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Tasteful friends: two apartments in Recoleta, Buenos Aires in the French taste: $490K & $769K

Both are in the Beaux Arts

Apartment 1 - $490,000 USD - Callao Av. 600 - 2250 square feet (209m2); 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, hall, living room, dining room and kitchen, cast iron balconies to street and views to a landscaped atrium at rear. The kitchen could be more beautiful, but the rooms, especially the front rooms with their wainscoting and applied plaster mouldings are elegant. (The maintenance fees are quoted as 28,000 Argentine pesos = $207 -- fees are very low in Buenos Aires)

Apartment 2 - $769,100 - Las Heras al 1700 - area not stated; 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms + 1 w/c (listing wrongly states 1); elegant architecture throughout; entry hall, living room, dining room, office, kitchen with dining space; a principal bedroom with bath and dressing rooms and a separate hall with 5 further bedrooms. There's an elevator and the building has 6 floor-through apartments and a smaller apartment on the ground floor, probably a porter's apartment in the past and perhaps now. It's 4 blocks from the Cementerio Recoleta. If I had to fault it for anything it's the lack of outdoor space beyond the balconies, but thereś a lovely shared terrace on top of the house with a barbeque and 'the apartment has its own room on the terrace (former driver's room) that is really used to store everything you need to use the terrace comfortably.'

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by Anonymousreply 31August 19, 2022 10:54 AM

Apartment 2, the more luxurious.

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by Anonymousreply 1August 17, 2022 1:41 PM

They both are great apartments, with inexplicably shitty furniture for the most part - and they arent staged either, its the owners (or more likely tenants) crap going by the pics. The kitchens in both arent great, but they're good enough. Its the price you pay for living in such beautiful old buildings I guess, and they can always be upgraded.

Decorated and furnished in traditional style both these places could be next level stunning, and apparently the original ornate furniture that these places would have had is quite widely and cheaply available in Buenos Aires. I've been there a few years back, was staying near Recoleta, it really is a beautiful part of the city. The Argentine economy is pretty ropey though and I dont know how safe it is, seemed OK when I was there, no worse than a lot of Western cities to be honest

by Anonymousreply 2August 17, 2022 3:59 PM

Right, R2. Staging, which DLers like to assume is a given for the most modest of chicken coops in any part of the world, is not a big thing in Buenos Aires. At any slice of the market.

Even apartments in beautiful old buildings like these that last functioned as law or professional offices, they rarely do more than remove the desks and work chairs. Institutional bookcases, corporate conference tables, suspended tube office lighting...it's usually left in place. Easier for the seller, if an eventual nuisance for the buyer.

But yes, both could be stunning apartments with some good furniture and art.

by Anonymousreply 3August 17, 2022 4:09 PM

I would have to live on a top floor. I always end up with some heavy footed fatty above me.

by Anonymousreply 4August 17, 2022 10:16 PM

I like the idea of top floors, R4, but the reality is usually disappointing. In older buildings the architectural embellishment, the ceiling heights, the window sizes often diminish on the top floor.

Here you can't see well from the street view, but the too floor, set back a bit behind a heavy cornice it seems, looks to have lower ceilings. The roof terrace is nice - I'd hope for a very elderly group of neighbors who might find it chilly or breezy and avoid the shared space. With 7 neighbors, there is probably not much competition up on the roof.

I've never had a noisy upstairs neighbor, but would had if I did.

by Anonymousreply 5August 18, 2022 12:31 AM

Before I moved out of NYC, my last upstairs neighbor was a skinny hipster who stomped like a fucking moose. We asked him to try to be quieter, get runs in high traffic areas. We were nice about it. He doubled down and got a HUGE DOG that barked and ran around all day and night. My prayers were answered when he took the dog for a walk, it pulled him on an area of ice in Riverside park, and he broke his leg and hip. This was around the same time our elevator was going to be ripped out and a new one installed, leaving the building without one for about six months. He was forced to move since he was not going to get up seven flights on crutches.

