Townhouses were invented in America in order to save materials, because they have common walls between the sections. In Russia, such a model was introduced to save the earth. We have this kind of buildings have been build on the good areas and not for the poorest of the public - at least in the city. Country town houses are worth less than the individual cottages, but, nevertheless, they are still far from being the 'shelter for all', as in the West.

So, the townhouses are semi-detached houses of 2-3 floors with a small outdoors section (2-3 hundred square) or without it. They have not only the common ends of the wall, but the overall communication. A modern town house, defines Ivan Vorobyov, an analyst at suburban real estate corporation `Incom Properties', this two-storey house for several families, whose main advantage - relatively low price for the 'country house', and the disadvantages are the lack of a full size plot and the presence of neighbors behind the wall . Generally, town house - is a hybrid between a full-fledged suburban house and city apartment, notices Dmitry Borisov, a leading specialist company `Contact - Luxury properties`.

Country townhouses are designed for permanent residence, so they are building not far from the city. `90% of villages with houses located in the 10-15-kilometer zone from the Moscow Ring Road - states Ivan Vorobyov. - Proportion of settlements with the townhouses of the total market of cottage villages near Moscow is no more than 5-10% `. These, however, include such successful projects as the municipalities `Barvikha-2`, `Barvikha Club` and `Florence` on Rublevke, `Archangel ',` Korovino `and` lake `Княжье to Novorizhskoe highway,` `Nightingale Grove, Dubrovka ``, `Green House Desna` for Kaluga.

`At present, 47 villages in the Moscow region town houses, - sums up the head of our country real estate` residence `corporation` Incom Properties `Elena Matveeva. - Including the Yaroslavl Highway - 8, at the Dmitrov - 7, in the Kaluga - 6, at Pyatnitskaya - 5, at the New Riga - 4, at Rublyovskoye Highway - 4. For other areas - 1-2 `.

But towns united live market townhouses. In 1 km from Moscow on Skolkovsky highway is a stand-alone complex - palace and park ensemble Meschersky `` built by `engineering` Benefit and includes 10 townhouses. There are no areas outdoors is not at all, but there is a large common yard, as well as general park, an orchard and a pond.

Why did they build

Townhouses build very profitable, it is noted by all experts. `In the area of land to the developer liquid is also scarce, as in Moscow - uverzhdaet director of production company 'Benefit Engineering` Alexander Isaev. - Of course, the developer tries to make the best possible use of their 10-20 hectares. In the area 2,5 ha is possible to construct 20 townhouses and 7 cottages `. The difference in price between these types of housing, of course, there is, but it is not so great. And sometimes grounds on which townhouses are being built, so attractive that consumers are willing to pay as much and for a cottage.

Moreover townhouses easier to `write 'to the existing plot. It's good for the builder, but not always - for the buyer. Here is what a consultant on the country real estate company Kirsanova Realty Felix Leshchenko: `Ideally, the townhouses should be positioned as a separate segment, aiming at specific audiences. Unfortunately, more often in another way: the developers planned a town, zoned inner territory, under the houses and cottages took the best land, and the residual value, at a noisy road or adjacent to the chaotic building `stuck` townhouses. What else do with this land? Developers can understand: from the project must be `squeezed` maximum profit, take risks unmarketable selling plots on the road. And townhouses this task. In addition, the developer `played` at different market segments, which also prevents some risks. The most important thing - do not bend the stick to avoid the impression of chaos within the construction village, the inhabitants of nearby cottages were concerns about a class of his estate, and townhouse dwellers do not feel 'poor relations'.

The prevalence of such a principle of development, when the more liquid parts are put expensive houses, and less successful, to sell that one owner is difficult, the developer is townhouses or multi-storey house, confirms and Natalia Peysikova, analyst at Soho Realty. `This approach maximizes cost-conscious use of land resources, while maintaining a high rate of profitability of the project`, - she sums up.

As entire villages townhouses, then, according to Hope Grebennikova, chief of the projects the company `TERRA-property ', it is compacted construction projects and construction of these settlements may be at field sites, close enough to the city. And also if a small area of the land and does not allow to build a full-fledged cottage settlement, adds Natalia Kurashova, PR-director of Renaissance Realty.

Dmitry Borisov notes that developers are erecting more municipalities and because this segment is relatively inexpensive suburban housing is not yet very developed and it is not enough competition. After all these years are built elite cottage villages with large areas and large in area homes. Worthy offers townhouses are still lacking.

By the way, with good profitability townhouses sell them harder. `If the design of cottage village selling it almost immediately after registration of land, even before the start of construction, then sell the virtual town house is practically impossible, - says Elena Matveeva. - The buyer prefers to let them see with their eyes unfinished, but already in the process of building object. Thus, the possibility of early involvement of customers in the sale of townhouses becomes problematic `.

Everything for Sale

Alexander Isaev believes that the townhouses on Russia's real estate market - this is the case when the proposal has given birth to the demand. Necessity compels developers to build townhouses, and then they are and buyers.

The latter are, first, relatively affordable prices. Average cost per square meter at home, according to the company Soho Realty, hovering around $ 2 thousand per sq.m - for the section area of 250 sq ft with a land size of 2-3 weave. The lower price limit of townhouses on the market - $ 1 thousand per square meter (for Volokolamskoe, Leningrad highway). According to the company `TERRA-property ', on ruble-Uspensky highway ready-built town house in the village is worth up to $ 5 thousand per sq. In `` Meshersky (because of proximity to the city) a square meter is $ 4,5 thousand

In addition, the interlock house all communication is carried out and included in the cost per square meter, while after buying the cottage is often necessary to pay for leads for communications (which is very substantial costs). Monthly payments for the operation of homes in townhouses are also smaller.

`The format of housing demand, primarily representatives of the so-called middle class, - says Natalya Peysikova. - They are young people with active lifestyles. Such buyers are ready to buy property for permanent residence near Moscow (in order to make it convenient to travel to work), but do not yet have enough money to buy a detached cottage on a large plot of land. Townhouses - format, better for these people `.

Natalia Kurashova adds to the portrait of the buyer as follows: `People who buy townhouses in the Moscow region, want to get all the advantages of living outside the city, but do not want to spend time and money for the resettlement country sites, ie prefer to live outside the city in city `.

Great importance for buyers is the location of the object: customers will look at distance from the Moscow Ring Road, on the availability of developed infrastructure (kindergartens, schools, shops). `It is anticipated that residents of townhouses is more important than transport accessibility - confirms Hope Grebennikov - rather than the unique ecology, forests, tens hectare in area, quiet and solitude of country life that are so valued residents' cottages.

To clearly separate this segment from the segment of the cottages, the area of such facilities should not exceed 150-250 m `The experience of developers, - says Felix Leshchenko - provides optimal proportions suburban townhouse: approximately 200-250 sq ft of internal space, 3 floors, area outdoors area at least 3-4 weave. Although the size of outdoors area seriously affect the price of suburban land, particularly in Rublevo-Assumption and Novorizhskoye highway. In many ways it is the cost of City center for the developer determines whether the implementation of a project. For the feasibility of townhouses premium cost of this, in my opinion, should not exceed $ 25-30 thousand sq.m. `.

According to various experts, the proposal suburban townhouses range from 1 to 10% of the total market of the country estate. Now is not the most popular housing, but this segment is bound to grow because the demand for affordable housing near the city is very high. Some market participants believe that the growth proposals townhouses in Moscow prices for houses will go up.

However, at present, the market townhouses are not completely formed. No decent amount and quality of proposals, and the level of demand so far is small. Maybe, just because of the fact that the main consumer of housing such a format - `middle class', as he is in Russia so far is just being formed.