Artemy Tsarev

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If you are faced with the question of buying a new home, then you have probably thought more than once about what to choose: an apartment or a house? Each of these options has its pros and cons. But we are all different, each with our own habits and preferences. And what one person considers an advantage may turn out to be a serious disadvantage for another. Be that as it may, in this article we will try to consider all aspects of this issue so that you can finally decide which is better: an apartment or a private house.

Photo from Flickr.com, dfikar

What will be cheaper: buy an apartment or build a house yourself? We will compare living in a house and an apartment according to the following parameters: housing price, maintenance costs, ecology, infrastructure, comfort and safety. In general, we’ll tell you about all the pros and cons.

Apartment or house: which is cheaper?

In most cases, buying an apartment will cost less than buying a house. But the issue is quite controversial, because apartments, like houses, are different. It all depends on the area, location, renovation, etc.
The cost of maintaining an apartment is much lower than a private house. The list of expenses is the same:

• heating;
• water supply;
• electricity;
• garbage and snow removal;
• TV;
• Internet, etc.

Read about how to choose a house here.

The amount of payment for utilities when living in an apartment building will be much lower than in a private building. The same applies to maintenance costs. It will cost much less to maintain an apartment than a whole house and various buildings (sauna, gazebo), as well as a personal plot. In addition, it is much easier to solve problems related to apartment maintenance; if any arise, you should simply contact the utility services. In your home, all issues will have to be dealt with directly by its owner. Water, gas, electricity supply, garbage removal, snow removal, home and building repairs, etc.

Most often, a private house is more expensive than an apartment. Source: Flickr.com

Apartment or house: which is more environmentally friendly?

In a private house outside the city, the air is, of course, cleaner than in the city center or even on the outskirts, where residential buildings are often adjacent to various industrial enterprises and busy road junctions. If you have children, then you have probably encountered the problem of finding a place to walk in the fresh air, because the air in the city is very difficult to call such. If you choose a country house, you will have the opportunity to breathe clean air, enjoy green landscapes and silence.

Apartment or house: infrastructure

When assessed by this criterion, the apartment wins at first glance. Even if you do not have a personal car and you live within the city, you can always get to a kindergarten, school, shopping center, clinic by public transport or taxi, which will cost you relatively inexpensively.

On the other hand, in big cities the situation can be just the opposite. For example, if you work in an industrial zone at one end of the city, but want to live in a remote residential area, then traveling by any transport can take a lot of time and money. Everyone knows how difficult traffic is in large cities during rush hours. Sometimes getting from a suburban village along a free highway is much faster and easier than moving around the city, with constant traffic jams and congestion on the roads.

In addition, modern country cottage villages provide residents with all amenities. It has its own kindergarten, school, hospital, shops, etc.

Read about how to choose an apartment here.

The convenience of a house or apartment depends more on the area. Source: Flickr.com

Apartment or house: where is it more comfortable to live?

In general, this is a matter of taste: some people feel comfortable in an apartment, others in a private house.
Comfort is the absence of neighbors, peace and quiet. In a private house, you will not depend on others; no one will wake you up early in the morning with loud music or the noise of a hammer drill. At the same time, you yourself can stay up late with friends without the risk of disturbing others.

Apartment or house: which is safer?

It is advisable to install a security system both in the house and in the apartment. But in the private sector you will also have to take care of window bars and a good fence. It wouldn't hurt to get a dog. By the way, keeping her outside the city is much more convenient than in an apartment.

Pros and cons of the apartment.

The advantages include:

• efficiency
• simplicity of content
• infrastructure development in the city.

Basic minus apartments - bad ecology.

Another feature of the apartment is its area and layout. It is impossible to increase the area of ​​an apartment, as, for example, in the case of a private house, where this problem is solved by constructing additional buildings and extensions. It is also difficult to change the layout of the apartment; this will require a number of documents. If you live in an apartment building, you will be surrounded by neighbors, which often also brings certain inconveniences. From the window, city residents usually contemplate neighboring houses, parking lots and road junctions.

Pros and cons of a private house.

Main advantages:

• Fresh air
• no noise, no neighbors

Main disadvantages:

• high maintenance costs
• safety
• underdeveloped infrastructure and remoteness from the city.

If residents in the city cannot influence the surrounding landscapes in any way, then the owner of his own home has complete freedom of action. On your personal plot you can lay out a garden, vegetable garden or flower bed, build a gazebo, a swimming pool, or simply lay out a green lawn. You can also easily change the layout of your home the way you want. It is possible to increase the living space through various extensions and additional buildings, for example, a bathhouse, a guest house or a garage.

Some people find it more comfortable to live in an apartment, while others cannot imagine life without a private home.

Where is it better, more convenient and more profitable to live - in a city apartment or in a private house? Everyone has their own opinion on this matter. Some believe that having an apartment has fewer worries, while others argue that you can sacrifice anything to live without neighbors. Who is right?

