Tips and Recommendations

Buying an apartment, house or office space is a decision that is not easy to bring. Especially when you need to choose between an old or new building. As these purchases include large amounts of money and major financial deviations, the importance of quality information should not be emphasized in order to make the best possible calculation prior to purchase. It is these reasons that led us to throw additional light on this issue, but also the many concerns of our clients on this subject.

Today you can often hear a statement like: “Old construction is inevitable additional investment”, “New construction is not as good and has hidden disadvantages”, “Old construction should be cheaper”, “New building is too expensive” and similar. We can rightly say that none of these claims is precisely accurate. So let’s get started.

Old building

Old construction, which refers to buildings older than 10 years old, can often be a very good choice especially if the building meets functional, location and, of course, financial. The most common misconception about older buildings is in terms of security and longevity, so we will return to the past and give you some facts that you probably did not know. We start with the most important ingredients of all the buildings, and that is definitely a concrete and an iron construction that together make reinforced concrete without which today

First of all, concrete is the most important element of concrete. It is a building material that is mainly made of cement, aggregates (gravel or sand) and water. All three ingredients are known to us, but we will additionally say a few facts about cement, because we assume that you think it is the product of a new date.

Cement is a mineral binder that we will get if we first bake clay and limestone and then melt. For this innovative process, English engineer Joseph Aspdin, who patented Portland cement, was awarded as early as 1824, and was named after lime rocks that were located on the island of Portland, England. As you can see, cement was found over 200 years ago. Today, various types of cement can be found in the sale depending on the additives and the time of cement binding. If we go further into the past, we will see that even the Assyrians and the Babylonians used clay as a binding agent for concrete. The Egyptians used lime and plaster, and in the Roman Empire, concrete was made of calcium oxide, pucolic dust, and aggregates made from plavac. The Romans have discovered that by adding volcanic dust, concrete can survive under water, then with the addition of horsehair, concrete less accumulates in curing, and so on. By adding steel we get reinforced concrete which is the basis of modern architecture and construction.

All of what we have stated tells us that the materials from which are made and modern buildings have been used for a long time in history, and the longevity of these objects is still visible today. Examples like the Egyptian Pyramids or a Roman Colosseum that continue to this day tell us that the buildings have a very long lifespan. Modern estimates of real estate take for a time limit of 120 years, but we know it is much longer. Therefore, if you are afraid to invest in an older property, consider these facts that we have brought to you. Old property can take many more years to provide you with security and comfort.

Older properties also have more advantages, and this is:

• They give you full freedom and creativity to make room as you want. Choose toilets, walls, floors or even overwinter walls as you like it most. The arrangement of your own home, especially with the person you love, gives you additional emotions and ties to give space, and your project can bring you a lot of satisfaction. Our recommendation is also to consult an interior designer, a feng shui expert for the normal functioning of energy, but also a good horticultural company. A lot of flowers and light will turn your home into a safe harbor, where every time you spend will be special.
• They cost much less than a new building, especially when talking about highly sought-after locations, such as the city center and the surrounding area. It is very likely that you can find an apartment or a house in a prestigious part of the city where construction is no longer allowed, or there is simply no room.
• The apartment in the old building is in the visible state, which means that you can register all the advantages and disadvantages on the spot. With new construction, things are different because in most cases you are buying a property that has not yet been completed, and you need to wait for it at least 2 years later. Not to mention the risks, such as the bankruptcy of a builder or construction that is significantly different from offered and paid.
• Apartments in old buildings are often underestimated and sold mostly with well-preserved items. This fact can save you a lot of money and time. Do not forget that the purchase is one cost and the purchase and furnishing of the apartment is an additional cost. If you are lucky to find a seller who needs a quick sale, you can save yourself considerable money.
• Apartments in the old town are slower losing value than the new building. The price at which you have purchased an apartment may sometimes be lower than the price at which you will be selling it tomorrow. In the case of new construction, this is rarely the case.
• Usually, older properties are located in beautiful but cultivated green oases, while this is rarely the case for new buildings.
• Dwellings in the old building have, as a rule, a lot of higher vaults, so you have a lot more oxygen in the living space, and you will agree that this is a great advantage.

New building

Modern architecture has made so much progress today that we can really talk about a lot of styles and directions. What is characteristic of the recent times is the simplification of the form and the removal of decoration, but also the use of new materials. New efficient building materials, lighter and more flexible constructions with a high proportion of glass passing through a lot of light, are just some of the benefits that newly built apartments offer. But is it always so? We will consider all the advantages and disadvantages of the post.

First about the newer materials used in newbuildings

It is a lot of manufacturers of new innovative materials that should simplify construction but also to increase comfort at lower costs. Most of them relate, especially to us, to better thermal and sound insulation. The demit facade that has become the standard has significantly improved the energy efficiency of new buildings, but on the other hand, we would say that it has not been cheaper construction, and the fact is that the demit facade is not as long-lived as the old facades. Glass as a building material has been used since ancient times, but not as much as today. It has a great advantage in terms of ease of installation, and creativity in the construction industry. The glass passes through a large amount of light, but on the other hand it is not very energy efficient, despite the fact that today there are low-emissive glasses and the like.

Some of the latest innovations refer to the main building element – concrete. So, from those of us, we have singled out:

• Covering walls to be resistant to various ballistic missiles
• Carbon fiber reinforcement
• The development of a flexible concrete that would be almost 500 times more resistant to cracks than the classic

Concrete reinforced with nano-structures that would be incredibly resistant and the like.Our opinion is that this is a major improvement, but as far as our construction is concerned, we will still wait a bit while it comes to us. We will mainly mention the main advantages of the new construction, but also draw attention to the things you should consider when shopping.

The newbuild, which we can find in this area, varies from something that is really good to one that hardly meets the standards. The prices that are currently on the real estate market in Montenegro can also be said to be very different, so you can find a flat from 750 to 1600 per m2. Whether this construction really deserves such a price is a very questionable question. The new building certainly has the following advantages:

• New means that you do not have to invest in the apartment in the first place except buying furniture
• Newer technologies are at your fingertips, such as internet and cable in each room, ventilation openings for aspirators, new entrances, and so on.
• Newbuilding also often has parking issues and this is a very practical, type of internal garage from which you can easily reach the apartment without leaving the building
• Almost every building has lift, video surveillance, better anti-fire protection and increased security
• A more beautiful and more modern look
• Almost every new construction has already built up aluminum or pvc carvings that are far longer than wood and do not need maintenance
• For new construction you will get a higher rent
• Every building has neat maintenance, and in most cases it is a good infrastructure.

What you need to pay special attention to are the purchase contracts, the renown of the investor and the builder, the proper documentation of the property, the respect of construction dates, guarantees etc. It often happens that the investor is bankrupt in the middle of construction or that at the end of the building there is no use permit but also the situation where one housing unit is registered for 2 or even 3 persons. With regard to the investment level when purchasing a new apartment, attention should be given to the maximum. Buying a real estate agency can help you again, which will lead you to potential problems, but also to advise on how to make the most of your usefulness. Of course watch out for which agency you choose 🙂