Apartment living is on the up

50 years ago, almost every middle-class professional in Europe dreamed of owning their own house on a spacious plot of land. But it seems the concept of a house of one's own may be going the way of typewriters, record players and film cameras, with more European buyers than ever before opting for apartment living over a freehold home. Apartments hold many benefits over houses in terms of ease of manageability, maintenance costs, potential for social interaction and cost-effectiveness. With an increasing amount of the population working longer hours, and not settling down to long-term partnership until a later age, the home is no longer playing as much of a vital role in day-to-day life, meaning buyers are seeking a smaller, less expe... [More]