The Importance of Location for Purchasing a Property in Prague

2. 4. 2017

There are three preconditions for the success of every property, i.e. of your house or flat, too. Firstly, it is the location, secondly the location and thirdly the location again. This is not a joke. It is an expression of the importance of this factor for each property.

Whether the same type of flat with identical aspect, overlooking green vegetation, with the same exposure to the sun and in a pleasant environment is situated in Bubeneč, Vinohrady, Písnice housing estate, at a tram stop in Dolní Libeň or at the railway station in Malešice makes a huge difference to its value. It is understandable that not everybody can live in the limited area of the historical centre or in Hanspaulka, where, as a result, the prices of properties are high. However, some locations in the city are becoming attractive even though they used to be less popular. For example, Horní Holešovice, Dolní Holešovice, Karlín, and Libeň were nowhere near as popular fifteen years ago as they are now.

What is true about the permanent value and easy saleability of such a property may not necessarily be true about the quality of living in particular places. A lower price as a result of a location that is less in demand may often not mean much lower quality of living if your property is well situated from the point of view of the surroundings, i.e. noisiness, dustiness, aspect, lighting, public transport availability, easy and safe parking, shopping opportunities, social safety in the surroundings, the closeness of a park and the countryside, good schools for children, etc. However, it is true that a different area is suitable for a family with small children and another one for an individual who has just started their career, eats out in restaurants and cannot imagine their evenings without friends in a bar or theatre.

In considering the purchase of a new flat you should also get detailed information about the future of the area where you are going to move or where you are going to buy a property as an investment and for lease. It is good to know what is being planned in the area. What is an idyllic place with detached houses or a quiet street now might become a densely developed area next to a slip road or shopping centre. You can find such information in the local plan at the municipal authority’s department of development or department of planning. You should also consider whether you want to commute to work through the whole town and whether you can reach your future place of residence in another way than by car.

Because everybody is different and has different ideas of their life, housing, and even willingness to invest in housing, virtually every property will find its buyer or tenant. A few years after graduating from university one can live in the noisy centre for lower rent, without any view of the park or without a garage in the house but with theatres, galleries and bars in the neighbourhood. However, a family with small children will put up with commuting from a suburban house surrounded by green vegetation and while their income increases they might look for a better place of living in the city. And if you want to make a long-term investment in a property, it may pay off to buy a cheaper flat in a housing estate where flats can be leased very well.