Should you buy a home in a high-rise?


High-rise buildings are currently the preferred choice for urban working professionals due to their prevalence in city centers, offering proximity to workplaces and scenic views of city skylines. Additionally, higher floors experience fewer pest issues compared to lower levels.

Living in upper floors ensures greater privacy away from common areas, resulting in reduced noise levels compared to ground-level units near busy streets. If considering purchasing a high-rise apartment, there are several factors to keep in mind.

Advantages of Living in a High-rise:

Scenic Views: Depending on location, high-rise apartments offer breathtaking views of cityscapes or natural surroundings, enhancing the living experience with a sense of openness.

Luxurious Amenities: High-rise living often includes amenities such as gyms, pools, rooftop terraces, and concierge services, adding to comfort and lifestyle.

Enhanced Security: Gated complexes, controlled access points, and on-site security personnel ensure high levels of safety, offering peace of mind compared to standalone homes.

Low Maintenance: Management handles upkeep of common areas and exterior maintenance, reducing homeowner responsibilities compared to standalone properties.

Community Life: Residents automatically become part of a community, fostering social interactions through shared events and a sense of belonging.

Convenient Location: Proximity to city centers ensures easy access to commercial hubs, entertainment venues, and cultural attractions, facilitating a vibrant urban lifestyle.

Investment Potential: High-rises in growing urban areas often appreciate in value, making them attractive for investors looking to sell or rent out property in the future.

Modern Infrastructure: Newer constructions offer modern amenities like energy-efficient systems, smart home features, and high-speed internet, enhancing living standards.

Also Read: Before investing in a senior housing project, what factors should you consider?

Disadvantages of Living in a High-rise:

Limited Space: High-rises may offer less square footage than standalone houses, posing challenges for larger families needing more living space.

Noise: High population density can lead to increased noise levels from neighbors, street traffic, and communal areas like elevators, potentially disrupting peace and quiet.

Maintenance Costs: Fees for maintaining common areas and amenities can constitute a significant portion of upfront costs and may increase over time.

Privacy Concerns: Proximity to neighbors and shared walls can compromise privacy, depending on building design and layout.

Elevator Dependency: Reliance on elevators for access can lead to delays during peak times or maintenance, causing inconvenience, especially in emergencies.

Resale Challenges: Limited market appeal compared to traditional homes may affect resale value and liquidity.

Building Regulations: Strict rules governing activities such as pet ownership, renovations, or use of common areas may restrict personal freedoms.

Overcrowding Potential: High occupancy rates can lead to congestion issues in shared spaces like elevators and parking areas, impacting convenience and accessibility.

Upper floors vs lower floors in high-rises
Upper floors Lower floors
  • Scenic views
  • Less pollution and pests
  • Greater privacy
  • More sunlight and ventilation
  • More prone to rain damage
  • Higher electricity consumption for heating and cooling
  • Restricted views
  • More pollutions and pests
  • Lesser privacy
  • Less sunlight and ventilation
  • Lesser rain damage
  • Moderate indoor temperatures, stable electricity bills
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Ans 1. A few advantages to high-rise living are: The view Oftentimes, to get a good city or ocean view, you need to be a few stories off the ground. Not to mention that less unobstructed views equal greater natural light in your high-rise apartment.

Ans 2. Some of the cons to high-rise condo living include: Elevator time. Especially when you're living on the highest floors with the best views, elevator rides can reach up to almost ten minutes top to bottom. ... Neighbors on top of neighbors. ... Shared spaces.

Ans 3. In a high-rise building, you'll mostly find luxurious amenities such as a swimming pool, playing courts, saunas, dining areas, gym, underground parking, well-developed parks, etc. Moreover, high rise apartments offer you a health benefit as noise pollution is quite less when you live on the top floors.

Ans 4. The estimated remaining lifespan of high rise buildings ranges from 5 years to 100 years. The most commonly reported remaining lifespan was 30 years, although a low question completion rate (79%) means that the true lifespan distribution may be different to that collected.