I prayed for the death of Heather Chandler many times and I felt bad everytime I did it but I kept doing it anyway. Now I know you understood everything. Praise Jesus, Hallelujah.

by Anonymousreply 6August 18, 2022 3:29 AM

I lived on the top floor of a 4-story walkup, San Francisco. It was a modern-type building (not Victorian or Edwardian). If you can believe it, the 3rd floor neighbors were fucking LOUD. I moved out, but my roommate / landlord stayed. He ended up selling and moving because he couldn't handle the 3rd floor neighbors.

by Anonymousreply 7August 18, 2022 3:39 AM

R2 Argentinean here, yes, the economy is ropey but if you have an income in dollars you can live like an absolute King. It's relatively safe though. Another underrated neighborhood for beautiful houses in BA is Belgrano.

by Anonymousreply 8August 18, 2022 3:46 AM

Thanks, R8. The quality --and quantity-- of domestic architecture from the early 20thC really is exceptional and puts all but a rather small group of other cities to shame for anything roughly comparable.

And the average price per square meter in the city center is $2628 per square meter ($244/square foot), less than half that of Glasgow, Ho Chi Minh City, Lisbon, Madrid, Minneapolis, or Jacksonville Florida; prices in London or NYC are 500% higher, in Washington DC 400% higher, in Paris 365% higher.

Here's one in Belgrano, 86 square meters (926 square feet) for $280K USD.

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by Anonymousreply 9August 18, 2022 10:18 AM

Another in Belgrano, 120 square meters (1300 square feet) for $345,000 USD (offered on other listings at $320,000). And if you bought it furrnished, you could invite a guest to have a lie down on the chaise and tell you how he feels about his mother.

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by Anonymousreply 10August 18, 2022 10:22 AM

I would be willing to get fucked in any of them.

- Master of Interiors

by Anonymousreply 11August 18, 2022 10:24 AM

R8 thank, that is interesting that BA is actually relatively safe, makes it a very attractive proposition

The apartments in R9 and R10 are good value but dont have any of the beautiful period detail or architecture the ones OP posted do

by Anonymousreply 12August 18, 2022 5:23 PM

R9 that apartment is on Calle 11 de Septiembre (September 11th street) don't let the name scare you, it is one of my absolute favorite streets in BA. Beautifully tree lined and residential.

by Anonymousreply 13August 18, 2022 5:27 PM

R8...yes, like I said, relatively, but its still a major city in Latam so you should always take standard precautions. The statistics will show that it's definitely one of the safest of the region, though.

by Anonymousreply 14August 18, 2022 5:30 PM

R14 yes, it sounds like if you're always sober, cautious and have good situational awareness plus you are always alert for anything untoward than you'll be fine there. That was my impression of it while I was there.

By the way, the Reserva Ecologica Costanera Sur - does that get cruisy? I went for a walk all around there, daytime, and I definitely got a cruisy vibe in a few parts

by Anonymousreply 15August 18, 2022 5:40 PM

R12: I picked a couple that were nicer examples of average at lower prices than the first two -- more representative than exceptional both in cost and quality.

If I were not already happily settled and were looking to change countries, especially as a freelancer/digital nomad or retiree, I would give serious thought to Buenos Aires. It's an interesting city, with some amazing architecture and culture, impossible to know for its wild size, and with a lot to recommend it. Cost of living is remarkably low, even more than real estate prices suggest. It's not a place without problems, of course; not a sleepy and idyllic Cabot Cove but a metro area of 17.5M people,

Latin America and the Caribbean have a disproportionate representation in violent crime statistics, but Argentina and BA are nowhere near the top 50, nor anywhere near the top 50 major cities for murder (though 5 U.S. cities do make that cut.) BA though is one of the safest large cities in Latin America. Homicide rate in Argentina is 5.3 compared to U.S. 5.0, Brazil 27.4, México 29, Canadá 1.76, and Greenland 5.3; for comparison, EU countries range 0.XX to 1.XX.

by Anonymousreply 16August 18, 2022 6:33 PM

Apparently we have a not insignificant number of South American posters.

