By Suneel Dwivedi
High Rise Apartment is the latest rage in the property markets of India. With urban population rising leaps and bounds, developers such as Unitech, DLF and various others are constructing multistorey buildings in both luxury and affordable categories.
But when it comes to selecting a floor in these tall structures, buyers face a dilemma. In fact, the type of floor you want to live on can even limit your apartment options. For instance- if you only want to live on the higher floors of a building, then your search gets limited to only taller multi-storeys. However, each floor has its advantages as well as disadvantages, and while there is no right or wrong, you need to pick an apartment on the floor that suits your personal needs. So if you’re thinking of getting an apartment in a multi-storey building, then you need to evaluate all the factors and decide what’s important to you. Here are some tips to assist you while picking an apartment in a multi-storey building-
1) Good View: The best part of choosing an apartment on the topmost floor is, of course, the view. The higher the floor, the better the view. This is even more worthwhile if the apartment is located in an area offering a scenic view. For instance, flats in Chennai located in the recently developed areas of the city have multi-storey apartments with breathtaking and pleasant eye treats. If this is important for you, then its best opt for an apartment located on the topmost floor of the building.
2) Preference for Privacy: Privacy can be a major issue with most people and in more congested set-ups, the lower level apartments quite often are not able to provide much privacy. If you are uncomfortable around intrusive neighbors and want to go in and out of your apartment without being scrutinized or just simply love your solitude, then the top, most floors are of course the best option for you.
3) Peace and calm: Higher floors can keep away the street noise, and this is why most buyers prefer to steer clear from lower level apartments to minimize any noise coming in from outside. But sometimes the ground floor of well-planned buildings may have flats which are not located close to the hallway and also are quite far away from elevators, or any other commonly used facilities. Therefore, they aren’t noisy at all. If a noisy environment is a concern for you, then whichever floor you choose you to need to ensure that the noise factor is minimum.
4) Electricity expenses: Higher floors will require the air conditioners to run for a longer time, and it will also mean more power consumption while drawing water using motor pumps. This means that as your authority and electricity consumption will increase on the higher floors, it will result in higher expenses every month.
5) Rental returns: If you are considering buying a house to rent out later, then the lower floors are just for you. In India, lower floor apartments get rented faster and also have higher rents. This is because many people from our culture prefer staying closer to the ground according to property surveys. However, it has been seen that buyers investing in flats in Chennai and Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) show a preference for the ground floors, and on the other hand people in Mumbai and Bengaluru opt for the higher levels.
6) Easy access: Living on the lower level floor means your accessibility is much quicker. Most of us generally have tiny patience while waiting for the elevator. This can be quite time-consuming at times. Also sometimes due to power cuts the elevator may not work. As a result, you may need to take the stairs which may give If you are uncomfortable with waiting for long then it is rise to several hassles. In this case, you must choose a lower level apartment.
7) Security: Lower level flats are much easier to break into and hence pose a higher risk of theft and crime. However, it also depends on the way the building has been built and the security measures are taken into consideration by the apartment management and society, which might make the lower levels flats also relatively safer.
8) The family needs: If you are living with your elderly parents or have kids, then lower level apartments are much more convenient to choose in terms of the security and convenience they offer. The elderly finds it difficult to climb too many stairs and also very often find it difficult to walk a lot. Hence for them lower level flats are much more convenient. Also as children keep running in and out of the house, it is much easier to keep a tab on them while staying on the lower level floors.
There may be some part of both options that suit your needs. For instance, lower level flats may offer lesser light and ventilation as compared to the topmost floors. On the other hand the uppermost floors may face more water shortage and seepage issues.. Hence you need to weigh all the pros and cons and finally, pick an apartment on the floor that makes your everyday living – comfortable, convenient and stress-free. For more articles
