The climate on the Riga seaside is the best suited for people suffering from heart and nervous diseases. At the same time, it is difficult to think of a more social place for absolutely healthy youth – Jurmala is known both for the local Broadway - Yomas Street with its restaurants, cafes and shops, and a concert hall in which the whole color of Russian pop is happy to perform, New Wave contests and KVN festivals are held. All this, taken together, explains the love and ineradicable craving for Jurmala of the inhabitants of the former USSR.
Russian aristocrats and Latvian bourgeois
I must say that Jurmala was not discovered by current generations - the Russian aristocracy has been resting here for a long time. Russians felt a taste for the Baltic territories back during the war between Russia and Napoleon – wounded Russian officers took local therapeutic mud baths. By the way, even the main station of Jurmala, Dzintari, was once called "Edinburgh" - in honor of the wedding of the daughter of Tsar Alexander II and the Duke of Edinburgh. And, although all these events took place in the past centuries, it is still prestigious to live and relax in Jurmala today.
The town has completely transformed in recent years – amazingly beautiful mansions have been built here, old cottages have been restored, and infrastructure has been established. Recently, new apartment buildings have begun to appear in Jurmala, which offer housing according to the highest European standards. In short, Jurmala is increasingly trying on the role of the status abode of the new Latvian bourgeoisie and looks so attractive that very expensive houses are bought here without much hesitation - worth 2-3 million euros. It is not surprising that the number of millionaires here is no less than in, to put it mildly, non-poor Riga. Often, the buyer represents foreign capital – as a rule, these are Russians, immigrants from CIS countries, and Europeans. But there are also many wealthy Latvians who seek to mark their status not only with luxury cars, but also with prestigious mansions.
Pines solve everything
The fact that Jurmala is a city of wealthy people is eloquently indicated by housing prices. For example, in the center of the resort, the price of an apartment with an area of 125 sq. m. m is 375,000 euros. In the former complex of the House of Composers, apartments of 75 sq. m. m costs 260 000 euros. In general, the average price level for Jurmala can now be considered 2000-2500 euros per 1 sq. m, despite the fact that some complexes, for example, "House by the Sea", have prices of about 4000 euros per 1 sq. m. And among the projects that can be called the "second wave" of new construction, average prices are about 3000-3500 euros per 1 sq. m
. An objective factor has a huge impact on price growth in Jurmala – a limited number of plots suitable for development. Therefore, the rules governing the construction of the resort are quite strict. First of all, these are restrictions on construction in the prestigious and expensive dune zone. For example, the height of buildings should not exceed the height of pine trees. "On the one hand, this is not bad, since the interests of the city and, ultimately, its residents are respected," says Alexander Basharin, head of the InterHaus development company. "On the other hand, certain difficulties are created for investors, leading to an increase in the value of real estate."
Local developers have proposed dividing expensive real estate in Jurmala into elite and exclusive. An elite project is an exceptional, single-copy offer on the market, available only to a select few. It is estimated that 30,000 people could purchase such housing in Latvia, despite the fact that the share of such projects on the market is only 0.2%. It is obvious that demand exceeds supply in this segment. Exclusive projects should additionally be distinguished by some unique parameters, they are available to even fewer people.
Precious exclusive
The large-scale construction of Jurmala began only a year or two ago. Currently, several large real estate companies are active in the city - InterHaus, Vigvams, Latio, Interbaltija, Realia and some others. The total number of built, declared and under construction facilities has exceeded 20, of which no more than 8-10 can be classified as exclusive. The average price of 1 sq. m. The m in this "magnificent eight" exceeds 3,000 euros, and in some places it is approaching the 5,000 euro mark. But you can be sure that all possible wishes of the owners of the house will be fulfilled. As a rule, such requirements include proximity to the sea, a short distance to the city center, as well as a variety of "possibilities" of the house itself - an underground garage, security, original finishing materials, unique equipment.
The special interest in apartment projects in Jurmala is quite understandable. The peak season is three summer months, after which the city "falls asleep". The vast majority of Riga residents move to the city for the winter, visiting their home on weekends. Foreign owners, on the other hand, do not take care of their private mansion all year round with their hands – it is more profitable for them to have their house in the company of someone else. The number of apartments in new projects ranges from 11 to 76. Friends, acquaintances, people of the same circle, fellow countrymen often settle in such a house.
