Are you thinking about moving? Penthouses, ground-floor apartments with gardens, apartments with terraces… Discover the pros and cons of each and find the best apartment for you.

Multifamily homes remain the preferred choice for Spaniards when buying a home, butdo you know which floor is best to live on? The floor on which a home is located can make a significant difference in terms of energy costs, privacy, and overall indoor comfort.

Below, we explain everything you need to consider when choosing the best apartment to live in and take a detailed look at the various options available in today’s real estate market.

Tips for Choosing Your First Apartment

Height

Size, natural light, and interior layout are some of the aspects we tend to focus on most when choosing a new home, but floor level is also a key factor to consider when buying a house. In general, higher floors have better ventilation, more natural light, and a quieter atmosphere, as they are farther away from traffic and other urban noises. However, these advantages also tend to come with a higher price than that of ground-floor units.

Natural light and ventilation

Good natural lighting and ventilation will help make the home’s indoor environment much more pleasant, but they can also help us reduce our heating and air conditioning costs by taking advantage of these free natural resources to regulate the home’s temperature. During the winter, natural light helps warm the home, while in the summer, natural ventilation cools the indoor environment.

As a general rule, the taller the building, the more sunlight it will receive and the better its ventilation will be, although we will also need to consider the height of adjacent buildings.

Orientation

A home’s orientation determines the amount of natural light it receives, affecting both the lighting and the indoor temperature. In Spain, south-facing homes are the most sought-after, as they allow residents to enjoy more hours of sunshine each day. However, when choosing the best orientation for a home, it is also important to consider the climate conditions of each area.

For example, in cold areas, west-facing plants get more sunlight in the afternoon, which helps warm the house and maintain the temperature overnight.

Elevator

The vast majority of new-construction homes have an elevator, but there are still many older buildings that lack this feature, which is a decisive factor when making the final purchase decision. Choosing a home on a higher floor has many advantages, but if there is no elevator, living on a high floor can be truly inconvenient, especially for older adults.

Homes with Views

Living in a unit on the upper floors offers the opportunity to enjoy better views of the surroundings, whether it’s a panoramic city view or a home overlooking the beach or the mountains. Exterior units are the most sought-after in multi-family developments.

In addition, units overlooking common areas such as the pool, playground, or sports courts are very appealing to families with children, as they offer a safe and private space for the children to play, which can be easily supervised from the balcony.

The Best Floor to Live On: Which One Is Yours?

Ground floor or first floor

The ground floors of buildings, along with penthouses, are the first units to sell in any development. In recent years, especially after the first lockdown, demand has also skyrocketed for ground-floor units with a private garden or patio, which are considered the best type of home, particularly among families with children.

The lower floors stand out for their ease of access, regardless of whether the building has an elevator, making them ideal for older adults as well. These floors receive less natural light, but they are also better protected from temperature fluctuations, which makes it easier to maintain an optimal comfortable temperature year-round.

As for the drawbacks, since they’re located at street level, the first floor is always noisier, and you’ll need to draw the curtains if you don’t want the interior to be visible to passersby. However, this problem disappears if the house is located within a gated community. Privacy is another important consideration on the first floor, since the yard or patio is clearly visible from the upper floors; as a result, many residents choose to install awnings, pergolas, or canopies to ensure greater privacy.

Intermediate plants

While the first floor and the upper floors stand out for their privacy, the middle floors offer a space more conducive to socializing and community life. The price of these apartments tends to increase as you go up in the building, provided the building has an elevator. Among the main advantages of the middle floors is their thermal insulation: since they are less exposed to external weather conditions, heat loss in the winter and cool air loss in the summer are minimized, which will lower your energy bill.

As you go up in height, themiddle floorsreceive more natural light and ventilation, so if you decide to buy this type of apartment, the higher floors are the best choice. That way, you’ll also be able to reduce noise pollution and enjoy better views.

Penthouses

This type of home has become the most sought-after among buyers with the highest purchasing power. Although they are more expensive than units on intermediate floors, penthouses are usually the first to sell. Among their main advantages are greater privacy and a quieter atmosphere, away from street noise, as well as better ventilation and brighter interior spaces, thanks to abundant natural light. In addition, these apartments usually feature large terraces and excellent views.

Despite its many advantages, if you decide to buy a penthouse, you should keep in mind that the top floors of a building are also more exposed to temperature fluctuations, wind, and other harsh weather conditions, so it’s essential to make sure the apartment has adequate insulation to be energy-efficient.

As you can see, choosing the floor plan for your new home is a decision you should think through carefully, since each one has its pros and cons. Think about your needs and find the perfect home for you and your family!