Thread: Moscow Housing

Nope, I went to the neurosurgeon and he said the only problem with my brain was that I was lacking the neuro receptors necessary to avoid internet conversations with fools.

How do you know so much about Moscow housing bad manners? Do you live there? Work there? Build houses there? (darn, I wish I could get a neuron transplant!)

So how many times more are you going to evade answering the question on wall thickness, JB?

I will "evade" the topic of wall thickness for eternity bad manners because discussing anyhing with you rapidly degenerates into a boring contest of you trying to "prove" that you are the only authority on anything and everything about Russia. The truth must be that all of us who live in Russia, visit Russia, or have any thoughts or observations about Russia are stupid, lying, morons. I am surprised that you are so tolerant of our silly discussions. Yet you continue to "evade" answering any questions that would give us insite into your knowledge and authority on Russia.

Quite remarkable. I must prove my "authority" on Russia when I merely ask about wall thickness. Nice try, JB.

Let me ask you this, Bad Manners.
I am visiting family right now and they have just bought a brand new Condominium. ..............I can hear the guy upstairs...... peeing, everytime. Do you have this type of "entertainment" in Russia?

I am not in Russia, and I do not have this type of entertainment. I can sometimes hear extremely loud sounds emitted from adjacent apartments in an apartment block... peeing, thankfully, is not an extremely loud sound. When I was in Russian apartment blocks, I had similar experience: only extremely loud sounds could cross apartment boundaries.

Originally Posted by DDT

Let me ask you this, Bad Manners.
I am visiting family right now and they have just bought a brand new Condominium. ..............I can hear the guy upstairs...... peeing, everytime. Do you have this type of "entertainment" in Russia?

How can they live like that? I lived in so-called "старые дома" - "the old-buildings", they were made about 50-60 years ago, there was absolutely quiet, so my new apartments a little bit surprised me. When I moved to my new apartments I was disappointed with loud sounds from everywhere - in the midnight I even could hear slightly like my neighbors shouting at each other (actually they are good neighbors), that's all, but hear peeing... I have no words! I live in a standart apartment block made in the 1996, so the sound proofing is not so perfect like in the old or the new ones.

I don't know a whole lot about building and maybe they do have earthquake codes here but I saw this condominium complex as it was being built a few years ago, while visiting here. I thought to myself, "Who the hell would buy a cracker box like that to live in?". I could see the cheap materials that were being used. The plywood was at least as good as card board. Well here I am staying in it right now. The fact is they all seem to be like this these days. I was talking about this several years ago with two friends of mine who had come to the US from Scotland. They were roofers by trade. They used to say that "if they built houses like this back in Scotland they would be condemmned for human habitation". I moved into an apartment once and the walls were so thin that I moved out again the very next morning. And this was in Los angeles. So much for earthquake proof.

I would love to find an affordable "old home" in Moscow! We live in a 1980's jumbo-plex with bad pipes and thin walls. Every morning we hear the neighbors arguments, howling dogs, and closet doors squeaking. If anyone knows of a flat for sale in an old (1940's-50's)building, let me know.

Originally Posted by JB

I would love to find an affordable "old home" in Moscow! We live in a 1980's jumbo-plex with bad pipes and thin walls. Every morning we hear the neighbors arguments, howling dogs, and closet doors squeaking.

Maybe you lived in so-called "коммуналка", in the one big apartment for several famileis? I lived in my own apartment, the room walls there were made of bricks and they are about 20+ cm thick + plaster. There was no sound from another apartments.

Thank God it isn't a communal apartment. I would have jumped out the window (we're on the 22 floor) long ago. We still live there but put it up for sale and are looking for a new flat to buy. I think it was just built cheaply and everything is finnally falling apart. (Or maybe it was always like this?)

Didn't you say that you were looking for housing in LA rather than in Moscow?

Hubby is in Moscow selling the flat and looking for new, I am in LA visiting family and checking out the housing market. Unfortunately both are VERY expensive and we are not having any luck. We may have to find another country.

Well, expensive in Moscow is a fraction of expensive in LA. On the other hand you might get a mortgage loan in LA, which you cannot in Moscow. What a choice. How about selling the flat in Moscow and relocating to somewhere else in Russia, where you can buy a palace for the same money?

We are looking at some of the small cities outside of Moscow, but riding the electrichka to work everyday will get to be a drag in a very short time. And LA prices have gone throught the roof this summer. We may have to wait a few months until both markets cool down.