Property aspect is the orientation of the main living space and balcony in relation to the sun. It is important in many home buyer’s criteria because it determines whether your internal living space will have plenty of natural light. This is particularly important when you are buying an apartment as you won’t have a 360 degree aspect like a house does.
Why should you care about apartment aspects
There are 3 primary reasons why you should care about apartment aspects.
- Natural light: Natural light is important for both your physical and mental health. It can help to regulate your sleep cycle, improve your mood, and boost your energy levels. Apartments with good natural light tend to be more desirable and command higher prices. Consider this when you sell your apartment in the future.
- Heat: The aspect of an apartment can also affect how much heat it receives. Apartments that face North or west tend to get more direct sunlight in Australia, which can make them warmer in the summer. Apartments that face South or East tend to get less direct sunlight, which can make them cooler in the summer.
- Views: The views from an apartment can be a major selling point. Apartments with views of parks, rivers, or other attractive features can be worth more than apartments with no views.
The different aspects and the time they get the sun:
- East facing aspect: Morning sun
- Pros: Best for the morning sun if you are an early riser.
- Cons: Darker throughout the duration of the day post morning.
- North facing aspect: Most likely to get direct natural light throughout the day
- Pros: This is usually the most in-demand properties as you get the most sun throughout the day.
- Cons: Due to this being the most in-demand, usually it is also the most expensive apartments in the building relative to each level.
- West facing aspect: Sun towards the late afternoon
- Pros: Being able to see the daily sunset and makes the room bright in the late afternoon.
- Cons: This can make the apartment especially hot during the summer periods.
- South facing aspect: The most limited in direct natural light and the darkest throughout the day
- Pros: Usually the cheapest out of the apartments as there is more demand for sunlight. This can potentially mean a higher rental yield once you find a rental tenant.
- Cons: Depending on the temperature control and humidity, South facing aspects are most likely to experience mould issues due to lack of direct sun.
If you are going to open inspections to buy an apartment, make sure you check out our apartment inspection checklist which helps you tick things off during your walk-through.
