I have to write a compare and contrast essay on living in a apartment versus living in a house.I need help with pre-writing (effects) and a...

Pre-writing: The best way to prepare for writing compare
and contrast essays is to create a pros and cons list for each of the main elements of
the essay.  In your case, you would create a list of pros and cons for living in an
apartment and the pros and cons of living in a house.  As you create lists, see if any
natural categories begin to emerge.  A few categories that come to
my mind with this topic are: financial
pros and cons, space pros and cons, and
social pros and cons.  Your brainstorming might lead to
others along these lines.

Reference list: An essay like
this is easiest when you have experience on both sides of your argument.  Your own
experience and observations are certainly valid if you are allowed to write this from a
personal standpoint.  If you do not have experience with personally
living in both a house and an apartment, you might seek references first in other people
who do (interviews).  I also imagine there are plenty of magazine articles written on
this exact subject (specifically targeted at college students and young professionals
who are just starting to live on their own) so a Google Scholar search might yield
results with a few topical keywords.  As far as financial data goes, I encourage you to
seek and compare prices of actual apartments and housing in your area.  In order to make
comparisons as equal as possible, choose apartments and houses in the same general
neighborhoods.  To make things easier, you might only focus on housing "for rent" rather
than for sale, as mortgage/interest rates would only make this more complicated.  Aim to
compare floor plans that boast of similar square footage or equal numbers of rooms and
bathrooms.  This will enhance your financial comparison.  Again, this information is
readily available using Google or other internet search
database.