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Well, apartment living could now be a life-threatening habit. One prominent virologist has pointed out that most apartment block A/C systems were never designed to remove viruses. With the exception of smallish blocks where each apartment has its own system, apartment living seems ideal for spreading infection. Travelling in a lift adds to the risk. I think people are voting with their feet and their health.
The Opal debacle raises the general point: how can one ever know whether an apartment tower is soundly built? Between developers without ethics and governments that have abdicated regulatory responsibility,there is very little chance that an average buyer has any way of knowing of some major underlying defect that could render an apartment unsaleable and unliveable in 6, 12, or 18 years. With a freestanding house, a competent building inspector might spot major problems before a buyer commits. No such option appears available to an apartment buyer.
Perhaps the only course is to buy an apartment some 40 years old. By then, major problems should be evident, and the modernisation bill quantifiable. Otherwise, stay out of the market and rent.