Low vs High Floor in Elevator vs Walk Up

Definitely less. Even a young person can't bear to take heavy groceries up 5 floors. However, you could market to older people with a fear of alzheimers. Because when I lived in a 5th floor walk up, I swear I never, ever forgot to take all my day's necessities with me. Never, ever forgot to take an umbrella. I have never been so organized. It all fell apart when I moved to an elevator building.

For me, the magic number is 3. I don't really want to walk past the 3rd floor, if I have the choice.
In an elevator building, I don't want to be paying maintenance for an elevator I'm not using (if I'm on a low floor). it's just a waste of money.
In a walkup, I don't want to be lugging groceries and crap up more than 3 flights, so I'd prefer to be on floors 1 - 3. I can't imagine having to lug kids and possibly a stroller up 4 or 5 flights.

in most walkups the 2nd and 3rd floor are the most expensive. some have a very high first floor where the people outside will not be able to look through your whole apartment. in those cases, 1-3 floors.

Young people can't bear to carry heavy things up the stairs? Sounds like they need to get into shape. I've lived on the 5th floor walk up and now a 6th floor and I've never once been bothered by carrying anything, regardless of weight, up the stairs (other than move in day of course). I am sure there will be a day when I no longer want to walk up the stairs but right now I enjoy the free exercise.

I agree with apt23 that living in a walkup can definitely help improve both your memory and organizational skills since you do not want to make extra trips up and down stairs. The advantage of a higher floor in a walkup or elevator building is perhaps better light in the apartment and possibly less street noise. A good compromise might be living on the third or fourth floor of a walkup.

I lived in a 5th floor walk up for my first apartment and it was a nightmare...laundry, groceries, forgetting things after you were on the street and especially coming home late after a night of fun the five flights felt like they would never end.

Corlears, did the 5th floor walkup for five long years in my twenties and hated every time I had to go up and down those steps. My memory didn't improve, by my butt did. Most people no matter what age don't want to haul 30 lbs of laundry or groceries up and down five flights of stairs.

I've noticed in my neighborhood that a lot of the four-story brownstones contain duplex units on the third and fourth floors. I wonder if that's related to the third-floor seemingly being the sweet spot.

I've lived in all floors from 1 through 5 at various points in time. My rank order would be 3rd, 4th, 1st, 2nd, and 5th. 3rd and 4th are a bit of a hike, but far enough up that the street noise does appear to be substantially less and the sunlight substantially more. 2nd floor is still too close to the street but lacks the outdoor space that the 1st floor often has. 5th is just killer. I spent a summer in a 5th floor walkup. Every time I even considered going outside, I thought very hard about whether I absolutely had to. I nearly cried everytime I forgot something in the apartment.

I like the top floor even in a walk-up. No noise above.
The second floor is nice as well. Not really a walk up as you'd have about the same amount of stairs in a house.

"I lived in a 5th floor walk up for my first apartment and it was a nightmare...laundry, groceries, forgetting things after you were on the street and especially coming home late after a night of fun the five flights felt like they would never end"

been there closer to my college days., sucks ass.

was used to going up stairs myself. But add some luggage or a lot of groceries, and its a whole 'nother story.
Or having to run down on a hangover sunday because the delivery guy won't come up.
Or telling a chick she has to climb.

or hearing the phone ring.