Yeah, I swim. A lot.
Here are my top five favorite pools in town.
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2.) One Riverside
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3.) The Arthaus
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4.) Symphony House
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5.) The Murano
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Tag: Philly condos
Never Piss Off A Doorman…
One way to ostracize yourself fairly quickly in your new condo building would be to get on the wrong side of the staff. If you want your packages and your guests to come and go without being tortured or put through a lengthy inquiry, then perhaps you should listen up.
Folks who live in doorman buildings quickly learn that the way to get anything done through the building is through the doorman. From allowing your guests access through the front door to helping you with your packages, a great relationship with staff can certainly make your living arrangements more enjoyable. And from fetching your car, to walking your dog, doormen (and women) can make your life easy, and they often will go the extra mile for Philly condo owners who are friendly. And being greeted with a smile each time you come home is a nice thing. Having a doorman who doesn’t like you is not a walk in the park.
Believe me, I learned the hard way back in the late 1980s by being rude and pushy. I no longer live in that building, and I now treat doormen with respect. You should, too.
Your life will be made much easier if you never piss off your doorman. They are great for learning about building gossip, too…they seem to know everything. Oh, and tipping is generally done at the holiday season, either via a pooled fund which is collected by the building, or done individually. I would suggest you get yourself a stack of $20 bills and pass them out like Halloween Candy. This is not the time or place to be stingy! 🙂
Why Do SOME Condo Units Have Super High Condo Fees?
I get this question all the time. Why do condo fees vary from building to building?
Generally speaking,the answer is simple, yet sometimes detailed. Let’s start with what almost all condo fees (here in Center City Philadelphia) cover: master insurance policy, common building lighting, building maintenance, water & sewer, and a what I call a “Rainy Day” fund for future improvements. This is generally true of low rise , mid rise, and high rise condos.
The base condo fees cover all of the above. Now we need to add in services.
Elevator: Some low rise condo buildings don’t have them. Therefore, they don’t have the fees to operate and maintain them.
Front Door Person: It does cost you to staff this position – Employees are not cheap!
Swimming Pools: If your building has one, it is going to cost you higher fees than if you didn’t have one (duh).
Management: Low rise (say, five unit buildings) are usually self managed, and avoid this cost.
Extras: Chauffeur, dog walking, room service, etc. YOU GOTTA PAY TO PLAY.
Every now and again, I will run across someone in a low rise building that says to me, “My condo fees are $25 a month,” and they think this is a good thing. I would suggest that it isn’t. If your association has enough in reserves to not have to collect for daily operation of the building, then you are simply draining from the savings account. And I would venture to guess that your building suffers from a lack of (much needed) on-going maintenance. I often encourage associations to keep the fees going, even if there is a lot of money in the association’s account.
Condo fees that are too high can be a stopper for some buyers, as they are NOT looking for the services afforded by such fees. Conversely, condo fees that are too low can be a signal of a lack of ongoing maintenance (as evidenced by worn hallway carpets and paint, rotted exterior window sills, an old roof, etc).
What do you think? We welcome your input/comments on this post!
Mark Wade
BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors®
www.CenterCityCondos.com