When we buy a top floor unit, the subliminal egoistic reasons can be as simple as:
1) I can shit on you, you can't shit on me
2) I'm on top of the world feeling (like standing on a mountain summit)
Other than that, the main non-psychological (can see; can touch) reason is probably to get a good, better, best view!
That's why we are willing to pay more for a hotel room with a awesome view of the lake, the ocean, the mountains, etc...
Would you pay a premium for a flat or condo on the top floor with lousy or no view?
So do your homework!
Don't be paying top dollar for a top floor unit only to have that wonderful view cutoff by another idiot development a few years down the line...
When you are looking into someone else's kitchen or living room, what's the difference if you are doing it from a top floor, from mid-level, or from the lowest unit?
For those who have a preoccupation with heat, just so you know, orientation like North/South facing versus East/West facing can be more impactful than how high or low your apartment unit is.
Then again, there are inventions called air-con, blinds, curtains, solar blocking films to reduce heat in your apartment.
Have you noticed there are people who will close their windows and draw their curtains/blinds and shield themselves completely from the outside world 24 hours a day?
If you are such a Dracula person, it can be a wonderful arbitrage opportunity if you choose the lowest unpopular floor instead!
For example, the price difference at my HDB BTO flat for a 3 room between the highest and lowest floor is $100K.
If you add the bank interests for a 20 or 30 year loan, that's quite a bit of savings!
Of course this works only if you buy to stay; not with an eye to sell in future.
If you buy with an eye to sell, what you like or prefer don't matter.
Which means if you "think" you were smart to buy one floor below the top floor, using the top floor as a heat buffer, well, that makes as much sense as saying you're a 3/4 virgin!
Take those older HDB boxy rectangular flats. The corner units are sold at a premium over the other regular flats on the same floor in the resale market.
No one would pay a corner flat's premium for a flat that's just next to the corner flat. Would you?
Similarly, if your flat is not the top floor, then it does not matter whether its one floor or two floors below the top floor. They will be lumped together as "high floors".
Big daddy quite smart.
They sell the top and second highest floor at the same BTO price. Obviously they know about the urban myths and consumer psychology.
The price only comes down from the third highest floor downwards.
So if I want high floor but have phobia of heat staying at the top floor, I would choose the third highest floor and below. No way I would pay virgin price for an "almost" virgin.
I don't think most future buyers would either.
Big daddy smart; I not stupid.