Apartment life

There are many advantages to city life. One of the main ones is transport accessibility. No matter where the apartment is located in our city, there is always a public transport stop with several routes not far from this place (in extreme cases, at least one Gazelle definitely runs there). It is for this reason that many do not want to move outside the city; they cannot do without a car. And if there are children in the family, then they will also have to be taken and picked up by car to school or kindergarten. Another plus is centralized communications. There is no need to worry about heating, hot water, etc. - housing and communal services have already taken care of all this. And if anything happens, they will all do the repairs. When living in an apartment, you don't need to think about how your home looks from the outside and how to improve its appearance. Here practically nothing depends on the residents. There is no need to tint anything, correct anything, repair the roof, etc. All this is the responsibility of the management organization (whether it fulfills its duties or not is another question).

Of course, there are also plenty of disadvantages. Many people complain about their neighbors - either they are too noisy and unpleasant, or, on the contrary, they complain that you are making noise after 23.00 and call the police. Another option is that they constantly drown you, or you drown them. In general, there are enough misunderstandings. An important irritating factor is constant noise outside the window, but this only applies to those who live near highways. The ecology of urban housing also leaves much to be desired due to its proximity to roads. Car owners are also inconvenienced by the insufficient number of parking spaces in the yard.

Life in the house

The disadvantages of “apartment life” in private households turn into advantages, and vice versa. There are no neighbors behind the wall, you can calmly go about your business without fear that a neighbor’s party will interfere with your concentration or falling asleep on time. An important point is a piece of land on which you can realize all your fantasies: grow a vegetable garden, plant flowers, and if you are too lazy to do all this, then just sow everything with lawn grass and plant a couple of Christmas trees, and also use it for parking your car.

On the other hand, a private house is for hardworking owners; lazy people have nothing to do here. You will always have to do something around the house: either on the site, or in the house itself, since responsibility for the condition of the home falls entirely on the shoulders of the owner. Communications play a big role here; if, for example, they are completely failed, then there is nothing to worry about. The absence, for example, of central or gas heating adds quite a lot of worries and takes up time.

Making calculations

Many people are concerned about such issues as paying housing and utility bills. Where is it more profitable to live in this regard - in an apartment or in a private house?

As an example, let’s make a calculation for a two-room apartment with an area of ​​50 square meters. m, in which two people are registered, and for a house of the same area. To simplify things, let’s take the maximum city tariffs.

For apartment

For an apartment, the calculations are as follows.

1. Cold water supply, maximum city tariff 14.44 rubles/cubic meter. m multiplied by the standard (if there is no meter) 5.357 and by two more (since there are two registered ones). We get 154.7 rubles.
2. Water disposal, maximum city tariff 11.39 rubles/cubic meter. m multiplied by the standard 9.576 and by two more. We get 218.1 rubles.
3. Hot water supply, maximum city tariff 84.30 rubles/cubic meter. m multiplied by the standard 4.219 and by two more. We get 711.3 rubles.
4. Heating, maximum city tariff 1044.79 rubles/Gcal multiplied by the standard 0.02 Gcal/sq. m and an apartment area of ​​50 sq. m. We get 1044.79 rubles.
5. Electricity supply, tariff for consumers who live in houses with electric stoves - 2,086 kopecks. /kW Since each apartment has an electric meter, this indicator will be individual. For example and simplicity, let’s take 100 kW per month, it turns out 208.6 rubles.
6. Repair and ongoing maintenance of housing, citywide tariff 7.85 kopecks per sq. m multiplied by 50, we get 392.5 rubles.

Total 2729.99 rub. But this amount is not final; one additional benefit will be added to it - general house needs. It is not easy to calculate them; the amount depends on the availability of meters, the area of ​​the house, the area of ​​the apartment, etc. On average, for a “kopeck piece” in a five-story building equipped with common house meters for water and heat, but which does not have individual meters, the amount of one was one 400 rubles. As a result, the total amount of payments is 3129 rubles.

For a cottage

For a cottage, the calculations will be simpler, since the central communications in such houses are usually only water and gas.

1. Cold water supply. The amount is the same, since the calculation principle and the number of residents remain the same. The maximum city tariff is 14.44 rubles per cubic meter. m multiplied by the standard (if there is no meter) 5.357 and by two more (since there are two registered ones). We get 154.7 rubles.
2. Gas supply will be the most important point, since houses are often equipped with gas boilers for heating and water heating. If gas meters are not installed, the gas consumption standard for heating residential premises in the absence of a centralized heating system from January 1 is 8 cubic meters. m/sq. m, multiply by 50, we get 400. Multiply by the tariff - 4.3674, we get 1746.96 rubles. If you install a meter, gas costs can be controlled and reduced.
3. Electricity supply, tariff for consumers who live in houses with gas stoves - 2.98 rubles / kW, multiply by 100 kW, we get 298 rubles.

This is where the costs end. Sewage in private houses is usually local, water is heated from a gas boiler, and there is no need to pay for routine maintenance and repairs. Total - 2199 rubles.

Opinions and personal experiences of entrepreneurs.

