From Swimming Pools to English Academies... Apartments Command 'Hundred-Million Won Premium' Through Community Differentiation

Larger Complexes Show Higher Competitiveness in Management Fees, Landscaping, and Community Facilities... Differences Also Seen in Housing Price Increases
Swimming Pools, English Academies, and Other Community Facilities Establish Large Complexes as Representative Areas

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] Recently, large-scale apartment complexes with over 1,000 households have been gaining popularity in the apartment market due to various advantages. Large complexes are economically advantageous as multiple households share management fees, and they also offer diverse landscaping and auxiliary facilities such as green spaces, sculptures, and walking trails.

In particular, community facilities are an essential advantage of large-scale apartment complexes. As construction companies actively seek to introduce specialized community facilities that other complexes lack, large complexes with ample space and guaranteed demand are well-suited to accommodate these differentiated communities.

According to industry sources on the 12th, large-scale apartment complexes equipped with differentiated community facilities have recently achieved excellent results in the subscription market.

‘e-Pyeonhansesang Geoje Euro Sky’ (1,113 households), supplied in Geoje, Gyeongnam in April, introduced specialized community facilities leveraging locational advantages such as open-air baths and sky lounges, successfully closing all types in the first subscription round with a highest competition rate of 198.67 to 1 and an average of 14.51 to 1.

Also, ‘Songdo Xi Crystal Ocean’ (1,503 households), supplied in Songdo, Incheon in January, attracted attention with community facilities like the sky bridge offering ocean views, recording a highest competition rate of 38.59 to 1 and an average of 20.82 to 1.

Large complexes with specialized communities also command premium prices exceeding hundreds of millions of won. A representative example is ‘Chuncheon Central Park Prugio,’ a 1,556-household complex scheduled for move-in this September. This complex drew attention as the region’s first education-specialized apartment offering a free English community for residents, in collaboration with YBM and Jongno M School. As a result, in April, a 124㎡ exclusive sale right was traded at 733.52 million won, about 260 million won higher than the sale price of 466.5 million won.

Yonggye Station Prugio Artsville perspective view.

Meanwhile, the supply of large-scale apartment complexes with community facilities that attract buyers’ attention continues.

Daewoo E&C is supplying ‘Yonggye Station Prugio Artsber’ this month at 575-12 and 492-1 Yonggye-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu. Developed through the Yonggye-dong urban development project, ‘Yonggye Station Prugio Artsber’ consists of two blocks, A1 and A2, with 12 buildings and 745 households in the first complex and 9 buildings and 568 households in the second, totaling 1,313 households. The buildings range from two basement floors to 15 above-ground floors, with exclusive areas from 59 to 99㎡.

The complex plans to differentiate itself from nearby complexes by establishing specialized community facilities such as a swimming pool and YBM language academy. Located near Yonggye Station, it is considered a transportation hub in Daegu with close access to Hwarang-ro, Beoman-ro, and Dongdaegu IC. It is also expected to benefit from major development projects such as the relocation of the military airport and the nearby Yulha Advanced Industrial Complex (scheduled for completion in 2022).

GS Construction is currently selling ‘Bongdam Xi Pride City’ in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The complex consists of 11 buildings ranging from four basement floors to 35 above-ground floors, with exclusive areas from 59 to 105㎡, totaling 1,701 households. It plans to include high-end community facilities such as a swimming pool, sauna, and guest house.

Samsung C&T is selling ‘Raemian One Bailey.’ The complex comprises 23 buildings ranging from four basement floors to a maximum of 35 above-ground floors, with exclusive areas from 46 to 234㎡, totaling 2,990 households. Community facilities will include a sky lounge, swimming pool, and golf practice range.

An industry official stated, “Large complexes with over 1,000 households are suitable for fierce competition among construction companies to offer specialized community facilities, as they have not only ample land but also enough residents to operate these communities. Especially, large complexes with rare community facilities have high potential to become landmarks representing their areas in the future, based on their rarity and symbolic value.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.