We have already learned our lesson about living on any floor but the top. We lived in houses for years, then moved into an apartment for a bit over a year. We were in the top floor, and we could still occasionally hear the couple below us, when they had a party with kids running around. But they came up and asked us to tone it down when we were playing with our dog (throwing her stuffed dog for her to retrieve). We had no idea how loud a 16 lb. dog running on carpet must be above their heads. So, that stopped us from playing indoors with her the rest of the time we lived there.

Now we live in a first floor condo. We thought the noise would be minimal since this is a brand new concrete building, but we hear the people above us walking across their floor like elephants, we hear music, etc. Never again. We will only live on the top floor (if in a condo/apt) or in a townhouse, or in a single-family home. Even the top floor is not great because of worrying about our dog making noise and bothering those below us.

Earplugs are a way of life for me!