To bookmarks

A couple of years after the wedding, the question arose: a house or an apartment. And in the fall of 2017, it will be exactly seven years since we started living 15 km from the Moscow Ring Road. We have a townhouse with an area of ​​about 300 square meters, six acres of land with a garden and sociable neighbors with small children.

The advantages of owning your own home: fresh air (and breakfast on the veranda), the ability to quickly switch (from working at the computer to your own flower garden), your own yard in which children play, the absence of solid fences. And if you choose a house in a good area, there will also be convenient infrastructure (kindergartens, school, sections, sports club).

The road to the Moscow Ring Road usually takes about 15 minutes. Then there are the usual Moscow traffic jams. I plan my week like this: I’m at home for several days (working on the computer, on the phone). A couple of days - in Moscow (I schedule several meetings in a row in the city).

Shopping days follow a planned route, and I do a wardrobe analysis at the client’s home. Taking into account the developed habits and free schedule, there are no particular problems with movement.

Disadvantages of owning your own home: dependence on a stable, above-average income. Utility bills and general costs of maintaining a house are higher than for an apartment. Territory maintenance, site maintenance and other expenses range on average from 15 to 30 thousand per month. Separately, gardener services, snow removal and maintaining the house in good condition.

The costs of social infrastructure are also higher. A good kindergarten costs on average 60 thousand rubles per month, schools - from 120 thousand rubles per month, a sports club - 100 thousand rubles per year, a sports section for a child - about 30 thousand rubles per month. Children in local schools usually talk about “cool cars” and the latest phone models.

The main disadvantage of living in your own home is the time spent traveling to Moscow. Any unplanned meetings during busy hours can result in stuck in traffic jams.​

Diana Laretskaya

Founder of DL Image School, RANEPA expert

While you are young and passionate about your work, it is better to live in a city apartment than in a country house. The main thing is that you can easily get to your home and place of work. I get to the office in half an hour. All the locations I need are approximately equidistant if you drive from the center. This is very convenient, especially when the entire calendar is filled with meetings.

If you live in Moscow, you can do without a personal car by using taxis, car sharing and public transport. In the case of your own home, this possibility is excluded: not having a car is inconvenient and involves large expenses.

My parents live in a house outside the city and are happy with this life. They really value peace of mind, the opportunity to spend more time in nature, and to improve the area around the house. Maybe with age my views will change, but for now I feel like a resident of the capital.

A house is an autonomous living organism in which something often breaks down: either there is something wrong with the gas, or with the heating, or the gates begin to open poorly. In winter you need to clear snow, in summer you need to mow the lawn. The main costs are expressed primarily not in money, but in personal time.

Anatoly Emelyanov

CEO of digital agency One Touch

​I live in an apartment in a gated community and I love it. One summer, when we were undergoing renovations, my husband and I rented a house in Aprelevka (Moscow region). We were tired of driving because we spent at least three hours a day on the road.

We had to solve a lot of problems that an apartment resident doesn’t even think about: heating, cleaning the pool, poison for mice, and so on. I realized that I was emotionally not ready for such changes.

Besides, I'm only 37 years old. Most of my time is spent working. My friends and family also like to travel to warmer places. If you spend less than two or three months a year in a house, there is no point in buying it.

It's great to have a summer house. Many Russians rent apartments in Spain for the summer with a barbecue and a swimming pool. It would be nice if Russia also had such houses or apartments.

Inna Alekseeva

General Director of PR Partner Agency

​I live in Rostov-on-Don. Definitely my choice is home. I spent my entire childhood like this. As a student, I lived a lot in rented apartments. I can't stand these “boxes”. You constantly have to get along with your neighbors (this is a real challenge for an introvert). Loud music, fear of being flooded by those above, or of flooding those who live on the floor below.

The only advantage of the apartment is the price and availability both for purchase and maintenance. In Rostov-on-Don, two-room apartments cost from 2-2.5 million rubles, houses of the same area - from 4 million rubles. At the same time, the cost of maintaining housing for the home owner is much higher.

What the management company does for the residents of the apartment - takes out the garbage, cleans the yard, clears snow, repairs the fence, trims trees and much more - the owner of the house takes upon himself. But the comfort is worth it.

Alexey Puzanov

Owner of the literary website “Buklya”

​I live in a private house, as I was not born and raised in an apartment. I want freedom and privacy. The house has a small disadvantage from the point of view of an entrepreneur: you grow on it. Selling a house is more difficult than selling an apartment. And, accordingly, if the business requires moving or in general wants to change the sphere, region, country, there will be more problems.

I wouldn't buy a house, but rent it. But in my region, houses that would suit me in terms of price, location and layout are not available for rent. Having purchased a house and lived in it for some time, I began to understand that dreams of it and reality are two different things.

When I bought a house, I thought that every evening I would sit by the fire and go to the river. But everything turned out differently. A house is a constant job of maintaining order and cleanliness in the building and on the site. You can solve the problem yourself or hire workers. The first option ruins dreams, the second increases maintenance costs.

