Why You Shouldn’t Buy or Rent Building Amenities
Buying or renting an apartment requires coordination of dozens of needs, wants and must-haves. Figuring out what you absolutely must have versus what you could live without under the right conditions can be a daunting task. And after a while, every two-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom apartment in your price range might start to look the same.
This is one of the reasons why we are in the midst of the Convenience Wars . While many so-called “amenities” are simply practical things like laundry facilities or parking spaces, landlords are increasingly looking to differentiate their offerings with the luxury extras you get in their home. From pools and gyms to party rooms and even ultra-luxuries like cooking classes or weekly happy hours, apartments and condominiums for rent and sale are increasingly equipped with a dizzying array of amenities. Putting aside the fact that none of these amenities are actually free—you pay for them in the form of higher rent and condo or HOA fees—these amenities can be tempting. It’s easy to imagine yourself living a carefree life with everything you could need right in your home. But if you don’t actually use these amenities, are they worth the premium?
History of your lifestyle
When it comes to the likelihood of ever being found in your building’s party room or gym, the most important indicator is your previous history. If you’ve never used a roof deck in your previous home, you likely won’t use one in your new place. On the other hand, if you were the gym mayor in your last apartment, you’ll probably get a lot of use out of it too. Likewise, the best way to know if you’re going to host a lot of parties in a party room is to count the number of parties you hosted at the last one.
If this is your first apartment, you can still glean some clues from your own behavior. When you stay in hotels, do you use the shared gym, pool or other amenities, or are you afraid strangers will walk in and make you have an awkward conversation (or silently judge you in a swimsuit)? If the answer is yes, you may not get as much benefit from these amenities as you think. Also consider whether the amenities offered are consistent with how you use those amenities elsewhere. If your building’s gym doesn’t have the equipment you typically use, chances are you’ll still need to maintain your gym membership outside of the gym.
Psychology and privacy
It’s a quirk of our psychology that people tend to assume that shared facilities will always be used and overcrowded, and therefore tend to simply not use them . Why lug a bunch of stuff up to the roof to spontaneously enjoy the sunset, just to find out that a bunch of your neighbors are already sitting there using all the chairs? And amenities like movie theaters and yoga rooms seem luxurious, but in reality, you’ll probably just be watching movies on your huge TV or doing yoga in a studio, rather than relying on a group to organize an instructor.
Even an amenity that seems like an obvious win, like a private balcony, may be unusable if your neighbors’ balconies are crammed next to yours. When assessing the amenities in a building, ask yourself whether you will be comfortable using them even if there are other people around at all times.
Easy to book
An important question to ask when viewing an apartment or condominium is how the building reserves amenities such as party rooms, rooftop terraces and other spaces. If it’s a complex or arcane process (or if there’s no real process at all), then using these conveniences will be more trouble than it’s worth.
You’ll also want to know about the usage policies : Does your building require a large deposit to use common areas? Do you need to hire a party security guard? Do I need to arrange for professional cleaning after use? Knowing how much extra money and effort is required will help you figure out how often you’ll actually be willing to push through a challenge.
On the other hand, if there are few restrictions on use, you may find that your neighbors – or your neighbors’ noisy children – are constantly making a mess there.
Capacity vs Population
The “war on amenities” sometimes prompts buildings to offer services and spaces that are undersized just to advertise them in listings. When you’re in the gym, party room, or standing on the roof, imagine everyone in the building—or even half of them—trying to use it at the same time. If it feels like you’ll never be able to access the amenities or that you’ll be cramped when you do, your chances of actually using those spaces will drop dramatically.
Shared spaces can also spark petty grievances and turf wars . Other residents may have ideas about how the spaces are being used or complaints about how other people are using them, and this can develop into simmering conflicts that can negatively impact every other aspect of your life in the building. If the amenities seem a little sparse for the size of the building, it might be best to assume you’ll never use them.
Children in the building
Amenities should take into account the number of children in the building. Facilities such as the indoor pool can always be filled with children. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, your tolerance for children in general should be taken into account. Be honest with yourself: if a group of teenagers regularly throwing themselves into the pool puts you off, assume you’ll never use it if there are a lot of kids around.
State
Finally, take some time to evaluate the condition of these amenities. Are they clean? Well organized? In emergency condition? If the gym equipment is broken or the party room has a dent in the wall when you arrive on a field trip, it’s a sign that the situation will only get worse over time.
Also ask about the cleaning schedule. The movie theater might inspire you to imagine inviting all your friends and family over for a movie night, but is anyone cleaning the seats or will you walk out sticky and pissed?