Maybe it may sound weird to tell your partner or best friend that you would actually prefer to spend a weekend on your own than in their company but sometimes that is just the case. And it does not mean that you do not love them or appreciate their company. It is just that sometimes you have simply lost touch of yourself, are not in tune with your own desires and somehow feel completely burnt out and lost. Besides, if you do not feel happy on your own or you just feel too irritated for some reason (may it be for job or some health issues), it is hard to have a good time with your loved-ones. Sometimes all you need is a little bit of time to think and spend time in your own company.
Lately, I have been feeling that I really do need to get away from my everyday life as I am not sure in which direction I am heading nor professionally, nor relationship-wise. And I am just dreaming about some escape that would finally allow me to spend some time on my own. Pondering on this idea, I came to consider buying an apartment in Liepaja. Apartments in Liepaja are generally cheaper than they are in the capital, and at the same time it is a city of culture as there are museums and a theatre. It is a port city - and no better place to be than next to the seaside. Liepaja has it all - both nature and city-attractions.
Liepaja could just be the right escape city that I have been dreaming about… So I decided to learn more about the opportunities to buy a happy holiday apartment in Liepaja where I could go whenever I felt like I needed to put myself together and spend some time alone. At the same time, buying a flat in Liepaja may not be just for my own vacation purposes - it may serve as my own business. So, buying an apartment in Liepaja may actually be killing two birds with one stone. Airbnb has become a popular business platform for everyone that owns an apartment. And why not open my Airbnb apartment in Liepaja?
How much do apartments in Liepaja cost?
Even though it is possible to find more economical options in the real estate market of Liepaja in comparison to the market of Riga, it still would be far from the truth to say that there are many cheap apartments in Liepaja. When it comes to new projects, actually apartment prices in Liepaja are as high as they are in the capital. Even though it is possible to buy a 1-room apartment in Liepaja for just about 20 000 EUR, it should be taken into account that the buildings very often are not of the best quality. So it may not be an investment that would pay off in the long run.
However, these apartments are still in good condition, and they are definitely suitable for living. So if old building facades do not scare you, you may even find an acceptable flat offer in Liepaja for under 20 000 EUR. There are some flats that are sold for about 10 000 EUR but most often they need some serious fixing up in order to make the apartment a homely place for living.
If we compare the apartments in Liepaja that are sold in the old soviet Stalin or Khrushchev buildings and similar apartments in Riga neighbourhoods, then the Liepaja offer is definitely much cheaper. In Riga, such apartments would cost at least twice as much.
How much do houses in Liepaja cost?
Taking into account the comparatively friendly costs of apartments in Liepaja, it is definitely worth checking out the offer of private houses as well. Actually, buying a house in Liepaja may even be cheaper than buying a flat in Liepaja. For example, a little mobile home of about 12 m2 can be bought even under 10 000 EUR. In this case, all that is needed is a piece of land.
And the land in Liepaja definitely is cheaper than it is in the capital. For example, in the new private house district of Liepaja, it is possible to buy a piece of land for just 15 000 EUR. Also more expensive pieces of land can obviously be bought but some more offers under 20 000 EUR can definitely be found. It makes the overall price of your new Liepaja house just about 30 000 EUR.
The prices of houses (in comparison to apartments in Liepaja) are definitely not as promising when it comes to already-made-houses. Even a house in a bad condition costs about 30 000 EUR. Even for 100 000 EUR it is hard to find a good house in Liepaja. Then it is definitely cheaper to build one yourself with the help of an architect, and the final result will definitely be also more nature-friendly and aesthetic. I definitely cannot see value in investing any money in some old buildings that still require as much investment to restore.
How far is Liepaja?
Finally, after having come to the conclusion that buying an apartment in Liepaja is not so expensive and there are some very economical options in the market, there is just one last thing to learn - why should I buy my new getaway apartment in this city?
First, it is worth considering the distance between Riga and Liepaja. And this is where my ecstatic excitement slowly takes me back to reality… It is about a 3-hour drive on a car and about a 4-hour drive on a bus. So it takes about a 1 day journey to and back. And, well, it is quite a lot of time, and when it comes to this, I am not sure I would be ready to travel so far maybe once in two weeks just to spend an evening alone. Maybe then it is more reasonable just to book a hotel room for just one night somewhere nearby Riga. It may even be cheaper if I calculate all my gasoline costs for this trip…
What I wanted to discuss secondly were the advantages of Liepaja. But those are actually quite obvious. There is sea, beautiful restaurants, good music, a famous concert hall that attracts artists all over the world and even universities. It may be a city to travel to for studies.
However, all my plans with buying an apartment in Liepaja come to a halt just by realising the great distance. So if I think about Liepaja, at the end all I can say is just that it is too far. It may be not so far to visit it once a year but for an escape holiday apartment I wish to visit about once in two weeks, it is definitely too far.
Well, my Airbnb apartment business and my future holiday apartment should be located somewhere closer… But for now, I will just stick to escaping the city on my own to different places each time. And maybe it is even better than always returning to the same place? I may even fly to Vilnius and back faster than go to Liepaja.
Well, this is where my fascination with buying an apartment in Liepaja and my messy article ends… I believe we all have at least once been in that place in our lives where we think that the grass is greener on the other side of the road and that some other place is better than the place where we are at right now. But the truth is - we just do not know what we want. And sometimes we just want what is not right for us…