I bought my house on the secondary market: I chose the area where I was born, not far from my parents. To bring the building to the condition I dream of, according to preliminary calculations, it is necessary to spend the same amount as the house cost when purchased.

Roman Alekhine

Founder of the Ortho-Doctor group of companies

​My husband and I have a family business: wholesale and retail sale of Vologda products in St. Petersburg. When we opened the business, we lived in a St. Petersburg apartment. In 2016, due to business needs, we left for Vologda. First we rented an apartment, and then we bought a small house 15 km from the city where we now live.

Everything in the house is 100% satisfactory: clean air, silence, a bathhouse, 10 acres of land, space for a barbecue and a sports ground. The only infrastructure is a store, but there are good transport links: the city is 20 minutes by car or 40 minutes by bus.

The price of the house corresponds to the cost of a one-room or two-room apartment. Maintenance of 50 square meters for two people costs the same as apartment utility bills.

In a year we plan to return to St. Petersburg (again because of business) and will again live in an apartment. To find a house there, you need to settle at least 15 km from the city - otherwise housing will be too expensive.

The best option for this city: to have an apartment in St. Petersburg and a house in the Leningrad region. Distance is a significant limiter: don’t go to the theater again, don’t visit the doctor, don’t sign up for courses or trainings. And if the car breaks down, getting home is a real problem.

Irina Statsenko

Co-owner of the wholesale and retail chain “Dary Vologda”

For 32 years I managed to live in different districts of Moscow. But then, unexpectedly for relatives and friends, he moved to live in the Moscow region (Chernogolovka). This is a cozy scientific village, which was specially built far from large cities near Moscow. Chernogolovka has everything you need for life. And children here can go to school themselves (Muscovites do not have this luxury).

For the first few years I lived in an apartment. In 2017, he moved into the house. It has more space. There is an opportunity to sunbathe on the lawn or grill meat for dinner.

Our house is located next to the forest. Two hundred meters from it there is a picturesque lake. In order not to spend a lot of time commuting to work, I moved the agency’s office from the center of Moscow to Chernogolovka. This decision was not easy for me, but as a result, I have several free hours a day that I can spend with my family in nature.

In my opinion, there is no point in buying a house. Firstly, it is much more economically profitable to rent it (we pay only 60 thousand rubles per month, including all utility costs). Secondly, it’s easier to move to another place if you don’t like something about it.

Aleksey Ivanov

​I lived for a very long time in different areas of St. Petersburg - including in the center. As a result, I came to a consensus between an apartment in the city and a country house: I bought a two-story house within the city limits. Now there are quite a lot of such offers on the market, especially in the northern part of St. Petersburg.

Owning your own home is convenient. You are your own boss and are in your own territory. You are fully responsible for the condition of your home and should not wait for someone to do something for you. If necessary, you can always add something.

An apartment does not provide such freedom. There are noisy neighbors, high rents, poor communications and other disadvantages. At the same time, the cost of the house will not be more expensive than a four-room apartment. And it will provide much more amenities.

When choosing the area, I wanted it to be green and as convenient as possible in terms of transport: there are practically no trees in the center, and in the summer I go to the office by bicycle.

Our area has very calm neighbors. Even if someone celebrates holidays, you can hardly hear them. The quality of the roads is excellent, since the house is located in the city. There is no question about the inconvenience of moving. No car - you can get there by public transport.

Alexey Bannikov

General Director of the Fotosklad.ru group of companies

​I don’t have my own home, but I’ve already lived in a lot of places. I tried different options: a private house in the city center, apartments in the suburbs and the center, an apartment in a Khrushchev building, in an attic. I came to the conclusion that it is most comfortable to live in a private house.

Now I rent a house with an area of ​​almost 80 square meters. No one is running over your head or under your feet (it was nice in the attic, but the pigeons stomped like elephants), and most importantly, you open the door - and you are already outside. In addition, I have three children. Fresh air and free space are very important for them.

There is another small one near our house. It houses the temporary office of my company. So everything is at hand. Over time, I plan to buy my own home. But first you will need to decide on the country.

Kirill Bragin

Head of web studio GoodSellUs

​I've been wanting my own home for a long time. But for now, I don’t think it’s advisable to move out of town. There are two main reasons: infrastructure and personal meetings.

Of course, I don't have to be in my own stores all the time. But sometimes you need to quickly go to one of them. But doing this while living in the Moscow region is very problematic. In addition, in the next year and a half we plan to open new points. This means that now we need to actively select premises. The office and banks are within an hour's reach from our apartment.

Also nearby are a kindergarten and clubs that children attend. In 2018, the eldest daughter goes to school. We would like the school to be of high quality, and not just any other one. Other serious limiting factors are the availability of clinics and emergency medical care.

Perhaps infrastructure issues could be resolved by purchasing housing in a cool cottage community. But this is completely different money: the cost of cottages, maintenance, annual fees, and taxes. Therefore, for now we remain in the city and are looking for a dacha for weekend trips and summer holidays.

