CONDO LIFE
Condo owners have multitude of services at their fingertips.
Services at Houston’s luxury condos are plentiful when it comes to catering to all their residents’ needs.
Ed Wolff, president of Beth Wolff Realtors Real Living, said all high-rise living is not necessarily the same.
If it’s a full-service highrise, they offer valet parking, front desk concierge, maintenance, and security on site, and amenities managed and cared for by the building’s maintenance staff.
According to Wolff, maintenance fees for full-service buildings range from $.55/ square foot to over $1.00/ square foot. Most full service high-rise buildings hover between $.75/square foot and $.85/square foot and, if well run, remain pretty stable.
Some of the newer services range from dog walking services and grooming salons in the building to workout facilities with state of the art equipment and spa rooms, meeting and gathering places for residents to enjoy or reserve for private parties, and catering kitchens for private events. In addition, residents have the option to lease guest suites in the building instead of sending visitors to a hotel, Wolff said.
The best thing is knowing that most of these are provided by the monthly maintenance fee, except for a few items.
“Guest room rentals and catering for events will be the occupant’s responsibility,” said Wolff. “Services provided in buildings where the developer is still responsible for the property may end up being cut when the homeowners take over the board responsibilities.”
It’s those special touches that can really put your condo living experience over the top but expect to pay a little extra for services such as pet grooming, dog walking, fitness trainers and more.
“All of these services exist and are most often run by a third-party company. There are businesses that have come up with unique services to offer certain building. The Warwick Towers is next door to the Hotel ZaZa, and people have been known to order room service from the hotel to their condo. Some buildings offer to have your grocery delivery or dry cleaning brought up to your residence and even put them away if you are not home,” Wolff said.
Most importantly, Wolff said that ultimately it is the majority of homeowners in a building that determine what services are provided. It is important to note that if a large number of units are leased, the property owner is the one with a vote on the board, not the tenant, Wolff said.
“If you can think of it, it has probably been offered at one point or another,” he said. “While the owner should want attractive amenities for their tenants, they are typically more focused on the monthly expenses and may vote to limit services based on cost. Always be aware of the owner occupancy. It is important to attend the board meetings or at least review the minutes to know what might be coming down the line.”