Before deciding on the purchase of real estate, you should consider all the pros and cons of apartments on the top floor.
Even in Soviet times, apartments on the last floors acquired bad reputation, thanks to roof leaks and other troubles, and many still doubt whether to buy such a home.
However, some, on the contrary, believe that apartments on the top floor are cheaper and buy them more profitable.
In the article you will find out whether the choice of such an apartment is really bad or good, and what are the pros and cons of living on the top floor.
As a result, you can decide for yourself whether these conditions are right for you.
Positive aspects of living on the last floor
The apartment on the top floor is a beautiful view of the city, any realtor will tell you about it.
Of course, provided that in front of the house is not built yet another skyscraper, and the apartment windows do not go out into the yard or onto the concrete wall.
If you do not go into the nuances, then the whole view from the upper floors is much more interesting than on the lower floors. However, for many it is not such a significant plus.
But the possibility of expanding the living space due to the upper non-residential premises may well interest potential buyers.
Many of them make attic lofts from time to time, thus obtaining a full-fledged two-level apartment.
However, it will take a lot of time and effort to do this: first, the non-residential premises need to be privatized, then there to be overhauled so that it can live.
But if you plan to sell an apartment in the future, this is a very profitable option, because after an increase in the area and an extension of the second level, it will cost at least twice as much.
Actually this is for those who want to increase living space in the future, but do not want to move - from the upper room you can make a bedroom, a nursery and any other room.
But all this applies more to the old buildings. In modern new buildings, apartments on the last floors can be equipped with private access to the roof or have other exclusive features.
In addition to the high price, significant disadvantages of apartments on the last floors in new buildings are difficult to find.
If you buy an apartment in the secondary market, then on the top floor it can cost you, on the contrary, it is cheaper.
As most people doubt whether it is worth buying such an apartment and trying to find other options, the owners will be happy to lower the price for you, especially if they are in a hurry with the sale.
If you live in a big city, then the apartment on the top floor will please you with cleaner air and better noise isolation from passing cars, especially if the house is by the road.
In general, living in an apartment on the top floor will be more comfortable: it is not only less dirt, dust and noise, but there are also less insects and a lack of curious looks to you in the windows in the evenings.
The absence of neighbors from above can also please, because it means that no one will jump, stamp and loudly move furniture over your head.
You can not be afraid that one day the neighbors will flood you. Finally, the patency of the site of your apartment will be minimal - no one will smoke in the stairwell, constantly walk up and down.
Some tenants eventually even isolate the site with their apartments, closing it with a metal door. If you do the same, you will not only get comfort, but also safety.
This will also increase the future value of your apartment, if in time you want to sell it.
As you can see, the main plus of apartments on the last floors is a household one, and is associated with the convenience of living, and also the possibility of expanding an apartment if you buy it in an old house where there is an attic.
If we talk about new buildings, the apartments on the top floor in houses are often elite, are not cheap and are probably spared from most of the shortcomings of ordinary houses, which we will discuss below.
Negative aspects of living on the top floor
The biggest drawback that stops many from buying an apartment on the top floor is the roof. In old houses, it can leak, and in summer it is very hot.
New buildings in this regard are not so problematic, however, and there the apartment will heat up more in summer.
In winter, problems with the roof do not end - in some houses it can freeze. Well, in the spring and autumn you can "please" the rain.
Despite the fact that the roof is really a problematic place for apartments on the last floors, it is not at all necessary that your house will have the listed cons.
Many roofs are well serviced by management companies, and in new buildings they do not have such problems as leaks or freezing.
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And that in the apartment was not too hot, it is possible to put the air conditioner.
Another potential source of heat for the apartment is an autonomous boiler room.
Of course, such a heating system is good in itself, but it is installed on the roof and it functions all year round, which is often felt in the premises under it.
You can correct such drawbacks only with the help of a quality air conditioner.
Water supply can also become a problem of apartments on the top floor, although not in every home.
Some residents of the upper floors complain of insufficient water pressure, especially in the evenings.
Although it is possible that similar disadvantages are felt by residents of other floors, and this is due not to the floor of residence, but to the quality of the water supply system.
Minuses garbage can significantly poison the lives of residents of the upper floor, because the whole smell usually goes up.
If your neighbors from below will throw cigarette butts or go to the garbage disposal to the toilet, it is unlikely that this will go unnoticed.
However, not every house is equipped with a garbage chute, and not all neighbors are so ill-mannered, so this factor can be called rather not a minus, but an unnecessary fear.
The number of storeys can become a problem of such apartments. First, the elevator.
As the mine is located on the last floor, there is a high probability that you will constantly hear the noise from his work( by the way, in new buildings it is even more likely, because the walls make thin enough).
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Secondly, the elevator can stand up, and the disadvantages of this will be obvious: if the family has a small child, then you have to carry the wheelchair upstairs with your own hand, the same applies to heavy packages and other dimensional things.
If you buy an apartment in a new building, then it is likely that the elevator will not be put into operation yet, which means that all the finishing materials for repairing will have to be raised into the apartment on their own, or with the help of porters whose services, of course, are not free.
The same applies to furniture for an apartment - raising it to the last floor will cost much more than shipping it to the lower floor.
Visits of plumbers can be another problem for those who live in the apartment of the last floor.
In some apartments, triggers may be located. If you buy this, then every summer, when it's time to wash the system, you will be visited by plumbers.
Not to say that visits once a year will be too annoying, but for some it may be significant cons.
There are other disadvantages of the upper floors. For example, they are very fond of birds - in old houses they can arrange nests right in the balcony niches, and in new ones - sit on the roofs or sills.
In any case, they will be heard from any of these places.
Finally, the last floor is an increased danger for children and animals. There are often cases when pets dropped out of windows during hunting for birds or insects.
Unfortunately, most of them end in a lethal outcome. But it is not difficult to eliminate such shortcomings - it will be enough to put protective meshes on the windows.
For very young children, there is also the risk of falling out of the window, and older children may experience other inconveniences: from the last floor to monitor what is happening on the playground is not very convenient.
The same can be said about the car and in general about what is happening in the yard. Especially if the apartment is not in a standard nine-story building, but in a new building on the 16th or 20th floor.
Despite the fact that the cons, it would seem, outweigh, it is not necessary that they will all be in each apartment you are considering.
On the question of whether to buy an apartment on the last floor, it is worth approaching individually and considering each individual option, as well as proceeding from the purposes with which you purchase an apartment.
Many people know why it's not worth buying an apartment at the top, but do not take into account the possible pros, which in a particular case may outweigh the disadvantages.
This is particularly true for new buildings - because the problems with the roof and the ever-breaking elevator are relevant for old houses, in new ones the situation is much better.
However, in the old house, an apartment on the top floor can be a good purchase for you, for example, if you decide to increase its area due to the attic.
Do not be guided by stereotypes, why not buy an apartment on the top floor, and think sensibly and weigh all the pros and cons - then you can make the right choice and pick up the best conditions for your stay.
