Accommodation Type Guide
In Brussels you can find almost all types of accommodation that go with a city of this size. The most common are:
- Terraced Houses: A row of houses similarly built, often sharing a dividing wall and facing the same street, planned and built as one unit.
- Detached and semi-detached houses: Stand-alone or semi-stand alone houses.
- Apartments: A room or group of rooms in a building with more than one household; the whole complex may be owned by one individual/corporation.
- Condos: Apartments in a block that are individually owned.
- Townhouses: Rows of identical houses, side by side, sharing common walls.
Houses tend to be on the outskirts of the city centre area and apartments, condos and townhouses dominate closer to the main business areas. Areas with houses, however, are not very far from the city centre, often a short drive, metro, tram or bus trip away. If you want to own a house close to the business districts it is relatively easy to find options, though the further away from the centre you go, the bigger the yards become and depending on the neighborhood, may be less expensive. Advantages of buying an apartment in the city include the proximity to the main business, shopping and entertainment districts, though the price may be higher than if bought further out.
Though there is plenty of real estate around, finding exactly what you are looking for may take some time. The different ages of many buildings and differing levels of care and face-lifts mean you can spend a long time looking until you find what you want, in particular with apartments.
The obvious advantages of buying or renting a stand alone house are that it offers more privacy, and may come with a garden as well. Disadvantages are that the garden will need constant work and you may have to live farther from the city centre. Houses usually offer more interior space as well. With the other types of residences mentioned, you can be closer to the city, though privacy will not be as great and you will have to sacrifice on space, though the price you pay should be less. Also parking can be a problem when not living in a house as you may have to use street parking unless your complex has private parking spots for residents.