Boris Zak

Owner of the chain of handmade stores "Plyushkin-Ville"

​The times when business was tied to a specific location are over. For the last four years I have been living in Kazan (my husband plays field hockey professionally and has a contract with a local club), and my business partner lives in Moscow. We have an office, but due to the specifics of the PR business, all work is mainly done online: on remote media, via email and instant messengers.

Someday we will return to Moscow. There we have a spacious two-room apartment in a new building in the north-west of the nearest Moscow region. Good location, developed infrastructure, pleasant neighbors.

We don’t have a summer house or land on which to build one. The market price of our apartment is about 10 million rubles. For this money you could buy a nice finished house or at least a section of a townhouse. However, I have neither the desire, nor the energy, nor the time to get involved in my own construction project.

Write

The question of whether it is better to maintain a private house or apartment by its owners remains relevant to this day. Both options have their own advantages and disadvantages. Naturally, the main criterion is the issue of cost. After all, the cost of expenses can be either the same or a significant difference. The relevance of the topic is fueled by modern trends in fashion, namely the tendency towards a healthy lifestyle, being in the fresh air, eating food from your garden, so in this regard, a person faces an alternative choice between an apartment and private property outside the city. Let's try to figure it all out and weigh the pros and cons of both options.

Advantages and disadvantages of a private house compared to an apartment

Let us note the main advantages of maintaining your own home outside the city:

Among the disadvantages of living in a private house, one can note the distance from all city amenities, for example, hospitals, shops, schools, theaters, and transport distances. However, most families who have chosen country life as their permanent place of residence have a car that can be used to get to any final destination you need. Therefore, this is a relative disadvantage that is completely solvable. The second significant disadvantage is that a private house requires more attention to maintenance than an apartment. That is, whether you want it or not, you need to mow the grass in the summer; whether you want it or not, you need to remove the leaves in the autumn season. The roof, which needs to be repaired, also requires close attention. Do not forget about engineering communications, which require periodic replacement and repair. This is such painstaking and routine work that it may seem at first glance, but compared to the mass of strengths of country life, these are just trifles.

Keeping pets in a country house and apartment

Speaking about the advantages of a private home, a separate point worth noting is the convenience of keeping pets. Let's imagine that you decide to get a dog. In an apartment it is not always advisable to maintain it. Since the area is limited, the animal requires regular walks in the fresh air. You need to get up every day at 6 o'clock in the morning. You can't explain to a dog that you want to sleep. And if she is restless and barks constantly, this will annoy the neighbors. At the same time, keeping animals in any residential premises must comply with certain rules, that is, the norms of the law. According to Federal Law No. 52, a person who decides to have a pet in an apartment is obliged to check with all owners of an apartment building whether they are allergic to it. Otherwise, if they go to court, you will be forced to move out or say goodbye to the animal. This law also limits the number of animals kept in an apartment, since this violates sanitary and epidemiological standards, that is, you cannot set up a shelter for homeless animals in your apartment. In this case, a country house is much more profitable than an apartment, since there is complete freedom of action in this regard. You can have a shepherd dog, a fighting dog, an owl, a rabbit, a raccoon, or anyone else in your yard. For example, if it is a dog, then you will not need to walk it every morning, since it already lives on the street. But again, everything should be within reasonable limits. If your animals interfere with your dacha neighbors’ lives or cause any harm, then questions may also arise for you. Therefore, the main thing is to do everything wisely and in reasonable quantities so that you can control the situation.

Costs of maintaining a country house and apartment: comparative analysis

Maintenance of the apartment by the owners is much easier. The management company, that is, the housing office, takes full responsibility. All you have to do is pay utilities. However, do not forget that they are constantly becoming more expensive. There are often cases of fraud when the housing office simply overcharges you for services that you did not receive, or charges you extra watts for electricity or cubic meters for water supply. There are a lot of pitfalls. It also doesn’t matter whether you used the apartment or not, you are still obliged to pay for utilities. The average bill for utilities for a one-room apartment is 4-5 thousand rubles. It may vary depending on the season and area of ​​residence, number of rooms. For example, in winter the costs of maintaining an apartment, that is, utilities, are more expensive, but in summer they are cheaper. Nevertheless, this item of expenditure for many citizens takes up almost a third of their income, if not more, which is very sad. The most important thing is that no one cares how much you earn or what the size of your pension is. You are obligated to pay the entire apartment maintenance bill. This is the difficult burden of maintaining an apartment.

The maintenance of a private house also has its own nuances. In this case, all responsibility for maintaining your country house lies purely with the owner, that is, no matter what happens, you bear all expenses. For example, imagine a situation where there was a hurricane and the roof of the house was blown off. You will solve the problem yourself. All repair work on roof maintenance, replacement of utilities, etc. you do so at your own expense. However, there is no need to be sad. At the same time, for housing and communal services (HCS), you pay strictly for the amount of water, electricity, etc. that you actually used, that is, you do not need to overpay for anything. Compared to an apartment in the summer, utilities for a house are 120 sq. m. can amount to 1200 rubles for electricity and gas. In winter, as in an apartment, the cost will be approximately 3000-4000 rubles. This is a very important and pleasant plus of your built home.

