Apartment or house: pros and cons of living

The most practical advice that realtors and experienced buyers can give when the burden of choice arises is to rent the desired housing format for a month or two, or even for a longer period in the area of interest. Provided that the apartment or house is planned to be purchased for 24-hour living, it will be ideal if it can be done not only in high season (to understand the real number of tourists at peak times and how much this can affect everyday comfort), but also in cold season. Most often, Russian buyers are surprised by the lack of central heating in many foreign countries, weak heating or exorbitant tariffs for such a service.

Temperature issue

Even if there is heating (or there is another heating option - local electric radiators, air conditioners with a heating function, etc.), many eventually conclude that it is much easier to warm up an apartment technically and less costly for financial reasons than a private house. Since even those living in small apartments often face the problem of mold due to constant humidity not only of specific apartments, but also, for example, the absence of neighbors in a residential complex in the winter season - no matter how much you warm up the house in this case, no one guarantees that mold from the next apartment will not spread to yours.

Many houses in southern countries are often built without wall insulation, which gives poor waterproofing - this leads to higher indoor temperatures in summer and lower winter, resulting in mold again. At the same time, in this case, it does not always help to be guided by the high cost of housing, because private houses with such characteristics can cost, for example, 200,000 euros, but only an experienced glance will be able to recognize the real state of affairs by this characteristic.

The larger the area, the more costs

With a long-term lease of a specific format of housing in an area of interest, a potential buyer will be able to fully familiarize himself with the costs that go to utilities and maintenance of real estate in due order. Since the average private has a larger area than the average apartment, it makes sense for its future owners to immediately budget a much larger amount than if it was about living in an apartment. With a real assessment of one's financial capabilities, it may turn out that it is economically more expedient and more convenient not to buy a house, but to rent it if necessary - of course, if such an opportunity exists and the object of interest does not belong to a number of exclusive housing options.

In addition, if it is possible to clean the apartment on your own, then in a private house it is much more difficult and not everyone can do it. If there is a pool that is not located on the territory of the house or in a special separate building, then you should prepare yourself for the fact that you will have to spend some time cleaning it or assign these responsibilities to a specialist.

A similar story will be with the care of the backyard, where, in addition to watering and mowing the lawn, keeping the paths clean (sweeping away fallen leaves and branches, and in winter, if there is snow in specific areas, it is necessary to regularly clean the approach and driveways to the house). And not in all cities and countries there is a specialist who can be contacted for resolving such issues, in such cases, for example, they ask neighbors for advice, and some just ask them to help in this matter, agreeing on a specific amount for services.

Infrastructure

When choosing an apartment or house for yourself, it is very important to pay attention to the infrastructure of the area in which the potential object is located. This applies not only to the accessible location of shops, restaurants, shopping centers, kindergartens, schools, clinics and other institutions that may be needed here on a regular basis. It will be important to clarify the composition of the local population, how its representatives relate to foreigners (and Russians in particular), to understand the level of development of social and transport infrastructure and security of the area.

Based on the information received, you can more clearly determine whether to buy a house or an apartment. Most often, the issue of safety and the possibility of public transport is easier to solve when purchasing an apartment (rarely when residential complexes are erected far from civilization) - if the neighbors on the site and entrance meet expectations, video surveillance cameras are installed in the building of the residential complex, and a concierge sits at the entrance.

In the case when the buyer buys his own house, even if the village is well fenced and guarded, then the issue of security will have to devote much more time, effort and money spent. In addition, cottage settlements are far from always within walking distance of public transport stops, so in this case it is important to think over the issue of moving in advance - how many people in the family have the rights and are they ready to drive after moving to another country.