This post was automatically translated into English
Buying your first home is one of the most important investments in your life. Before making a purchase, it is important not only to properly assess your financial capabilities, but also to obtain as much information as possible about the home you are purchasing.
Buying your first home is one of the most important investments in your life. Before making a purchase, it is important not only to properly assess your financial capabilities, but also to obtain as much information as possible about the home you are buying..
Real estate specialists advise paying attention to the location of the dwelling in the building, ventilation options, natural lighting, orientation according to the countries of the world, the purpose of the premises, and paying attention to the operating costs and guarantees of the dwelling.
Location in the building. According to Martynas Žibūda, Development Director of Eika, when choosing an apartment, people pay a lot of attention to the area, but sometimes they forget to look at the location of the apartment in the building itself. The heating costs of an apartment may depend on which floor or location in the building it is located on.
“All residents of the same apartment building pay different amounts for heating, even though they live in the same house. In new apartment buildings, the difference in costs is usually determined by individual heating regulation, with the location of the apartment in the house having a much smaller impact. However, even where heating is not regulated, bills often differ. And if they are the same, then the amount of heat in the house differs. Those who want to live warmer or pay less for heating than their neighbors should choose interior apartments in old-built houses. Corner apartments with two external walls “give” some of the heat to the outside. Owners of apartments on the lower or upper floors of the building also face a similar problem,” says the representative of “Eika”.
Ventilation. Currently, most apartment buildings in Lithuania have a natural ventilation system. Unfortunately, it does not always ensure fresh air circulation in the apartment. Experts advise to constantly ventilate the premises, that is, to open the windows regularly, at least several times a day. It is advisable to ventilate the premises in this way even in winter, but then there is a risk of getting sick or losing some of the heat.
“Considering energy consumption and in order to save on heating costs, it is more beneficial to choose a home with a recuperation system, i.e. ventilation using a heat exchanger. True, old homes do not have such a system, and there are few new projects that have recuperation installed. When this ventilation system is in operation, it not only ensures fresh air, but also prevents heat from escaping to the outside, prevents mold from forming, and prevents windows from fogging up. This is especially important for people with respiratory problems,” the Eika representative lists the advantages. Starting in 2016, all new homes will have to be designed and built in energy class A, which requires the mandatory installation of recuperation.
Natural lighting (insolation). When buying an apartment, it is important to check whether the rooms will have enough sunlight. The required insolation for every residential apartment is two hours of uninterrupted light coming through the windows. Sometimes, new residents face an unforeseen problem – a new apartment building sprouts up in front of them, which reduces the amount of light entering the house.
“When deciding to purchase an apartment, be sure to check whether construction is planned in the neighborhood. This can be done by carefully examining the general construction plans, which are prepared for five or ten years in advance. This will avoid an unpleasant surprise when a high-rise building suddenly begins to rise in front of your apartment windows,” says an Eika representative.
Most often, apartments located in the Old Town do not meet the insolation requirements, because there was no requirement for natural lighting when they were built. Therefore, those who like bright rooms should be very careful when choosing an apartment in the central part of the city. Also, if the purpose of the apartment is non-residential, such an apartment does not have to meet the two-hour sunlight requirement.
Location of the apartment according to the cardinal directions. The amount of light and heat in an apartment also depends on which side of the world the apartment windows face. The extremely airtight apartment buildings being built today can cause additional inconvenience during the summer for residents whose apartment windows face the south side. In such an apartment, in the summer, you may have to endure heat that even an air conditioner will hardly be able to dissipate. However, in the winter, the sun will warm the rooms, so only minimal heating will be needed.
West-facing apartments are also very warm, because the evening sun shines for a very long time in Lithuania. If you like to watch TV, it is suggested that you consider that a room illuminated by the evening sun will need night curtains or blinds, because there may be too much sunlight. Also, if there is a bedroom on the south or west side, its windows will also need to be covered, because this room will be heated by the sun’s rays. The east side is the most neutral, because the sun is not hot in the morning, and it shines for a shorter time than the west side.
Purpose of the premises. This factor is especially important for those buying increasingly popular loft-type apartments. According to M. Žibūda, those who choose a loft should find out what purpose the premises were previously used for.
If the building previously housed a factory or other factory premises, it would be useful to carry out measurements that would show whether there are any remaining chemicals in the room that may be harmful to health in the long run. It is also worth carefully checking the documents if you are purchasing non-residential premises for other purposes. Certain requirements do not apply to them, for example, the aforementioned insolation, a children’s playground is not mandatory, the distances to the parking lot or another building differ from residential buildings, etc. It is useful not only to find out the purpose of the building, but also what requirements this purpose specifies. Also, when purchasing premises for other purposes for living, you may encounter additional taxes or restrictions, such as registering children in kindergartens.
Apartment passport. This is another thing that new residents do not pay enough attention to. The representative of “Eika” calls the apartment passport an apartment encyclopedia, which the owner can open and use if necessary. This document with guarantees should be given to every owner of a new apartment. In the apartment passport, the owner can find all the contacts of the contractors who carried out construction, finishing and other works. It also provides the procedure for performing warranty service and finishing, and lists all operating instructions – for example, heating and ventilation systems. However, only a small part of large developers gives buyers such an apartment kit.
“Home buyers must be active and curious and demand from the seller an apartment passport, which clearly indicates its guarantees, operating rules, contractors and contacts, where to contact in case of a warranty case. People would not buy a relatively few hundred times cheaper technical device, for example, a washing machine, even if it is of high quality, if they did not receive a warranty booklet, but they buy housing, the price of which is even higher than a luxury new car,” says the development director of “Eika”.
About the Eika group of companies
Founded in 1992, the company “Eika” is one of the largest real estate development and construction groups in Lithuania, successfully developing residential, commercial, public and other purpose building projects, creating a new quality of life and work. The company has already built more than 3,000 apartments and 270 thousand square meters of buildings. “Eika” has been awarded many times as the best real estate developer in Lithuania, and the company’s projects “Santariškių namai” and “Eikos namai Pilaitė” have also become the best in Lithuania.
More information:
Vitalija Roče
Marketing and Communications Manager
Phone: +370 5 2553 324
Mobile: +370 698 56273
Email: [email protected]
old.eika.lt