Buying a top floor apartment in Bulgaria – risks and benefits

Apartments on the top floor in Bulgaria – some buyers dream of such property, others run away from them like fire, despite lower prices and charming sea or mountain views from the window. We would like to offer you to get acquainted with all the pros and cons of buying apartments on the top floor in Bulgaria, as well as get an answer to the question of whether such property is always cheaper from the Apart Estate experts. 

Advantages of apartments on the last floor

Looking through the ads for the sale of flats, you will notice that the top floor apartments in Bulgaria almost always cost less. For those who count every penny, think of taking out a loan or balance between the need to apply to the bank for a mortgage, use installment plans or buy an apartment for cash, even the smallest price difference can be critical. 

Apartments on the last floors have other advantages as well: 

• Thanks to the location, the apartment is quieter; there is no one who would jump over your head, make noise or move furniture. There is almost no risk that your ideal chandelier will fall on your head, or you will be flooded by a neighbor who forgot to turn off the water before leaving for work. In addition, no one throws cigarette butts and garbage from the upper balcony. 
• The windows often offer a magnificent panorama. In many cases the surrounding buildings are lower due to the less number of storeys or natural relief. This allows you to enjoy sea, city or mountain views. 
• Buyers of the last floor apartments in Bulgaria often plan reconstruction of these flats. Large balconies can be converted into another room or a kitchen. If there is a ladder and the roof is flat, you can arrange a winter garden, a swimming pool, or a Jacuzzi. If there is an attic, you can equip a storage room there. 
• Dust, exhaust from the street, smells from restaurants, cafes, and shops usually do not reach the last floors. The apartments are cleaner and brighter. 
• Stairs are cleaner, there is much less garbage and dirt. 
• The risk of burglary is less than on lower floors. 
• There is a possibility to install a fireplace and enjoy the warmth and comfort on cold winter evenings. 
• In some cases, infrastructure design provides additional benefits. So, the warm water in the residential building comes from a central boiler installed in the attic, the pressure will be much better in the top floor apartments. 

Disadvantages of the apartments on the last floor

Despite the large number of advantages, many buyers of real estate in Bulgaria do not consider buying last floor apartments in residential buildings and living complexes. 

Among the main disadvantages they indicate the following: 

• If the roof has a poor quality, there is a risk of leakage. This problem appears if the roof is flat and does not have sufficient waterproof protection. When buying an apartment, look carefully on the ceiling and the walls. If there are traces of leakages or one of the rooms was recently renovated, this may be a sign of an issue. Roof leakages lead to an increase in humidity in the apartment, the appearance of fungus, and an unpleasant odor. 
• If there is no elevator in the living building or it is broken, you will have to walk upstairs. It's good if the apartment is on the fourth or fifth floor, but climbing with bags to the tenth or fifteenth floor of some residential buildings in Burgas is not the greatest pleasure. Moving, buying new furniture, and renovating an apartment on the top floor can turn into a huge problem.
• Many residents of the lower floors refuse to use the elevator and pay for its maintenance. In this case, the charge for its use is fully paid by those living on the upper floors. 
• In winter, the apartment can be colder, since there are no heated rooms above. 
• In case of a force-majeure situation or an accident, it is more difficult to get out of the living building. 
• Sometimes there are sloping walls in top floor flats, which is inconvenient for choosing furniture and design. 

Prices for last floor apartments

Top floor apartments in Bulgaria are usually cheaper. However, there are exceptions. For example, luxurious penthouses with a sea panorama in the Lazur neighborhood of Burgas are expensive and in high demand among buyers. 
Apart Estate experts have conducted a small analysis of real estate prices and are ready to share their findings with you. The analysis is based on the prices for apartments in the Lazur and Meden Rudnik neighborhoods in Burgas. 

• Top floor one-bedroom apartments in Lazur cost about 23% less than flats on the average floors. Two-bedroom apartments are 11% cheaper. The one-bedroom apartment costs an average of 1,405 euros/ sq. m, while the one with two bedrooms costs 1,750 euros/ sq. m. Still, if we are talking about real estate with sea views, then the prices for apartments on top floors reach 2,195-2,470 euros/ sq. m, which is more expensive than the price for apartments on the lower and middle floors. There are no accurate statistics on studio apartments due to the small number of offers. 
• The majority of top floor apartments in Meden Rudnik are cheaper than on the middle floors as well. Thus, prices for studio apartments are lower by 3.7% (896 euros/ sq. m), one-bedroom apartments – by 10.75% (785 euros/ sq. m), two-bedroom apartments – by 17% (803 euros/ sq. m).

Top floor apartments in residential buildings in Bulgaria are a good choice for buyers who are looking for a budget property or, conversely, target luxury real estate. High-quality and warm apartments with the possibility of reconstruction can be found in the Apart Estate catalogs. You can find out details of the apartments from our database, as well as new offers by contacting our specialists by phone, messengers or e-mail.