When choosing an apartment, most people pay attention to what floor is located housing. Some people like it on the first floor, some people in the middle, and some people prefer to live on the top floor.
While evaluating apartments for court it is important to determine the market value of real estate considering all factors, including floors. So what are the features of living on the top floor of an apartment building?
On all reputable sites with ads for the sale of apartments in search forms necessarily present filters related to the floor. Usually you can choose not only the floor of an apartment building and a range of floors on which the property is located. But also set the check boxes to exclude apartments on the first and last floors. Why do potential buyers allocate a separate group of housing on the last (highest) floors? Let’s find out.
Evaluation of the advantages of apartments on the last floors
The main positive features of such housing include the following::
- Great view from the window. This leads you to buy apartments on the upper floors of an apartment building, especially if the windows or balcony of the apartment overlooks the park, alley and the like. Although, of course, there are reverse situations when the view from the window is such that it is better not to see it. 🙂
- Unable to enter the apartment through the window. This is a relevant factor, because for residents, for example, on the ground floor, this danger is very likely. And, living on the top floor, you can not be afraid for it. Again, there are known cases of penetration into such dwellings and from the roof, but here all depends on the design features of the house.
- No problems with flooding from neighbors. It is very important for those who have made beautiful repairs and are afraid of unforeseen situations from guests from above.
- Peace and quiet. Since the apartment is located on the highest floor, the noise from the street is usually not so annoying compared to the lower floors. This is especially important for people with small children.
- Ecology. Due to the high location of the housing, there does not get dust, dirt, odors and fumes of exhaust pipes, less often fly mosquitoes and other insects.
- The presence of bright light in the apartment, especially if it is located on the south side of the house. In sunny weather bright rays of the sun will illuminate all rooms of the apartment.
- Possibility of increasing the area of real estate. This applies to the houses where there is an attic. We can convert the attic into a second level apartment. And if such housing is sold, the second level will almost double the value of the property.
Negative aspects of living on the top floor of an apartment building.
However, such a location inside the house has its drawbacks. And they are quite significant:
- Perhaps the main problem of the tenants of apartments located on the top floor of the house, is the roof. If there are no neighbors from above, this does not mean that there is no possibility of spoiling beautiful repairs. If the house is old, then there is a possibility of leaking roof in heavy rain. And in summer, when the temperature reaches maximum degrees, the roof heats up and the apartment, respectively, becomes very hot. Also, if in winter there was a heavy snowfall and temperature fluctuations, in spring after warming, the tenants of the apartments will wait for flooding.
- Another very important problem of apartments on the last floor of the house, is often poor water supply. If for the residents of the first floors is not a problem, then the residents of the upper floors very often suffer from this, especially this is the case of hot water. The pressure in the pipeline is not enough to create a comfortable environment on the last floors. This is an error when building a house that can be solved only when installing a boiler in the apartment, which is an additional waste. True, this problem exists only in old houses, and that is not in all.
- Problems and noise coming from the elevator. Engine noise from the technical room of the elevator is quite a negative phenomenon for residents. Often there are situations when the elevator does not work at all. And the tenants are forced to climb on foot. If these are young people, is it really not a problem, but what to do for the elderly as well as mothers with children in wheelchairs?
- Safety. Apartments on the last floors are very dangerous for children and pets. Often falls from balconies or from open windows of apartments.
Taking into account all the above mentioned features, when evaluating the apartment located on the top floor, appraisers try to select as objects of comparison housing with the same parameters of floors. Well, and in the next article we will address the issue of evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of apartments located on the first floors of apartment buildings.
We recommend reading another our article: Ground floor apartment – advantage or disadvantage?