Also, speaking about the financial aspect of an apartment and a separate built house outside the city, it is worth mentioning the cost (price) per square meter. For example, a square meter (m2) of a frame house starts from 9,000 rubles, from profiled timber from 11,000 rubles, from brick from 16,000 rubles. At that time, the cost of a m2 apartment, for example, in St. Petersburg, can vary from 20 to 50-60 or more thousand rubles, depending on the area of ​​​​the location. Of course, the cost of building a house also depends on the area and development area. Here are the average values ​​in not the most elite areas, for example, in Rublyovka. However, as we see, even from such examples, building a private house is much more profitable than buying an apartment. If someone decides to exchange an apartment for a private house, then this will be the most profitable deal in all plans, both in terms of functionality and health benefits. It’s up to you to live in a private house or apartment!

Buying a home is a very responsible and important step for every person. That is why it will require preliminary theoretical training on many issues, ranging from legal to technical. Let's consider the most basic of them, which will allow you to finally decide what is better to buy - a house or an apartment.

It is worth noting that until relatively recently, life in the city was characterized by a higher level of comfort than in private ownership. However, today a lot has changed. The construction market offers autonomous engineering equipment and new materials, telecommunication technologies are improving, motorization of the population is increasing, and in general the well-being of people is improving. Thanks to this, the answer to the question of what is better to buy - a house or an apartment - is becoming increasingly difficult. Indeed, today the comfort of private housing is often higher than that of a multi-storey building. At the same time, in addition to their home, the owners receive an environmentally friendly environment in the form of their own plot and independence from public utilities.

So which is better - an apartment or a private house? Let's try to figure it out.

City real estate

When considering the question of where it is better to live - in a house or an apartment, there cannot be any rigid assessments. Each of these options has its own characteristics. Whether they are advantages or disadvantages - all this will depend on the priorities and composition of the family, its capabilities and requirements, specific conditions, as well as on the psychological attitude that the future owners have.

Anyone looking for housing in the city may be offered a choice of three options. Among them:

• secondary housing;
• apartment in one of the new buildings;
• city ​​cottage.

And here the following question will immediately arise for buyers: house or apartment - which is better? Each of the options discussed above has its own advantages. For example, a new building is attractive with its modern layout and freshness of housing. At the same time, it is most often considered as an option for a mortgage, starting to pay the necessary amounts gradually, already at the construction stage. As for secondary housing, it is attractive due to its price, as well as the opportunity to immediately celebrate a housewarming.

New neighborhoods and private developments

Often, buyers cannot decide which is better - an apartment or a house in the city. If the question concerns housing in high-rise buildings, then those who chose it do not need to take care of the site and maintain the building. At the same time, apartment buildings, as a rule, are located much more conveniently in terms of infrastructure and transport.

Nevertheless, finally decide which is better - an apartment or a private house , it’s still very difficult in the city. After all, living in a cottage is still more pleasant and calmer. And this is not only because its owners are the only owners of the building. With a successful selection of the location of the cottage in the city, all the benefits of civilization become available. At the same time, there are no various problems associated with car parking, access to the house, poor sound insulation and neighbors. Moreover, even part of the house can be purchased as property. And it will give its owners a feeling of solidity and calm. This can never be said about apartments, especially those located in panel buildings. It is simply impossible to feel alone with yourself in them. The noise comes from everywhere - from behind the wall, from the street, etc.

Anyone who wants to quickly decide on the question of what is better - to build a house or buy an apartment, needs to consider the existing disadvantages of housing in high-rise buildings. Thus, new houses will continue to shrink for another 10-15 years. Such a process can lead to some problems. Sometimes the walls become distorted and cracks appear on them. Sometimes, because of this, the commissioning of a new building is delayed for 3-4 years. All this time, the builders are bringing communications to the required state and drawing up documents.

Secondary housing and private developments

Sometimes people prefer to buy apartments in old buildings located in the city center. Of course, this secondary housing will not have the problems that are typical for new buildings. However, in this case, even despite the readiness of the building, such apartments, especially inexpensive ones, will most likely require major repairs. In this case, there is a need to replace batteries and pipes, plumbing and wiring. Many owners, in order to decorate the interior according to their preferences, decide to remodel the premises. As a result, the contribution to such repairs sometimes amounts to a third or even half of the cost of the apartment. In addition, moving into an old house will quite possibly give you an environment that is very far from the idea of ​​ideal neighbors.

A private house also has certain disadvantages. New owners will inevitably have to face some specific problems, the solution of which will fall entirely on their shoulders. This applies to keeping the roof and basement, fence and yard, water heater and bathroom in order, as well as the heating system. It is also worth noting that utility bills charged to the owners of private cottages are several times higher. If we consider the monthly payment, then the question of what is better to buy - a house or an apartment - is decided in favor of housing in a high-rise building.

