Not every house is a home. Not every building intended for family residence is a family house. Even though a multi-unit building where a family resides is, colloquially speaking, often called a family house, there is a clear difference on the real estate market between such a building, a family house, a villa and an apartment building. According to the definition, a house is a building to accommodate people and, according to the number of residential units, it can be an apartment building or a family house, while luxury houses are called villas.
In terms of the price per square meter of certain types of real estate, the most expensive are villas and family houses, followed by apartments, and then multi-unit buildings that are not apartment buildings. Sellers who are selling apartments in multi-unit buildings that originally had not been conceptualised as multi-unit apartments and that, over time and out of necessity, became such, have to keep in mind that such apartments would be harder to sell than those in apartment buildings. Houses that consist of several apartments and those that were built thanks to unplanned extensions, that do not have separate entrances to each of the individual units, do not have guaranteed parking spots or that are characterised by unfinished facades, are less desirable real estates and their prices are lower.
Holiday Villas
On the level of Croatia, the highest house prices are in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Single houses with gardens or spacious yards hold exceptionally high values, especially if they are located on desirable locations with a view of the sea. Our agency, Libertas inženjering plus, has been getting more inquiries from buyers seeking land parcels of sizes of 500 to 800 m2 with views of the sea where one or several houses (villas) can be built with the net size of the building from 120 to 200 m2 with outdoor barbecue grills and swimming pools. The interest for such holiday houses has been increasing on the global tourism market. When talking about this subject, we are primarily referring to rural and ecological tourism that provides accommodation to visitors in houses or villas located outside the urban areas where they can enjoy natural beauty, fresh air and peaceful settings without the crowds that are difficult to avoid in towns considered popular among tourists. In the Dubrovnik area, the uncertainty of the construction of a golf course with villas on Srđ, that is, the certainty that the project will not be realised any time soon, is encouraging investors to invest their money into the construction of villas for sale or rent.
Stone Courts
In addition, on the real estate market, but also in the area of architecture and design, there is an increased interest for purchasing, renovating and redesigning old stone houses. Foreign investors are showing such an interest in Croatia in a peculiar way. The price of such real estate is often the key factor when making a decision regarding the purchase because a partial or a complete building restauration is required. In certain cases, lower prices depend on the need to reconstruct and / or renovate, as well as on the requirements and limitations established by the Conservation Department at the Ministry of Culture. This way, old stone houses are becoming villas to rent or boutique hotels where, unlike modern buildings, each possible future damages or simple wear-and-tear can add to the charm of the building and appear completely natural.
There Used To Be a Settlement Here
We are witnesses to demolition of old family houses and ruined apartment buildings in some parts of the world at certain locations suitable for living, and to construction of new ones, more suitable to the life style, desires and needs of the modern man. Such undertakings should include a reduction of the visual landscaping pollution, better quality construction and better architectural solutions than the previous ones. This creates room for the construction of new residential and business units in downtown areas of cities where there is no room to expand. Sergej Sobjanin, the mayor of Moscow, presented a plan to demolish around five thousand apartment buildings from the era of the Soviet Union as a part of the project of reconstructing the Russian capital. According to his proposal, the existing buildings should be replaced by more modern buildings and this should contribute to the growth of the Russian construction industry. For the purpose of better quality urban development, an entire block of 19 buildings in the Chinese city of Wuhan was demolished in only 10 seconds to make room for one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. Not everyone supports this type of management of the existing urbanised areas. However, the mentioned examples should be taken into consideration because they can contribute to the discussion regarding city development and protecting the interest of their residents.
