until they’re older and ready for school. We don’t want a long commute. Staying in the city is what we prefer.