Living In A House Versus Living In A Apartment

[Pensador]

In our neighboorhood we had two guys that all they did was watch all the houses on our street all night. We all pitched in to pay them monthly. We also had very high wall fenses with lots of nastry barbed wire. We even had signs in the barb wire the said DANGER ELECTRICY but there was no electricity LOL. The place was like a compound really. But no one ever got in to steal anything in the span of about 3 years. Before that we had a Penthouse with a parilla which was nice but small. However there seemed to be allot of politics going on in the building with this one complaining about this and that all the time. And some other one mad about our light night asados or some other issue. Living in the compound we had no issues I really think of more as a compound than a house.

I think the best option is a comound with high walls around the house that have barbeb wire, preferably razor wire tilted outside all the way around and a heavy steel doors. Get alarms also and if the budget is no object then human security is also a viable option. If you like dogs they can be a added layer of deturance. I think the key is deturance by making the place look like it is going to be an incredible pain to get in and get out with anything valueable. Beyond that keep your life low key, drive an economy car not a mercedes and dress down when walking around the neighboorhood.

 

[steveinbsas]

Living in the compound we had no issues I really think of more as a compound than a house.

I think the best option is a comound with high walls around the house that have barbeb wire, preferably razor wire tilted outside all the way around and a heavy steel doors. Get alarms also and if the budget is no object then human security is also a viable option. If you like dogs they can be a added layer of deturance. I think the key is deturance by making the place look like it is going to be an incredible pain to get in and get out with anything valueable. Beyond that keep your life low key, drive an economy car not a mercedes and dress down when walking around the neighboorhood.

This is the closest instance of a home invasion I have experienced since moving to my present location in June of 2010.

You can see that I do not have high walls, barbed (or razor) wire or even bars on the windows. I would never consider living in a place where that was necessary to be (or even feel) safe. I do have wood shutters on the windows. The two pieces of wood forming an X in the walkway entrance and the iron chain across the driveway were enough to prevent a deeper intrusion de las vacas.

The chain across the driveway was stolen one day in the middle of the afternoon while I was home. That is the only instance of theft in 4.5 years. I now use an old coaxial cable in place of the chain. I am making traditional style gates for both entries using old wood that was here when I arrived.

I drive a 20 year old Peugeot 405 (which is the envy of all of my neighbors), but I don't wear my Ermenegildo Zenga cashmere sport coat when walking around the neighborhood (taking photos of sunrises, sunsets and wildlife). None of my neighbors would know (or even care about) the difference between a jacket made in Switzerland and one sold by Sears. I sold (actually signed off on the title) my (last) Mercedes the day I left for Mexico on November 1, 2000.

My closest neighbors are behind my property and our houses are almost 200 meters apart. There are no neighbors for over 200 meters in front and about 400 meters on either side. My dogs are my alarms. Together they weigh less than ten pounds. They occasionally bark when other (free range) dogs come near the house at night or when a frog bumps against the kitchen door when it is raining. Everyone around here assumes that everyone else is armed, including 80 year old ladies living alone.

PS: Yes, the Zegna sport coat is the one (NWT/new with a $2000 dollar price tag and one (unseen after alterations) "defect" at the end of one sleeve) that I bought for $5 (five dollars) at the Mission District Salvation Army Red Shied Store on Valencia the last time I was in San Francisco. Six years ago Zenga sport coats were still being designed for men who wanted wear clothes that were long enough in the sleeves to reach the base of the thumb as well as long enough in the body to cover the butt...as opposed to looking like something a sixteen year kid who just "shot up" two or three inches would wear: http://store.zegna.com/gb/men/jackets.

 

[ghost]

Zenga...I approve. You need one Brioni suit. And you're ready for anything.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Once you own a building in an apartment you will undoubtedly find yourself wrapped up in building politics. Consorcios and administraciones are the bane of my life right now. Trying to get anything down is impossible. We had to fire our administrator and appoint a new building consorcio in the hope of resolving some problems with the building. Very slow progress.

