Apartment living catching on slowly<\/p>\n
Rudijanto, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Living in apartment is still a luxury for most people but for
\na young and dynamic executive such as Elina Ciptadi who is
\nexpected to come to the office early and return home late, an
\napartment is the only solution.<\/p>\n
Aside from enabling her to go quickly to and from the office,
\nher rented lodgings are near including shopping mall, restaurants
\nand cafe.<\/p>\n
Elina says she feels safe in her apartment and does not worry
\nabout leaving it for several days because of the good security
\nsystem provided by the management. She would be worried if she
\nleft a normal house empty for several days, she said.<\/p>\n
\"I don't need to open the gate by myself if I come home late
\nin the middle of night.\"<\/p>\n
Elina is a young executive who feels perfectly at home living
\nin a Jakarta apartment rather than choosing to buy a two-story
\nhouse in Tangerang or somewhere the outskirts of Jakarta where
\nshe can afford.<\/p>\n
While apartment living offers more conveniences, not all
\nIndonesians can either afford or want to live in high rise
\naccommodation.<\/p>\n
\"No, I can't imagine living in a tall concrete block
\nsurrounded by other tall buildings. I want a house where I can
\nstill can see green trees and hear bird song in the morning,\"
\nsays Andi Priyantoko, a writer for a Jakarta-based magazine.<\/p>\n
Another young executive, Dewi Suryani, who works in Jakarta's
\ncentral business district, admits that if given a choice she
\nwould rather live in a house. She currently lives with her
\nparents in an apartment close to Jakarta's Taman Anggrek Mall.<\/p>\n
\"An apartment offers convenience. For instance, if I want to
\neat, I just go to the food court in the mall. But I don't have
\nmuch privacy in the apartment because the size of our unit is
\nvery small. If somebody yells from one corner, I can hear it from
\nthe other,\" Dewi says.<\/p>\n
Colliers International research manager Ferry Salanto confirms
\nthat most Indonesians still prefer to live on the ground in
\nhouses rather than in apartments. However, the main problem
\ndevelopers face is not getting people to live in apartments but
\nconvincing them to buy them, particularly as an investment, he
\nsays.<\/p>\n
\"With a surplus in supply on the market and the fact that most
\nIndonesians typically prefer to live in houses, developers often
\nfind it difficult to sell apartments if they are targeting an
\nend-user.\"<\/p>\n
Selling apartments these days usually meant offering them as
\nan investment alternative, he says.<\/p>\n
\"Buying an apartment is a long-term investment. And it's
\nimportant to note that compared to houses, apartments give a
\nbetter return,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, he says living in apartments has also gradually
\nbecome an acceptable lifestyle option, and this is also a selling
\npoint. Many people preferred apartments because of their
\nproximity to downtown areas, integrated support facilities and
\nwell-managed security systems.<\/p>\n
\"Given limited land in the city that results in escalating
\nland prices, high-rise development is the solution.\" The
\nsituation in Jakarta could end up being very much like the one in
\nSingapore, Ferry said.<\/p>\n
Property consultant Panangian Simanungkalit agrees.<\/p>\n
\"The desire to live in apartments has increased among city
\ndwellers who want to escape the heavy traffic and to enjoy a
\nsecure, comfortable life with guaranteed privacy,\" said Panangian
\nas quoted by Sinar Harapan.<\/p>\n
PT Procon Indah marketing officer Gita Maharani Koroh
\nsays developers often conduct promotions to encourage people to
\nchoose an apartment instead of houses.<\/p>\n
However, living in an apartment does require changes in one's
\nway of life, Gita says. Although there is normally a community
\ncenter in every apartment, the day-to-day interaction is not as
\nmuch as in housing complexes.<\/p>\n
\"After living in an apartment for some time, what I miss the
\nmost is eating satay, porridge or noodles, or buying drinking ice
\nor vegetables, all from the street vendors that used to pass by
\nmy old house,\" says Elina.<\/p>\n
Many Indonesians also shy away from purchasing apartments
\nbecause they worry about the risks.<\/p>\n
\"If I own a house and it collapses because of a strong
\nearthquake at least the land is still mine. But If I have an
\napartment unit that collapses, can I still own the land?\" Andi
\nwondered.<\/p>\n
However, as traffic becomes increasingly unbearable and new
\nareas for housing development become farther away from offices
\nand other workplaces, many Indonesians are preparing to change.<\/p>\n
But for many others the high price of apartments makes it
\nimpossible for them to even contemplate it.<\/p>\n
Ferry advised people who were thinking about buying apartments
\nto check the apartment's documents, including the Right to Build
\nTitle, Land Certificate and the Right to Use A Building
\ncertificate, and to be aware of who the financing bank was.<\/p>\n
People should know what they were getting into, he said. \"We
\nmust avoid developers who use down payments from purchasers to
\nconstruct their apartments because often the building is affected
\nor even stops if sales do not reach certain target.\"<\/p>\n
A developer's reputation, the location, facilities, the
\napartment's management and the cost of living should all be taken
\ninto account, he says.<\/p>\n
Ferry says the apartment industry in Jakarta has great
\npotential to grow. However, whether it becomes acceptable depends
\non the benefits offered, not on mere promises, he says.<\/p>",
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