КоммерсантЪ-Дом: Atmosphere is not for sale

Ъ-Дом

Old settlements in the Moscow region are gradually turning into ordinary ones, losing their unique appearance. New owners, buying a house with history, almost never restore it, preferring to demolish what they consider old and worn out, and build something new, modern, and convenient. However, there are examples of settlements in the suburban real estate market where architects have revived the style of professor's dachas, or, as they are sometimes called, "Chekhovian" dachas.

Timeless Values

Real estate in old places, according to suburban real estate experts, always has its own audience. It is small: these clients make up no more than 5% of the total, but they are surprisingly constant. "Houses and land plots in such settlements are consistently in demand even in difficult economic conditions," says Ilya Menzhunov, director of the luxury real estate department at Metrium Group.

Although gated communities with their own infrastructure and uniform construction concepts have higher liquidity than old places with history, the supply in the latter is always limited. Therefore, if the houses are well located, they are quickly sold, despite the high price tag.

For the owners of this real estate, such a purchase is almost a spiritual value, similar to buying a work of art, notes Yulia Gro sheva, director of the suburban real estate department at Kalinka Group, so they rarely put it up for sale.

If country housing itself is not a necessity, then, undoubtedly, a "house with history" is a special luxury that a limited audience can afford, agrees her colleague Irina Kalinina, managing partner at Point Estate. "Such purchases are often made by oligarchs, for whom these places are associated with childhood and evoke nostalgic memories," the expert adds.

Price Negotiation is Inappropriate Here

Exclusive dachas, according to experts, are sold at budgets that are not the highest for the elite — on average, from $1 million to $3 million, but they can cost more, says Alexey Artemyev, director of the suburban real estate department at Tweed. Irina Kalinina talks about the acquisition of a plot in Peredelkino for $90,000 per hectare. "The client explained the purchase by the desire to live next to famous people and the fact that the place, in his words, is 'blessed,' so it is worth that much," the expert says.

Some buyers are indeed willing to pay for the history, for the famous names of previous owners, but certainly not all. "So-called properties with history are, on average, sold for 10% more than neighboring properties," shares observations Vladimir Yakhontov, managing partner at MIEL Country Real Estate.

And sometimes such dachas are sold for a fraction of the price of the land, according to Tweed. For example, if the building is in a semi-ruined state and is located in an inappropriate place. For example, the owners of Nadezhda Krupskaya's dacha on Ilyinsky Highway have been unable to sell it for several years. "At first, the price per hectare was $90,000, then $60,000, and now the owners are willing to lower it to $35,000," says Mr. Artemyev.

Other owners, apparently not in dire need of money, are not in a hurry to lower the price, confident in the uniqueness of their offer. Elena Jurgenova, regional director of the elite residential real estate department at Knight Frank Russia & CIS, gives an example of a house in Peredelkino on Minskoye Highway, offered for rent and for sale. According to the expert, the price is overpriced by 50%, but there is no talk of a discount. "After all, there are no more old places like this," explains Ms. Jurgenova the logic of the owners.

Another property in the same Peredelkino was put up for sale this year for $10 million, and there were even people willing to buy it, but certainly not at that price, says Yulia Gro sheva. "The owner preferred to take his property off the market: he didn't want to haggle," adds the expert.

Demolition

When buying a house with history, new owners rarely seek to preserve the building itself, let alone its historical appearance. The special old-fashioned architecture, such as classic Russian estates with mezzanines, bright glazed verandas, or terraces, does not have value for them.

"Most buyers want to build a new building according to their personal needs, using modern materials and technologies, as well as in accordance with their ideas of ideal country housing," says Maxim Leschev, CEO of Geo Development. As a rule, modern cottages and mansions with a simple architecture and an area of 350-500 sq. m are increasingly being built in old settlements, adds Ilya Menzhunov.

This happens despite the fact that many of these settlements suffer from

But only a few people have such reverence for their surroundings, often looking at houses where famous artists, writers, and scientists lived as an annoying obstacle on the way to a new and convenient country life. "That's why they often break them down and build stone ones - this is characteristic of 90% of houses," explains Vladimir Yakhontov. According to him, approximately 5% involves partial reconstruction of an old house in cases where the building is beautiful and in good condition. But even such houses always have a new part added to them. The remaining 5% of new owners build wooden houses, striving to reproduce the style of a "Chekhovian" dacha in a new construction.

