“I wish I could live like this”: experts named the differences between new “elite” and “deluxe” buildings

For many Russians, it remains a mystery what the difference is between “elite” and “deluxe”. Both segments are expensive, amounting to units of supply, mainly in Moscow. But it turns out that the price of housing in these classes varies by one and a half times, and the location is fundamentally important. There are other differences too. Analysts decided to call them

Price: “deluxe” is one and a half times higher

The most obvious distinguishing feature between new buildings in the elite and deluxe segments of the Moscow market is price. On average, in luxury new buildings, a square meter is sold for 1.35 million rubles, and the average price in different projects of this class varies from 901 thousand rubles to 2.8 million per square meter.

In the deluxe class, a square meter is offered on average for 2.4 million rubles, and the average price ranges from 1.4 to 4 million rubles per square meter. According to the observations of Rariteco experts, a square meter in new deluxe-class buildings is on average one and a half times more expensive than in luxury properties.

Location: strictly Central Administrative District

The placement of elite and deluxe projects also has its own characteristics. Both classes of new buildings usually appear in the Central Administrative District of Moscow, but for the elite segment this requirement is no longer so strict. Residential complexes of this class are now being sold in the Western and Northwestern administrative districts.

In the deluxe class, the location is strictly limited to the Central Administrative District. Moreover, there are requirements for the construction site of a deluxe class complex. The new building should not only be in a prestigious area, but also adjacent to unique urban spaces (parks, embankments) or attractions (museums, temples, theaters).

Scale: know your neighbors by sight

New deluxe-class buildings are almost always aimed at an extremely narrow audience of buyers, and therefore are often club-style houses. If in the elite class there are large-scale projects of new neighborhoods, then in the deluxe class the size of the building requires such a number of apartments or apartments that neighbors know each other. Therefore, in the elite segment, the project can include up to 500 premises, and in the deluxe class – no more than 100.

Number of apartments: know your neighbors by name

Privacy requirements in deluxe class projects are higher than in elite ones. The limited scale of the building from this point of view should be manifested not only in the total number of apartments and apartments, but also in their number per floor or section. Deluxe houses often have rooms with a separate entrance for the owners, personal elevators between the parking lot and the apartment, and other architectural features that minimize encounters with strangers. But such options cannot always be provided, and the number of neighbors on the floor becomes an indicator of privacy. In luxury new buildings, the number of apartments per floor (or per floor of a section) can reach three, while in deluxe new buildings – two.

Area of ​​premises: family nests

To determine the class of a new building, the so-called “cutting” of premises is important, that is, the distribution of the living space of the building between apartments of different sizes and formats. It is the “cutting” that largely determines the future social composition of the residents.

For example, a residential complex with a large number of one-room apartments can attract investors, and the premises they purchase will remain empty or rented out for a long time. This does not contribute to the formation of a close circle of neighbors of the clubhouse. Other characteristics are also important: in deluxe club complexes, almost all rooms have a large area.

The average size of apartments in the elite class is 153 square meters, in the deluxe class – 185. In elite new buildings, the share of apartments with four or more rooms is 11% of the supply, in the deluxe class – 20%.

Home infrastructure: from laundry room to office

Deluxe-class houses have more stringent requirements for the layout and overall functionality of the premises. Thus, all bedrooms are planned in the master bedroom format, that is, with their own bathroom and dressing room. Apartments must have laundry rooms, storage rooms, and offices. Guest bathrooms are definitely planned.

Apartments or apartments must have architectural features: terraces, bay windows, double light. In elite new buildings, not all apartments have such distinctive features and may well be designed according to the canons of more affordable classes of housing.

Club infrastructure: only for members

The residential complex’s own infrastructure must be diverse, and in deluxe new buildings the requirement for this aspect is higher than in the elite segment. In elite new complexes, the infrastructure may be limited to commercial facilities on the ground floor (boutiques, beauty salons, bank branches, restaurants). Moreover, these establishments are often open to everyone.

In new deluxe class buildings the approach is different. In recent years, non-profit, club infrastructure designed only for residents is increasingly being designed. Outsiders are prohibited from entering here.

Architectural formats: all types of residences

New deluxe-class buildings more often than elite ones represent rare architectural housing formats. These can be townhouses, villas, duplexes, two-level apartments, penthouses. Sometimes new deluxe buildings may have private areas within the complex. An elite project does not always include unique or collectible real estate, while for a deluxe class this is a mandatory requirement.

Manufacturability: smart home

Smart home systems have become a mandatory requirement for luxury and deluxe new buildings, and they are integrated both into public communications and into apartments. These include IP intercom, face recognition, contactless access to parking, wi-fi on site, a mobile application, smart meters, control of devices, lighting, and heating.

However, requirements in this area are also growing. After the departure of cloud service providers for smart homes from Russia, developers of deluxe projects are more often thinking about creating an additional information security loop for smart systems.

Additional services: individual approach

The difference between elite and deluxe class complexes can be seen in the level of additional services that are available to their residents. If in elite complexes we are usually talking about a package of hotel services (albeit of a high level), then in the deluxe class they offer more complex services. For example, each resident has contacts for a chief concierge who can do the almost impossible: get tickets to the premiere of a fashionable play, reserve seats in the most inaccessible restaurant.