Living near green areas – forests, parks, lakes – one of the main criteria when choosing a home. For many buyers, it is more important than a parking space or a guarantee for the home. According to psychologists, nature has a positive effect on our well-being, causing positive emotions.
According to psychologist Oleg Lapin, we live disconnected from the earth, fresh vegetables, and silence, but we are part of nature and often when choosing a home, we strive to return to a place where everything is natural, quiet, and earthy.
“Of course, there is a category of people who get bored in nature and love the city, entertainment, hustle and bustle, and people. They don’t like nature because it lacks the movement and impressions that they get in the city. However, if you can endure without events, nature provides peace, silence for the ears, fresh air, trees, and the opportunity to be alone. It is easier to hide in nature than in the city. For such people, nature is a gift,” says the psychologist.
Pilaitė in place of Pašilaičiai, Antakalnis – instead of Naujamiestis
Real estate experts distinguish three main groups of buyers who are most likely to look for housing near green areas: families with children, couples with pets, and older couples who have already raised children.
“People looking for housing near green areas like to spend more time at home, on their green terraces, instead of choosing the hustle and bustle of the city. For them, the center has no added value, and they value greenery, forests, and spaces near their homes where they can spend time in nature,” says Justinas Šavelskis, Sales Manager at Eika.
According to the specialist, buyers’ selection criteria vary. “Women plan how they will be able to move around parks or along the river with their offspring. Older people mentally draw a landscape of a healthy lifestyle and look for where they can walk with Nordic walking sticks. Couples raising pets consider where they can walk their dog and therefore prefer Antakalnis instead of Naujamiestis, or Pilaitė instead of Pašilaičiai,” says J. Šavelskis.
There is no shortage of green areas in Vilnius
Real estate experts note that housing is most often sought in areas where there is a friendly relationship between the city’s asphalt and green areas. Among the sleeping areas, Pilaitė, Bajorai and Lazdynai are distinguished, while among those where a strategic location and green spaces perfectly match, Antakalnis, Baltupiai and Žirmūnai, located near the Neris River, are distinguished.
“Zvėrynas is also classified as a district with green zones, but it is one of the most expensive in the capital, and few transactions are recorded,” notes J. Šavelskis.
The most popular area with a river, parks and forests is Antakalnis, which is mostly looked at by older couples who have already raised children. According to an expert from Eika, Antakalnis can be classified as a more luxurious housing area, where the average price per square meter is about 2,400 EUR.
“Buyers who cannot afford housing in Antakalnis are looking to Žirmūnai, where the average price is about 2,000 euros. The lowest price for new housing near green areas is recorded in residential areas, namely in Pilaitė and Lazdynėliai. There, one square meter costs about 1,400-1,450 euros per sq m,” calculates J. Šavelskis.
Real estate specialists note that Vilnius is favorable for those looking for housing near green areas, as there is no shortage of districts with parks, forested areas, and bodies of water throughout the city.
“Real estate developers also contribute to the creation of green spaces. Special landscaping projects are prepared for specific settlements and real estate projects, trees are planted, for example, a square is being created in Pilaitė. So that nature gives residents more positive emotions,” says J. Šavelskis.