Purchasing apartments near Retiro/Microcenter.

[Anna GF]

That apartment is one block away from one of my favorite cafés.. El Socorro...

 

[Haplo]

my wife and I are in our 70s. we walk around the neighborhood at night all the time.
I would not say there is much in the way or "criminal types". I have lived in Buenos Aires a long time, and while there are phone snatchers, generally I find it far safer than US cities. My wife will walk at midnight without a blink.
I dont wear a gold watch, or flash expensive cameras around, but I wouldnt do that in Rome or LA, either.
Good apartments hold their value. In Retiro, that means buildings from the fifties or before, it means classic architecture and high ceilings.
Good bones, and you dont need to worry. I have seen that prices are going up- we sold our place in another barrio and bought at the end of January, and I see higher prices today around plaza san martin than at the first of the year.
It all depends on the building, the apartment, and the micro-location.
There is a police station on Suipacha a half block from Santa Fe, and the immediate area is always heavily policed.
If you are really worried, look near there.

Thank you very much. The experience of you and your wife that you share, is gold. From the first hand experience of yours. I appreciate it a lot.
I saw the police station. I went there to get certificate of domicilio. It turns out to be online process). It is a good idea to live nearby. Noted!
I was never interested in show up; agree that keeping a low profile is first steps of keeping bad eyes away from you.
The apartment you share has a nice terrace.
About the old buildings.it is another question for me actually. Some countries there is a life expectancy of concrete buildings.Around 60 years I assume. And it is for the cement that we have ;more quality control then previous century. Yes I see many buildings around 80 years old and older.
I assume authorities take sample, check stability and giving permit to these building. That is why they are still habitable.

 

[islandemoji]

I live right across 9 de Julio and really like the area. There's a really good variety of cafes, restaurants, and bars. You can get good Asian, Colombian, Venezuelan, and Peruvian food, there's a couple breweries, a few bars that are more divey, some nicer restaurants, some pizzerias. The architecture is beautiful and the transportation is fantastic.
Retiro doesn't have the best reputation, but I fell that's overblown or out of date. It's a downtown area, so there are definitely homeless people and some of the trash containers get nasty. But I walk my dog around there at all hours of the night and feel fine. There are pretty much always people out and about. With normal street smarts you'll be fine. If you don't mind or even like a bit of grittiness it's an awesome neighborhood

 

[Haplo]

I live right across 9 de Julio and really like the area. There's a really good variety of cafes, restaurants, and bars. You can get good Asian, Colombian, Venezuelan, and Peruvian food, there's a couple breweries, a few bars that are more divey, some nicer restaurants, some pizzerias. The architecture is beautiful and the transportation is fantastic.
Retiro doesn't have the best reputation, but I fell that's overblown or out of date. It's a downtown area, so there are definitely homeless people and some of the trash containers get nasty. But I walk my dog around there at all hours of the night and feel fine. There are pretty much always people out and about. With normal street smarts you'll be fine. If you don't mind or even like a bit of grittiness it's an awesome neighborhood

Thank you very much for sharing.

 

[Ries]

Thank you very much. The experience of you and your wife that you share, is gold. From the first hand experience of yours. I appreciate it a lot.
I saw the police station. I went there to get certificate of domicilio. It turns out to be online process). It is a good idea to live nearby. Noted!
I was never interested in show up; agree that keeping a low profile is first steps of keeping bad eyes away from you.
The apartment you share has a nice terrace.
About the old buildings.it is another question for me actually. Some countries there is a life expectancy of concrete buildings.Around 60 years I assume. And it is for the cement that we have ;more quality control then previous century. Yes I see many buildings around 80 years old and older.
I assume authorities take sample, check stability and giving permit to these building. That is why they are still habitable.

Actually its the opposite. The older buildings are better built, quieter, and more temperature stable, while the new ones are shoddily built, noisy, and with very cheap details. Most older apartments need kitchen and bath updates, but have solid wood floors, plaster, as opposed to durock, walls, nice hardware, details, and materials.
As for “authorities “ checking, or giving permits- you have a lot to learn about Argentina.
I lived for years in a building built in 1905, and it was wonderful. Currently in a “new” building from the early 1940s, still with tall ceilings, solid wood doors, marble lintles between rooms, but no hand troweled decorative plaster work or stained glass, both of which are incredibly common in downtown apartments.

 

[Ries]

for anyone searching to buy an apartment, I suggest you go on either argenprop or zonaprop, and "ver mapa" in a given neighborhood you are considering. I do this on a computer, not a phone, so I can have one window open with google maps, and, when I click on an apartment in the real estate site, I can also do a streetview in google, to see the outside of the building, and "walk" up and down the block looking at neighbors, shopping, and what its close to.
doing this you can see price range, and, roughly what you get for what price in a given neighborhood.

 

[Haplo]

for anyone searching to buy an apartment, I suggest you go on either argenprop or zonaprop, and "ver mapa" in a given neighborhood you are considering. I do this on a computer, not a phone, so I can have one window open with google maps, and, when I click on an apartment in the real estate site, I can also do a streetview in google, to see the outside of the building, and "walk" up and down the block looking at neighbors, shopping, and what its close to.
doing this you can see price range, and, roughly what you get for what price in a given neighborhood.

