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Comment by hrktb | Hacker News Reader

> No-one wants to live in a block of flats unless they're too poor to afford a house.

That’s a pretty extreme. Appartments have a ton of advantages; whatever one values in an independant house can be turned into a disadvantage.

For instance an appartment is easier to secure, maintenance fees can be split, commodity fees can also be split which makes it very affordable to have good infra (high speed internet, central heating, automatic post boxes etc), concierge services become an option. Then superb views, lack of surrounding noise, clean air are advantages on the higher floors.

I say that as a kid who grew up in houses and wildly prefer appartments as I moved away.

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> lack of surrounding noise

in an apartment. can't speak to the US but most apartments in western europe are really poor when it comes to sound. neighbours above/beside/behind all making noise/water pumps/washing machines.

near impossible to get a moments peace.

Old appartments in europe are horrible, yes. And in so many ways.

We had to see 20~30 appartments last time we moved, and ended up just filtering from the start anything older that 30 years. It’s just not worth it, even for rental.

The worse was the electrical wiring that was at best impractical. And water pipes that needed serious revision.

I just can’t imagine how it goes for 100+ years old houses.

Dealing with an old house that you own is often much easier than dealing with an apartment. It’s yours. You don’t have a huge collective of people to deal with. The piping only affects your house. Same with the wiring, HVAC, insulation, windows, whatever. You can pay a professional, they’ll get some permits if necessary, and it’s done within some agreed upon timeframe, and will only inconvenience you and your family during that time. Some projects you might even be able to do yourself - good luck with that in an apartment. The worst thing about older homes can be some of the building materials like lead and asbestos - which will also be present in older apartments

In London I used to live in one of those flats by Tower Bridge, by the water, and one day my neighbour apologized to me while we were in the lift about the noise her kids had been making all weekend. I'd been sick that weekend and stayed home and heard not a thing.

Most of the time, the most noise was the Thames lapping against the wharf. Quite pleasant, really. I never actually heard my neighbours, to be honest, except if we were both out on the balcony talking.

The new construction buildings I've lived in in the US definitely solved the neighbor noise issue except when the guy next door would have loud parties on the balcony -- I'd hear that through the windows even if closed. But while higher floors have nice views, they also came with a lot more white noise from distant highways.

I'm obviously simplifying. Luxury apartments downtown are different to the sort of monstrosities you see in suburbs.

Moving from a family home in a suburb into the city =/= moving from a family home into a block of flats on the same street. The latter is what I am calling a 'strict downgrade'.

> maintenance fees can be split, commodity fees can also be split which makes it very affordable to have good infra

This is all cost-based argumentation. If you own a family home with a garden you've already solved that. Maintenance costs in London are utterly trivial.

I think it’s a matter of getting what you pay for. That’s why I see it mainly as a matter of cost.

A middle level appartment goes roughly for the same price as a low tier house where I live. There is a healthy market for good apartments in the suburbs, it’s just not a cheap choice (but way less expensive as a dame tier house in the same locations)

I am not swimming in money, so I also understand people who already own expensive properties will have different priorities.

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