Tourists brought investors to serviced apartments

At the end of the first quarter of 2024, the share of apartments in the Moscow real estate market decreased for the first time in a long time. At the same time, developers responded to the boom in domestic tourism and switched the attention of private investors to a new format of apartment complexes. In which districts and areas of the capital the most apartments are sold today, who is buying them, why and at what prices, MK found out.

As Ruslan Syrtsov, managing director of the Metrium company, told MK, the rate at which apartment complexes entered the Moscow residential real estate market has decreased due to the return of the tax on the services of apartment developers.

According to bnMAP.pro, within the old borders of Moscow there are 113 apartment projects on display, with 7.8 thousand lots for sale with a total area of ​​394.1 thousand square meters. meters. On average, a studio is sold for 9.7 million rubles, 1-room apartments – for 19.8 million rubles, 2-room apartments – for 38.1 million rubles, 3-room apartments – for 96.0 million rubles. Most of the apartments on sale are studios and one-room options (5.5 thousand lots out of 7.8 thousand lots in total on sale).

“Today, service apartments are becoming increasingly popular in Moscow,” Irina Dobrokhotova, founder of BEST-Novostroy, told MK. This is a format that was previously widely represented in St. Petersburg and other tourist cities. Service apartments are a type of real estate where a special management company provides complex services – from maintaining the local area to changing linen, daily services in the apartments, fresh flowers, etc. This format is mainly popular among visitors who are in Moscow for business or tourism and do not have the opportunity or desire to deal with everyday issues. Points of attraction are large business hubs (for business travelers) or an abundance of attractions (for tourists).

Let us remind you that formally apartments belong to commercial non-residential real estate. Therefore, you cannot register in them indefinitely; the property tax is higher. Nevertheless, many citizens are attracted by the comfort, the opportunity to have housing close to work, and the investment attractiveness of apartments.

Most often they are purchased for the purpose of generating rental income. For this, transport accessibility, proximity to business clusters and prestigious areas are important. In addition, apartments are often purchased for children “to grow up”, and they can also be rented out until they move. In the elite segment, this format is most often used for accommodation. Because high-budget options are often characterized by a very good location, and the status – apartment or apartment – is not important for such buyers.

“Apartments continue to be popular in the format of compact housing with a minimum entry fee,” emphasized Vladimir Morebis, commercial director of Est-a-Tet. According to Syrtsov, they are often bought by young families, aspiring professionals, and parents as their first home for their student children. This format is also in demand among spouses after divorce and division of property, pensioners and citizens who have another apartment that provides them with permanent registration.

The largest number of apartments on the primary market of Moscow are presented in the North-Eastern Administrative District – 1,412 lots in 9 projects, in the Central Administrative District – 1,035 lots in 38 projects, in the Southern Administrative District – 1,046 lots in 7 projects, Syrtsov noted. The most affordable apartment complexes in Moscow, in his words, are located in Kryukov (ZelAO), Bibirevo (SVAD), Khovrin (SAO), Mosrentgen (NAO), Timiryazevsky district (SAO).

At the same time, the Central Administrative District takes a strong lead in terms of area: the total area of ​​apartments for sale here is 97.9 thousand square meters. m, and in NEAD – about 56 thousand sq. m. m, added Dobrokhotova. This is due to the fact that the Central Administrative District offers mainly elite and premium options with lots of significant area.

Among the districts in terms of supply volume, Cheryomushki and Otradnoye are by far the leaders (see table).

TOP 5 districts of Moscow by supply volume (without the elite segment)

No. District Volume, thousand sq. m Avg. price, thousand rubles/sq. m

1 Cheryomushki 42.2 313.5

2 Otradnoe 40.2 314.2

3 Nagatinsky Zaton 26.9 323.6

4 Presnensky 25.7 923.9

5 Danilovsky 23.0 444.1

According to Est-a-Tet.

According to Dobrokhotova, the most affordable lot of apartments in the capital is located in Zelenograd and will cost 4.7 million rubles. For this amount a studio of 22 square meters is offered. meters in a comfort class project, with finishing. The project is already at the stage of installation and finishing works. Inside the Moscow Ring Road, the most budget lot can be found in Bibirevo: for 5 million rubles. you can buy a studio with an area of ​​21 sq. m. in an economy class project, the property is rented out for final finishing. There are also many budget apartments for sale in the areas of Tagansky, Koptevo, Mitino, Silino (Zelenograd), Troparevo-Nikulino, Kosino-Ukhtomsky.

Vladimir Morebis expects that prices for apartments will remain at the same level, while much will depend on the intensity of the release of new projects and market conditions as a whole.

In Syrtsov’s opinion, in the near future prices will rise at the level of inflation. The fact is that new projects come out with brighter content and, accordingly, high construction costs. In addition, developers have to compensate for the introduction of VAT and the rise in prices for building materials. “However, high market mortgage rates are holding back the pace of price growth. And, as is known, preferential housing loans do not apply to apartments,” the expert concluded.