It is a great advice. Google map street view is god tier when looking for apartments.i use it all the time. Today I walked 25k steps in Palermo while getting familiar with the neighborhood
Agenprop and zonaprop are the sites that I am using. They are good. “Ver mapa” I didn’t know. I will check. For the future form searcher I can also add ‘’mercadolibre’’ there are real estate adds that only listed there(but be careful for fraud).

 

[toongeorges]

Maybe widen your search to north of Av. Córdoba & Av. Cabildo

 

[Max Götz - MGNI]

Good evening veteran expats.

I have already visited lovely BA couple of times. And come back this time to purchase an apartment to live couple of months (4-5) per year in the long run. Hoping the apartment to give some yield while i am not here as well. (Airbnb)

During my research I find apartments in Retiro neighborhood is what can fulfill my needs (not a basement floor/ natural light can get in) and what I can afford.
Yes there are many beautiful parks and feeling of safety in Recoleta/ Palermo Chico. But the prices are too high. The ones I can get there will be too small and windows will be looking only interior part of the building.

I love walking, I can walk Porto Medero or Recoleta Cemetery daily. For going out at night time spending 20 usd for uber after midnight couple of times a week seems nothing what you can get usd/m^2.

Am I pursuing a bad idea?
My cognitive bias taking over and making me something that I might regret?

I am grateful if someone wants to share what they think about it.

Down below is the area that I am looking for at the time.View attachment 10710

View attachment 10710

Good evening,


Short answer first: no, you are not pursuing a bad idea. But there are a few nuances worth keeping very clear in your mind.


Retiro is one of those neighborhoods that rewards precision and punishes generalization. Block by block, even building by building, the experience can change dramatically. Done right, it can absolutely check the boxes you mention: light, walkability, access to green areas, proximity to Recoleta, and a very compelling price per square meter compared to Recoleta or Palermo Chico.


Your reasoning on value is sound. For the same budget, Retiro will often give you better layouts, exterior-facing units, and more architectural character than what you would find in Recoleta at that price point. And yes, spending a few Ubers a week to enjoy nightlife elsewhere is often a very rational trade-off.


Where people sometimes get burned is not the neighborhood itself, but:
• Specific micro-locations with heavy traffic or institutional buildings
• Older buildings with poor maintenance or problematic administrations
• Units that technically allow short-term rentals but are not operationally ideal for Airbnb
• Overestimating short-term yield without factoring vacancy, regulation shifts, and management realities


Retiro can work very well for a part-time residence with supplemental income, but only if the unit is selected with both lifestyles in mind, not just price per square meter.


As for cognitive bias: I would say your thinking is pragmatic rather than emotional. The only bias I would caution against is anchoring too heavily on parks and walkability without equally weighting building quality, orientation, and long-term liquidity.


If you want a deeper, no-sales overview of how these decisions usually play out for foreign buyers, I have written a few short guides specifically for non-locals. They cover neighborhood logic, buying mechanics, and rental realities in plain English.


You can access them here, free of charge:

THE BOOKS - Google Drive

drive.google.com

Happy to answer questions here as well. Buenos Aires rewards those who ask them early.


Best,
Maximiliano Götz,
Director,
MGNI (M. Götz Negocios Inmobiliarios)
MGOTZ.COM

 

[Haplo]

Good evening,


Short answer first: no, you are not pursuing a bad idea. But there are a few nuances worth keeping very clear in your mind.


Retiro is one of those neighborhoods that rewards precision and punishes generalization. Block by block, even building by building, the experience can change dramatically. Done right, it can absolutely check the boxes you mention: light, walkability, access to green areas, proximity to Recoleta, and a very compelling price per square meter compared to Recoleta or Palermo Chico.


Your reasoning on value is sound. For the same budget, Retiro will often give you better layouts, exterior-facing units, and more architectural character than what you would find in Recoleta at that price point. And yes, spending a few Ubers a week to enjoy nightlife elsewhere is often a very rational trade-off.


Where people sometimes get burned is not the neighborhood itself, but:
• Specific micro-locations with heavy traffic or institutional buildings
• Older buildings with poor maintenance or problematic administrations
• Units that technically allow short-term rentals but are not operationally ideal for Airbnb
• Overestimating short-term yield without factoring vacancy, regulation shifts, and management realities


Retiro can work very well for a part-time residence with supplemental income, but only if the unit is selected with both lifestyles in mind, not just price per square meter.


As for cognitive bias: I would say your thinking is pragmatic rather than emotional. The only bias I would caution against is anchoring too heavily on parks and walkability without equally weighting building quality, orientation, and long-term liquidity.


If you want a deeper, no-sales overview of how these decisions usually play out for foreign buyers, I have written a few short guides specifically for non-locals. They cover neighborhood logic, buying mechanics, and rental realities in plain English.


You can access them here, free of charge:

THE BOOKS - Google Drive

drive.google.com

Happy to answer questions here as well. Buenos Aires rewards those who ask them early.


Best,
Maximiliano Götz,
Director,
MGNI (M. Götz Negocios Inmobiliarios)
MGOTZ.COM

Thank you very much for sharing your expertise Mr. Max.

-this ones are noted
‘’ The only bias I would caution against is anchoring too heavily on parks and walkability without equally weighting building quality, orientation, and long-term liquidity.‘’


It is great that you are sharing your supplementary guidance and books related to the subject.