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Should you choose luxury apartment living over the traditional suburban dream?
We take a closer look at the reasons why Quartermile is proving to be a popular alternative for buyers who may have previously opted for a house outside of the city.
Searching for your next property is always an exciting time but it can also be a stressful one. In fact, research suggests that buying a house can be even more stressful than bankruptcy, divorce, or even bereavement.
One way to lessen the stress of finding your perfect property is to fully explore all your options before committing. All too often, buyers take a look at three or four properties based on what they “think” is right for them rather than more closely inspecting different house types and different areas to get a feel for alternative lifestyles.
But what if there was a home or a style of living out there that you have never considered before? One that offers to enrich your day-to-day life and offer benefits that you didn’t believe were possible? Wouldn’t that be worth looking into?
Many people believe that apartment living is reserved for young professionals with great flexibility and little commitment; people able to enjoy everything that a city environment has to offer. It is certainly true that apartment living is a great solution for professionals. But in the 21st century, apartments also have genuine appeal for growing families and downsizers. In fact, one in five homeowners in the UK now live in an apartment, according to a recent study.
Separate the modern apartment from those old-preconceived ideas of life in a “flat”, take a tour of Quartermile and you will soon see why apartments have become the home of choice for so many people. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key benefits.
Maintenance
The traditional surburban family home is characterised not just by the number of rooms available to owners, but in the volume of bricks and mortar. In many cases, a semi-detached house does not have any more bedrooms nor a larger living space than an apartment. Instead it simply has a greater number of walls, a roof, a staircase and other features that come at a cost but do not actually enhance quality of life day to day. What they do contribute to, however, is the time and energy that must go into maintaining your home.
How often have you heard about house owners having to get contractors in to replace roof tiles, repair a damp course or re-point external walls just to maintain the quality of the home? Each of these issues can eat into your savings and take up valuable time and energy from year to year. Even worse, an older traditional house from the 20th century or earlier may need plumbing, electrics and gas supplies upgrading and repairing from time to time.
Outside of the home, you also won’t have to waste time weeding, mowing lawns or trimming hedges. The upkeep and appearance of outdoor spaces at developments like Quartermile are all centrally managed, meaning that you get the pleasure of well kept green spaces without the effort or time.
Buy a luxury apartment and you can avoid a whole range of maintenance headaches. Instead, you can splash your spare cash on fun little additions to your property or on simply having a good time in the city itself. At Quartermile, our fully-managed and serviced apartment buildings ensure that any rare issues that do arise are handled quickly and efficiently by the specialist repair and maintenance team.
Cleaning
Between washing, hoovering, tidying, polishing and rearranging – cleaning always takes up more time than we would like it to. We all want our homes to be clean, but we don’t necessarily want to spend a whole day every week doing it.
That’s the beauty of apartment living – you can get your property sparkling clean in a fraction of the time. When you don’t have several storeys to cover, making your home feel fresh and inviting takes no time at all.
Security
Nobody likes to think about the possibility of their home being broken into. But unfortunately burglaries are a part of life. There were almost 100,000 incidents of robbery across UK homes between just December 2016 and January 2017, according to figures found by UK Crime Statistics.
These numbers are enough to make anybody nervous about potential burglars, and although we shouldn’t live in fear, it’s important to take safety into account when looking for your next property. If safety and security is something that plays on your mind, it is worth noting that apartments are typically harder to break into than a traditional home, giving you an extra feeling of security.
Apartment complexes often come equipped with intercoms, secure entrances and vigilant concierge teams, as well as alarms inside each individual apartment. These measures can help to dramatically reduce the potential for break-ins and help to ensure that your possessions and your personal safety remain well protected.
Lifestyle
There are also a number of benefits to living on a single floor – as is the case in the majority of apartments. Not having to negotiate stairs on a daily basis can be incredibly important to those with mobility issues, while the open-plan layout of many modern apartment buildings – Quartermile included – makes for the perfect space to host guests and hold gatherings.
It should also be mentioned that life in an apartment building is a sociable experience. Yes, surburban developments can encourage residents to interact and become friendly, but those who have ever lived in an apartment will tell you that the sense of community created in an apartment such as Quartermile is far greater than that of a housing development.
Location
Living in a luxury apartment in the city means there’s a world of things to see and do on your doorstep. Choosing an apartment gives you a way to immerse yourself in city life, from shops to bars to restaurants to an endless stream of activities and events taking place. In particular, Quartermile boasts one of the finest locations in the whole of Edinburgh – putting the capital’s finest attractions and amusements within an easy walking distance or, at most, a short taxi ride away.
If you place a premium on the limited downtime you have away from work then it is crucial that you can make the most of those free evenings and weekends without lengthy commutes or costly travel arrangements.
Sustainability
In the 21st century we are all (quite rightly) becoming more concerned about the impact we have on the world around us. For those environmentally conscious buyers, choosing an apartment over a suburban detached home is good news. Generally speaking, apartment living leaves a smaller carbon footprint per person than a traditional house. Not only is less land required for each individual in high-rise apartment buildings, you can also benefit from many of the energy saving features that now come as standard in such developments. Well-insulated walls and windows, low-energy LED lights and efficient under-floor heating are just a few of the measures that have been taken to make these properties that little bit “greener”, not to mention more comfortable.
Amenities
Apartments are designed for your convenience, meaning most of them are located close to local amenities like gyms, supermarkets, bus or train stations and shops. And in the case of Quartermile, each apartment also comes with its own underground car parking space.
Quartermile luxury apartments put you right in the heart of Scotland’s capital
Edinburgh is one of the UK’s most desirable cities, and with so much history, excitement, culture and community, it’s easy to see why. If you love the idea of having all the capital has to offer, right on your doorstep, then perhaps its time you took a tour of Quartermile.
Call 0800 000 2525 to book an appointment today.