Thus, pitfalls are everywhere. That is why, before buying a home, it is necessary to choose an option whose shortcomings can be tolerated by future owners or they can correct them.

Selecting a location

Can country houses be better than apartments? And in this case, an alternative choice also arises, which has certain reasons. For example, a young couple may strive to move to the city from the village in order to live as close as possible to their places of study and work. On the other hand, a family that is crammed into a small apartment in a metropolis dreams of their own home, where they will be spacious and comfortable. Sometimes middle-aged people change the city for the suburbs. At this age, many people have increased financial capabilities, and there is a desire to build a good house, leaving an apartment for their children. Someone already has a plot of land and decides to build housing on it. Very often, retirees move out of town. In this way, they strive to maintain health and occupy their time with pleasant chores in their own area. The opposite situation, when pensioners living in the countryside want to move to a city apartment, can be observed extremely rarely. Most likely, people who are accustomed to a large space, which includes a house and a plot, find it difficult to imagine themselves in urban housing with a limited area. But those who live in a metropolis and at the same time have a dacha are, as a rule, satisfied with a small but comfortable apartment.

Positive aspects of suburban housing

Anyone who has lived his entire life within a metropolis is unlikely to fully imagine the specifics of life in a private home. Especially if such housing is not very close to the city. What is better - a house or an apartment? Reviews from those who have acquired a suburban home clearly indicate the different possibilities of these two options. That is why, when making a choice, it is necessary to proceed from the availability of available benefits and decide for yourself which of them are obligatory for the family, and which ones can be sacrificed. Among the issues under consideration, it is necessary to address the most significant of them, which relate to:

1. Sufficient area for living. After all, many people really want each family member to have a separate room. The ideal option is to have your own plot, which serves as a wonderful area for relaxation, playing with children, etc.
2. Availability of an environmentally friendly environment. So, far from the metropolis, the air is fresh, the silence is pleasing, the proximity of a pond, forest, etc.
3. Availability of all the benefits of civilization (pharmacies and shops, sports and entertainment facilities, clinics and kindergartens, children's clubs, schools, etc.).
4. Conditions for social life (opportunities to relax in accordance with one’s own interests, communicate with relatives and friends).
5. Convenient communication with organizations and enterprises. This, if necessary, will allow you to get a choice of work if you want to change your old place.
6. Security. It consists of protecting housing in the absence of owners. Living in a house and apartment should also be calm. The site also requires some protection.

In addition to those listed above, each family, as a rule, has its own additional wishes for living conditions. They depend on the profession of the owners and their age, as well as on the habits of the people.

Where is the best place to live? An apartment or a private house is most often chosen when considering the cost of time and money for transport and maintenance of the home.

Modern tendencies

If we consider the life of cities in developed countries, we can note that their growth today is insignificant. As for capitals and megacities, the number of residents in them is even decreasing. People are trying to escape the environmental and transport problems that exist in large industrial and economic centers, settling in the suburbs based on their own requirements and understanding of comfort. Thanks to this, the lifestyle of megacities is becoming increasingly widespread in villages. In many countries, people living outside the city do not engage in agricultural labor at all, which is traditional for these territories. They consume services and work, as a rule, within the city.

However, according to statistics, the world has seen an increase in urbanization. However, it comes at the expense of developing poor countries. It is in these states that the number of urban populations and the area of ​​megacities is growing very quickly. People move here in an effort to leave their poor villages and find work that would improve their living conditions.

Benefits with conditions

Why is a house better than an apartment? Yes, because country life has its own attractive features.

First of all, the house has sufficient internal space. Each family member in a private home can be assigned their own room. In addition to comfortable accommodation, the owners can arrange in their home an office and a dining room, a winter garden, etc. Where is it better to live - in a house or in an apartment, for those who have many children or several generations living together? Of course, only the first of these two options can provide the highest level of comfortable living. In a standard city apartment, normal conditions are achievable only for families consisting of 3-4 people. And even then, in this case, it is necessary that the housing have 4 or 5 comfortable and spacious rooms. However, when discussing which is better - your own private house or apartment, it is worth noting that large areas of the home will require significant costs for its maintenance.

Another advantage of country life is the opportunity for cottage owners to spend a lot of time outdoors. Having your own plot, it is not at all necessary to go to nature on weekends and on vacation, or send your children to the village during the holidays. However, the environmental advantage of a private house arises only when the building is located not in a dusty village near the railway, but in a clean area.

For those who have not yet finally decided which is better - a house or an apartment, the advantages of country housing should be considered in the possibility of using your own plot for a hobby or for farming, as well as as a place where you can park your car without worrying about parking and without paying anything for parking.

What else is good about a private house? It provides the opportunity to swim in the pool, invite large companies and arrange a barbecue for them. This is simply impossible to do in an apartment. However, you should not rush to sudden conclusions about where it is better, in an apartment or in a house. Your area needs some maintenance. Moreover, the more comfortable and extensive it is, the more time will need to be allocated for its maintenance. In this case, only the person who really loves to do this can receive pleasure.

