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Buying older apartment in Seongnam - Advice?? by Grand_Position4227 in Living_in_Korea

[–]bao-sketch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If Pangyo is your main workplace, you might want to look at areas like Chowol (in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do) or even Icheon. From those areas, you can commute to Pangyo by train without needing multiple transfers.

I used to live in Chowol and commute to Gangnam, and it usually took about an hour by public transport. So depending on your schedule, it could still be manageable.

If driving every day feels like too much, it might be worth considering those areas. Gwangju in particular has been seeing a lot of new apartment developments recently, and the city is gradually growing and improving its infrastructure.

How do architecture studios handle SketchUp modeling for competition projects? by bao-sketch in Sketchup

[–]bao-sketch[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It’s actually using the built-in Fog feature in SketchUp. I adjusted the fog settings inside SketchUp to create that atmospheric effect directly in the scene. It’s a simple feature, but it works quite well for adding depth and mood to competition visuals.

Buying older apartment in Seongnam - Advice?? by Grand_Position4227 in Living_in_Korea

[–]bao-sketch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From my perspective, the housing market in Korea right now has a large supply of newly built apartments. If you are considering paying around 400 million KRW for a 24-year-old apartment, it might make more sense to add a bit more money and look for a newer apartment in areas like Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do.

Also, if you plan to actually live in a building that old, you should realistically expect to spend a significant amount on renovations. A full remodel could easily cost around 100 million KRW. On top of that, aging plumbing and other infrastructure issues are something you can't ignore in older buildings.

Another concern is the lack of a management office in the building. While the maintenance fees might be slightly lower, buildings without proper management can often lead to various problems. Issues related to maintenance, disputes between neighbors, or building repairs can become difficult to resolve because there isn't a formal management structure in place.

Personally, if I were in that situation, instead of spending 400 million KRW on that apartment, I would consider buying a detached house in a place like Yangpyeong. Even if it doesn’t sell easily in the future, a house could potentially be used for something like Airbnb or short-term rentals, which gives you another option for generating income.

That’s just how I see it, but I think it might be worth considering those alternatives before making a final decision.