Ground-floor apartments are fairly well known for their pros and cons: in exchange for bars on your permanently-closed windows, dim lighting, and some added safety issues, you'll likely get a better price than your neighbors upstairs, and have far fewer headaches when you're moving in furniture or lugging heavy groceries.

But a few factors you might not have considered? Apartments on the first floor make it easier to discreetly get, ahem, overnight guests in and out of the building without your neighbors noticing, and are convenient for dog owners who take their four-legged roomies on frequent walks, writes My First Apartment. A place without downstairs neighbors is also ideal for anyone who makes a little extra noise, like parents of young children, or musicians who need to practice at home.

On the other hand, they are often low on privacy—imagine your bedroom window facing the sidewalk outside. It also might not be an ideal setup for cat fanciers. An anecdote from the author: "I have a little cat named Winchester, and he is primarily an indoor cat (we’ve tried going for walks on a leash a few times, but it’s an art form we have yet to master), and is stuck in my little apartment pretty much all the time." But, since the author now lives on a higher floor, she can let the cat out onto the balcony without worrying about him running off. (If you're on a higher floor, be sure to take proper precautions to prevent "high rise syndrome" before letting Mr. Whiskers out onto the balcony or near an open window.)

If you're still thinking about moving into a first-floor abode, always remember to lock your doors (this is a more common oversight than you'd think), and if you're looking in Lower Manhattan, whatever you do, make sure the place isn't also the site of a Chinatown bus stop.

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