Dealing with the interminable building politics is a fairly appealing reason not to live in an apartment. PH = propiedad horizontal. Your main concern will be security, especially if you travel a lot.

 

[sevi]

A few comments regarding security. Alarm systems and bars are pretty standard so your house will not be more difficult to break into than other houses. The idea is to make the house it more difficult to break into then other houses. I do not live in BA but it think the security issues are similar here. In addition to alarm system and bars - having a big dog (or two) that barks at everybody coming to the gate will help. Thieves seem to try to avoid house with big dogs. I have also a (wireless IP) camera pointed entrance gate/wall. So far they have never broken into my house. But they have tried to break into one of neighbors house several times (a house with alarm system and bars but only a small toy dog, no camera). There are other options for added security like electric fences, higher walls, etc. but if you are only renting the place then you probably do not want to invest in such a thing.
Also make it look like somebody is always in the house. Get all your outside lights automated with light sensors. So they turn on and off even if you are not in your house. Install a couple of lamps inside with timers so windows that can be seen from the street light up even if you are not in the house and it looks like there is always movement in your house.
And from my experience it is not hard to find somebody to sit your house - at least in summer - if you have a pool. I am sure some of your friends will be happy to sit your house for a few days get out of their apartments and have a pool available.
Regarding the previous comments that a house is more work than an apartment - it is true. But I actually enjoy mowing the lawn and doing a little garden work. Makes me get out of my office more and be outside. And if gardening is not your thing just get a gardener.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Security issues seem to be at point of entry, with an apartment door you are still a few locked doors away from anything worth stealing and potential with door security. Attacking someone at the point of entry of a house usually yields easier accessed rewards and less risk of detection. Similar with the entry points at a garage.

That explains the relatively low prices for PHs when compared to apartments, per m2 you will pay more for an apartment with a covered parking space and security than you would for a PH, even if that PH affords a small outside space. According to someone from Remax I recently spoke to, demand is stronger for apartments because of security issues, real or perceived. Demand is strongest in "family" areas with access to schools and decent transport into the microcentro. Belgrano, palermo etc.


ps..I am led to believe an apartment in a good area is a more saleable asset than a PH.

 

[mc kenna]

When it comes to security i came to the conclusion that no matter how safe or secure you make your property,either ph, apartment or house, if the ''comancheros'' decided they are going to brake in, they will, so you end up with the following choices.....you can spend a large amount of money in alarm systems cameras, thick bars on the windows, tornadoes shutters land mines or whatever flavor you like, IN reality, if your not there, it won't matter since if they can't enter the property they will destroy everything they can out of spite even if they get in and don't find enough stuff they can sell quickly they will wreck your property.... so this brings me to what i do and practice,i let go of the cameras and alarms ,since there is no legislature to process them if caught .. i decided to ensured the hell out of this place. for a few and i mean very few pesos a month i am covered for way more than i actually own ( tools furniture, electronics,household appliances, building it self including tornadoes and natural disasters among other things) i have tried in the past to make my place bulletproof and i did and when i thought i was ok, they waited for me to be gone and busted thru a wall!!and since they found nothing of interest, they burnt the house down ,so now i know for a fact that when and if they wanna brake in they will, and when i'm home......... well that's a different story... they better bring lots of ammo and a canteen 'cus the shootout is gonna be a long one

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

PH ? "PH" means the apartment is in a small horizontal building with just 1 or 2 stories?

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

PH ? "PH" means the apartment is in a small horizontal building with just 1 or 2 stories?

Yes, Propiedad Horizontal = PH, horizontal property. Basically a small house or standalone duplex. Can be 1,2 or even 3 stories. Some have a small garden, some have none.

Look at zonaprop.com.ar and search the PH category.

 

[nativexpat]

If you want to know what it feels like to live in a house and budget is not an issue, I would suggest that you try a short term rental house in Barrio Parque. The area is super safe and the neighboorhood is beautiful. I know of a house in the corner of Ombu and Martin Coronado which was available for short term stays a couple years ago. Look it up. Good luck!