Castles and residences on the amber coast
One of the most interesting projects is the residential complex "Sea Castle", consisting of three separate buildings - two four-storey and one three-storey. The complex is located just 100 m from the sea, which is perfectly visible from the windows. In total, there are 43 apartments in the "Sea Castle", ranging from 75 to 227 sq. m., and an underground garage for 108 cars. In one of the buildings there will be a cafe-pastry shop and a beauty salon, and next to it there will be a modern business center with a conference hall. Although the construction is still being completed, half of the apartments in this complex have already been sold.
Today, it is as difficult to find a decent plot for development in Jurmala as it is to find a piece of amber on the beach, but almost a hectare was found for the construction of an "Amber Residence". This horseshoe-shaped complex is being built 200 m from the sea and within walking distance of numerous shopping malls, the Dzintari concert hall and the main hangouts of the resort. The appearance of the building is designed in a modern style, the main material of the facade is tinted glass, which looks like pine trees, it is complemented by warm–colored wood and stone. There are 63 comfortable apartments in the complex, each of which has one parking space in the underground parking. The building is serviced by nine silent elevators.
These two projects have already been almost completed, and in the near future another prestigious apartment building "Academy" will be built in Jurmala - a three-storey building with an attic fourth floor. 21 apartments ranging from 102 to 203 square meters will be created here, and construction work is expected to be completed in the first half of 2007.
Purchase is a cure for nostalgia
The demand for expensive housing in Jurmala is stable, and there is no reason to doubt that apartments in new buildings will soon find their owners. Here is how the president of the Latvian Association of Real Estate Transactions Edgar Sheens assesses the situation in the Jurmala market: "The interest in this resort town is not accidental. Moreover, this is not only a matter of prestige, but also a profitable investment. As practice shows, resales of real estate are conducted at prices significantly higher than its original cost. Foreign buyers are also attracted by a certain economic and political stability in the country. Of course, there are also personal motives."
An apartment in one of the new houses in Jurmala was purchased by the famous artist Vladimir Vinokur. "Jurmala is a city that I have only good things in common with, since Soviet times, when it seemed to us like a "fabulous country abroad," he says. - I was sure that this was a sample of Western life and service. And now I understand that the magnet of Jurmala is in another – there is a special energy and a special nature here, which are not comparable with any resort in the world. Let's take the same Yalta – rocks and crowds of people… A lot of my friends have bought villas in Miami – it's not the same either. There are no such beauties, silence, sea and pines. That's why we come here as a family, and not only in summer - it's a good place to relax in winter."
But the newlyweds from St. Petersburg, Arina and Andrey, received a two-room apartment in the Marienbad complex as a wedding gift from their parents. They enjoy spending their summer holidays here, relaxing and indulging in cultural entertainment. "It's a great party here," says Andrey. - I met many famous Russian artists and musicians who turned out to be our neighbors. And then, no matter what they say about Latvians, I suspect that all the rough edges in Latvian-Russian relations are on the conscience of politicians. At the everyday level, we are dealing with intelligent and friendly people. It is also important that we do not experience language restrictions - fortunately, Latvians have not forgotten Russian."
An apartment with an area of more than 100 sq. m. m in the prestigious project "House by the Sea" was acquired by a large Moscow entrepreneur, the owner of several companies, Alexander V. He explains his choice with elementary nostalgia. Since the 1970s, his family regularly went on vacation toJurmala, the best memories of youth are associated with it. The apartment on the third floor is perfectly planned, it has a lot of air, light, and the sea is literally under your feet. "The acquisition turned out to be so successful," says Alexander, "that my plans related to Jurmala have become very big and serious. I have just completed the construction of a private house, which, I think, will decorate Jurmala. It is spacious - more than 500 sq. m., with a swimming pool - and original. I am very satisfied with the quality of work in both the apartment and the house, I think it is at the level of luxury new buildings in Moscow. And the procedure for obtaining property in Latvia is not so terrible. There were no problems, especially since the lawyers of the local development company helped to arrange the deal."