More Awesome Than You!

Okay, so I just finished an apartment by converting one of V1ND1CARE's community lots, the one that looks like a classic french building. I typed in "changelotzoning apartmentbase" and saved and exited, and from the neighborhood screen it showed as an apartment building. I guess I should have doubled checked that the apartment was in order, but oops. So I moved a family in, and they show as living in an apartment there in the neighborhood screen. But when I enter the lot, there's still just a community phone booth and trash can, and live mode is greyed out. I don't want to move them out b/c that might mean losing the furnishing, and I spent a long-ass time furnishing that giant place. So, is there a way to fix this and turn the lot into a proper, working apartment lot?

Just evict them. If it's an apartment, the furnishings should still be there in the "base" lot.

That still doesn't quite solve how I would fix the apartment lot itself. Do I have to download a buyable apartment mailbox? Would that work? I'm afraid to delete the community phone b/c I'm afraid it'll permanently f up the lot. But would that help things? So confused!

Yes. Buyable mailbox will fix this. You should replace the community lot phone and trashcan with a residential mailbox and trashcan.