I wish they would identify themselves once in a while. A gurl needs variety in the DL Trailer Court!

by Anonymousreply 17August 18, 2022 6:42 PM

I just spent 6 weeks in BA and I never felt unsafe. Obviously there are dodgy areas like in all cities, but you aren't going to wander into them by accident. I also love the Belgrano area with its small Chinatown - the only place to find a lot of imported food items (not only Asian) in the city.

by Anonymousreply 18August 18, 2022 6:46 PM

How was the food, r18!

- The How Was the Food Troll

by Anonymousreply 19August 18, 2022 6:51 PM

I really like that grey on grey paint job in OP’s pic, real classy-type!

It looks like the interior of the original Stepford Wives’ house, which was very elegant.

by Anonymousreply 20August 18, 2022 6:52 PM

[quote]How was the food, [R18]!

Lots of beef, pasta, pizza, Italian pastries...all very tasty but not so good for my diet! It could be a bit monotonous for some people. Of course one can find more international cuisine, but to be honest, I didn't make an effort. If I were there for a longer time, I would have branched out more.

by Anonymousreply 21August 18, 2022 7:37 PM

And another...

In Palermo, a penthouse of a smaller house built as two units, this upper apartment having a separate entrance (and great marble stair) to the first floor and then a finished with a small penthouse space of a couple rooms plus a sheltered area, a barbeque, and open terrace. There are 3850 square feet (357 m2), with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathroooms, and 1 w/c.

It's not looking its best with rooms less Boho Chic than boho in need of a good scrubbing, but what it needs most is some repainting and sprucing up and better furnishing and art. The main rooms are especially good: the balconies, the stained glass used as partition walls, the hydraulic tile and wood flooring, and the high ceilings, and that private terrace, too. The kitchen could benefit from a doing over and there are other improvements that could be made, but mostly it wants cleaning out and cleaning up and starting again. It's a great space.

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by Anonymousreply 22August 18, 2022 9:02 PM

I would imagine that the healthcare system is dreadful in BA.

by Anonymousreply 23August 18, 2022 9:24 PM

[quote]I would imagine that the healthcare system is dreadful in BA.

If only there were some way to find an answer...

By LPI ranking, Argentina is 63rd in the world (U.S. is 18); by CEO ranking, Argentina is 27th in the world (U.S. is 30th)

For comparison, France and Spain have very similar scores LPI at 22nd and 24th places; CEO at 7th and 8th; Germany LPI is 8th and CEO 17th

Argentina provides free health care to resident foreigners. Private insurance is available from under $20/month with the typical plan costs $40/50 USD/monthly. This allows the insured to see private doctors quickly, see an English-speaking doctor, schedule visits and procedures with greater ease, or take services at private hospitals (70% of the country's 5000 hospitals.)

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by Anonymousreply 24August 18, 2022 9:57 PM

One thing I always found interesting about Argentina is that they have the highest number of psychologists per capita in the world. I haven't spent enough time there to draw any conclusions about the average person's mental health compared to other countries. But it does seem that despite the precarious state of the economy, people mostly take it in stride and just get on with it.

by Anonymousreply 25August 18, 2022 10:57 PM

You old coots planning to move to Buenos Aires? You'll be invisible at your age. And lonely.

by Anonymousreply 26August 18, 2022 11:18 PM

Then I will burgle with abandon, r26!

by Anonymousreply 27August 18, 2022 11:37 PM

Everything of value has probably been sold out of the country for grocery money.

by Anonymousreply 28August 18, 2022 11:38 PM

Shit.

by Anonymousreply 29August 18, 2022 11:41 PM

Give me credit

I’ll find ways of paying

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by Anonymousreply 30August 18, 2022 11:42 PM

R25 I would say it's less about mental health and more about narcicism. We love to talk about ourselves.

by Anonymousreply 31August 19, 2022 10:54 AM
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