One of the important advantages of a private house is the absence of neighbors behind the wall. This guarantees peace and quiet at night. High-rise apartments, as a rule, have poor sound insulation. Because of this, they can hear a lot of what is happening in the neighborhood. In addition, the city lives its own 24-hour life, giving its residents constant noise. In the form of a certain sound background, it is present in megacities even at night. In this regard, the acoustic comfort of a house is much higher than that of an apartment. However, those who have decided to purchase suburban housing are advised to first make sure that the people living behind the fence of the neighboring property are quite decent and will not periodically start rows, causing problems for others.

If the owners like to receive guests, what is better to choose, a private house or an apartment? You can host receptions of any size in your own cottage. After all, in such a home there is quite enough space. Friends or relatives will not restrict the freedom of the owners, even if they intend to stay longer. Separate rooms may be allocated for them. On the territory of some country houses, guest houses are built especially for such cases. There are no such opportunities in the apartment. However, even in country houses, guests prefer to come in the summer. In autumn and winter, darkness comes early. With its arrival, life in the villages practically comes to a standstill, which causes an unpleasant feeling of isolation, uncharacteristic of the city.

Another advantage of the cottage is the possibility of increasing it. For example, you can add an additional floor, rooms and a veranda. It is also easy to find a place on the site for some additional buildings (workshop, garage, house for children or parents, etc.). And this point is also important when deciding what is better - a house or an apartment. After all, you can expand your living space in an urban environment only by moving to another house. It is also possible to purchase and join a neighboring apartment.

Safety regulations

When figuring out for yourself which is better - a house or an apartment, you need to remember that the risk of robbery in a cottage located outside the city is higher than in city housing. This issue especially concerns those buildings that are remote from busy places.

The safest in this regard are cottage villages that have a fenced protected area. But it is worth keeping in mind that living in such towns is quite expensive.

In a private home, individual protection methods can also be used. So, owners can get a dog that will become a good guardian of the property. A wonderful remedy against robberies is a video surveillance system, which is connected to the village security console. It will allow you to control the situation in cases where the owners are not at home. Effective is the automatic complex control of the cottage, which at a given time turns on the lights in the absence of people, lowers and raises the shutters, etc.

Purchase Features

After the future owners have finally decided which is better - a house or an apartment, they will need to move on to solving the first practical problem, which can also affect the final choice. Indeed, in this case, a certain difference arises between the two options.

It is much easier to build or buy an apartment than a private house. First of all, when choosing the first option, there are much more offers. And even despite the fact that the quality of construction of modern high-rise buildings generally cannot be called ideal, their construction still complies with existing standards and technologies.

If the apartment is located in a ready-made building, then you can purchase it quite quickly. This process is not complicated even with unfinished construction. Here you just need to wait a while, without delving into numerous problems and the process of connecting engineering equipment. If desired, the apartment can be redeveloped even before moving in. The main thing is to invest in the available budget.

The process of buying a country house is somewhat different. It will require considerable effort and time from future owners. If the cottage has already been erected, then it is not possible to determine the quality of construction work. It is worth noting that technology violations can be found almost everywhere. Obtaining a guaranteed result when building your own home is possible only in a case where the owners delve into the intricacies and are also involved not only in organizing, but also in controlling the construction processes.

Buyers often ask the question: what is better for a mortgage - a house or an apartment? There is no difference in this case. The only thing worth keeping in mind is that when building a house, the collateral will also include the land occupied by the building and necessary for its maintenance.

Alternative options

Having considered all the positive and negative aspects of purchasing apartments and houses, many potential buyers probably began to think about buying their own cottage located within the city. However, not many people can afford such luxury. As a compromise option, the modern real estate market offers developments that combine the advantages of suburban and urban housing, which does not have any associated disadvantages.

The first of these options is multi-storey housing located on the outskirts. Today, many complexes are being built, which, on the one hand, are located within the city, and on the other, close to a forest or other natural environment. Such houses have playgrounds and parking lots. Their territory is a protected area. In such residential complexes you can buy two-level apartments, the layout of which resembles a country house for a large family. When purchasing such housing, there is no need to independently monitor the serviceability of engineering systems and maintain the site. At the same time, high-rise buildings are provided with convenient transport services, as well as social and living infrastructure.

Another alternative option is townhouses. They are residential complexes, which include interconnected 2-3-story individual houses. Each such dwelling has a separate entrance. Sometimes there is a garage on the ground or first floor of such a cottage. Next to each house there is a small private plot of land ranging from 0.5 to 2 acres. All engineering communications of townhouses are integrated into a system that is maintained centrally or partially autonomously. Residents of such houses, which are located, as a rule, on the outskirts of cities, are provided with an ecologically clean environment, sufficient area of ​​premises located on several floors, a garage, a plot that does not require much care, as well as socially close neighbors.