On the other hand, apartment prices are much lower in the small town of Seda, 26 kilometers away, where it is possible to buy an apartment for just 2,000 euros. However, future apartment owners have to expect both high heating bills and an environment where the Russian language is heard more often than elsewhere in Vidzeme region.
As previously reported by LSM several times, Valmiera municipality is trying to breathe new life into the depopulated former peat town by selling off vacant apartments at bargain prices via auction.
"Perhaps visually it looks like the environment is Russian, but in our opinion, there is everything a person needs to be able to live there – both a pharmacy and a shop," said one potential buyer who declined to give her name to Latvian Television.
"After evaluating our financial possibilities and that of our parents, we realized that we cannot afford to buy an apartment in Valmiera, but we could consider the possibility of buying an apartment in Seda at an auction and carrying out renovations," she said.
The maximum amount that this anonymous person would be willing to pay for such an apartment is 6,500 euros. Five apartments were sold in the first auction at prices of 2,000 to 3,000 euros each. In comparison, you can buy a two-room apartment in Valmiera starting from around 40,000 euros.
However, new owners of apartments in Seda should also expect that large financial investments will be needed for renovation and heating.
"[It costs] 460 euros [per month] for a three-room apartment and heating is four euros per square meter. The social service pays back part of that amount. For the last month that was 214 euros," says local resident Larisa [No surname given].
In the near future, it is planned to insulate two apartment blocks, attracting funds from both the municipality and European funds.
The next apartment auction in Seda is planned for a month's time. The municipality of Valmiera region owns around 100 apartments in the town of Seda. Currently, about 1,200 people live in the town.
