The Heat is on!
August is with us, and the high season is in. A brisk trade for all the hoteliers, restaurant owners and beach clubs.
In real estate however this month is synonymous with slugishness. Sales usually drop as most buyers prefer to take to the beach, or retreat to the air conditioned rooms within their homes instead of trawling the streets searching for that elusive dream house at a bargain price.
August however is the month which will reveal the hidden qualities of our traditional maltese houses. I am always full of admiration for those long gone builders and architects who designed, oriented, and built these temperature self regulating houses.
Yesterday I was given the keys to such a property to carry out a detailed inspection and put it on the market. Closed and unlived in for a year now, since the owners inherited another property, this townhouse was still cool and refreshing on the inside, and as soon as I had opened the back door onto the yard, and a couple of windows upstairs, a breeze ran through the corridors and rooms along an evidently pre established course. Pre established of course by the architect, and delivered efficiently by the builders. Such houses are a pleasure to live in, the electricity bills in summer are a fraction of what they would run up to in a modern, fully air conditioned building, and of course living in such an enviroment is much healthier.
In winter, the same is true. Last year, in February, I remember showing a sea front townhouse in Xemxija, and the weather outside was just short of a storm. Cold and raining. On entering the townhouse my clients immediately remarked how warm and homely the place was, even though it was uninhabited. The high ceilings, thick walls and wooden shutters still performed their magic, and yet again the result will translate in lower electricity bills and a healthier home enviroment.
In real estate however this month is synonymous with slugishness. Sales usually drop as most buyers prefer to take to the beach, or retreat to the air conditioned rooms within their homes instead of trawling the streets searching for that elusive dream house at a bargain price.
August however is the month which will reveal the hidden qualities of our traditional maltese houses. I am always full of admiration for those long gone builders and architects who designed, oriented, and built these temperature self regulating houses.
Yesterday I was given the keys to such a property to carry out a detailed inspection and put it on the market. Closed and unlived in for a year now, since the owners inherited another property, this townhouse was still cool and refreshing on the inside, and as soon as I had opened the back door onto the yard, and a couple of windows upstairs, a breeze ran through the corridors and rooms along an evidently pre established course. Pre established of course by the architect, and delivered efficiently by the builders. Such houses are a pleasure to live in, the electricity bills in summer are a fraction of what they would run up to in a modern, fully air conditioned building, and of course living in such an enviroment is much healthier.
In winter, the same is true. Last year, in February, I remember showing a sea front townhouse in Xemxija, and the weather outside was just short of a storm. Cold and raining. On entering the townhouse my clients immediately remarked how warm and homely the place was, even though it was uninhabited. The high ceilings, thick walls and wooden shutters still performed their magic, and yet again the result will translate in lower electricity bills and a healthier home enviroment.
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