Six years ago, I made a decision based on a simple dream.

I wanted to own an apartment.

In early 2016, I signed a contract for an apartment project developed through a local housing cooperative in Sajik-dong, Busan: Ssangyong The Platinum Sajik Asiad.

At the time, the Busan real estate market was very different from what it would later become.

Many people around me said things like:

“How much can apartment prices in Busan really go up?”

Back then, few people expected the dramatic changes that would follow.

But over the next several years, low interest rates and a strong real estate market pushed housing prices much higher.

At one point, the market value of the apartment reached a level far above the original purchase price.

Since then, the market has gone through a correction.

Even so, looking back at the long-term movement from the original purchase period, the value of the apartment has still changed significantly.

Real estate moves in cycles.

That is one of the biggest lessons I have learned over the years.

It can be dangerous to judge a property only by its price today or its price a few months from now.

Sometimes, the real story of a property can only be understood after several years.