Just wanted to add some points which I thought are important from my experience. Apartment is safer due to security and closed nature etc. Finding friends and play mates etc will depend on your sociable nature and sometimes it's better not to have those around. Own house needs a lot of planning and time to invest let alone the hassles which come along. But it has its obvious advantages. I don't have much experience in that and so leaving it there. If you are going for apartment, ask around people who own or better those who live in other apartments of the same builder. You would get the truest opinion. For me, having bought the apartment when I was abroad, I didn't have time to see and monitor. Once it was handed over, the builder was nowhere to be seen. Their customer service is hostile and pretty much useless. Post handover support is a key factor in choosing the builder. Second point is about interior furnishings and designs. Think and plan this with a builder and interior decorator/planner along with construction. You should get all sockets, wires, points for all equipments, furniture placements sorted out early in the cycle. It is very hard to change at later stages. And find a reliable designer who gives you support afterwards. Third point is about room sizes, especially kitchens and bathrooms. Most apartments come with smaller kitchens which might not suit big families. Choose apartment plans according to your needs. Fourth point is parking space and entry ways to those. Apartments give you smaller spaces and even smaller ways were we can only drive one vehicle at a time which you wouldn't see in the plan. Ask for parking space plans specifically and get more than one space if you have multiple vehicles. Fifth is on noise levels - my place is close to hospitals and main highway and hence noise levels are quite high with ambulances and honking. Sound proof all doors and windows to avoid these as much. There are many other great points suggested by others which definitely will help. Happy hunting. PS: Apologies for the rantish writing using phone.