While I don't entirely disagree with your post, you can not honestly, for a second, think an apartment is comparable to a house in this game. They are just more expensive FC rooms. The space is tiny, with only 100 item slots. It's not at all the same to owning a house, in terms of decorating, and that isn't even getting into gardening.
We just need better instanced housing, or upgraded apartments. That would solve so many issues.