Now in Peredelkino, two such dachas are being sold, says Alexei Artemyev. They were built from scratch on purchased old dacha plots and are intended for rare connoisseurs. However, the expert notes that even in these cases, it is appropriate to speak only of echoes of the "Chekhovian style," rather than exact copying.

In pursuit of the past

Nevertheless, voluntary restorers of antiquity are sometimes found, not only among private buyers of such real estate but also among developers. For example, the builders of the "Stolnoye" settlement, occupying 45 hectares on Minskoye Highway and including 64 houses, designed it in a classic style, constructing several classical Russian estates. "Stolnoye" adjoins the famous writers' village, and although the houses there are more grandiose than the old writers' dachas, the attempt to preserve the spirit of the area is evident.

Currently, according to Welhome, there are five houses for sale in "Stolnoye" ranging in size from 800 to 1,500 square meters and priced from $1.7 million to $10.3 million, as well as several plots ranging from 39 to 103 acres for $55 thousand per acre. By the way, when buying a plot here, it is not possible to build anything you want: according to the contract, it is necessary to adhere to a single architectural concept that is accepted throughout the settlement.

Developers of the "Tseleyevo Golf and Polo Club" residential community on the 42nd kilometer of Dmitrovskoye Highway have gone even further. In 2010, the territory with a total area of 300 hectares was planned, and architect Sergey Shvedov, a adherent of the classical style, designed a unified ensemble of 14 houses in the style of professorial dachas from the Stalin era.

Currently, six of them have been built, with five already sold, and there is only one completed mansion with finished rooms, priced at 55 million rubles, as well as seven plots ranging from 17 to 27 acres, each of which includes a ready-made foundation and engineering communications with mandatory construction contracts.

Like in "Stolnoye," here only a house that harmonizes with the rest can be built, with even the facade color and fence height being regulated by the contract: no solid walls two to three human heights around the houses are allowed here, only a low wooden fence.

"Purchases here are mainly made by recommendation," says the GC GOST. "Of course, given our focus, the main target audience is professional golf and polo players, as well as enthusiasts of these sports.

Currently, while sales are ongoing, "Tseleyevo" is open to everyone and tournaments are held here for both sports, with two cottages available for rent and an eight-room hotel, which is almost always occupied on weekends by people who love to play on one of the most challenging courses in the Moscow region. However, when all 14 families occupy their properties, at their discretion, the club can become private.

Challenged by the urban environment

Close to old settlements, which are usually located not far from Moscow and are easy to reach by train, high-rise development is approaching, which undoubtedly destroys the atmosphere of country life. It is difficult to feel in harmony with the surrounding nature when new neighbors look at your country plot from the 9th or even 14th floor.

The notorious Khimki Forest, the outskirts of Odintsovo, Krasnogorsk, Nakhabin, Balashikha - in short, almost all old dacha places suffer from the invasion of high-rises. For example, on Borovskoye Highway, in close proximity to the Novoperedelkino village, a large residential complex, "Tatyana Park," is currently under construction. Territories near old settlements such as Meschersky, Nemchinovka, Romashkovo, and Kommunarka are being built up on a mass scale. "Everything that is close to Moscow now becomes an urban environment," says Maxim Leschev.

However, the main danger now lies not in high-rise buildings, which are still trying not to be built too close to dacha houses, but in the popular low-rise buildings - four to five-story apartment buildings promoted by developers as residential buildings shaping a civilized suburb. "Low-rise construction is gradually occupying vast territories," says architect Sergey Nepomnyashchiy, head of the Heliotes Institute. "And the more it spreads, the higher the risk of the emergence of high-rise buildings next to it, which systematically replace low-rise houses." These are the traditional stages of urban development, continues the architect, this is how megacities grow all over the world.

It is almost impossible to resist the invasion of urban housing: existing urban planning norms do not prevent the construction