Amenities, Assessed!
You might have heard, “Location, location, location!” before when it comes to what makes a condo unit desirable, but what about “Amenities, amenities, amenities!”? While it may not roll off the tongue in quite the same way, this could easily be a rallying cry for many current condo owners and would-be condo owners out there. When you’re invested in condo living, having access to all those extras through building-facilitated amenities often plays heavily into people’s decision to buy into a particular condo community (or to not buy into one, as the case might be).
Are you looking to learn a bit more about amenities? Wondering what’s out there and how it might benefit your condo quality-of-life – or what to watch out for and maybe even avoid? We’ve got everything you need to know right here.
Amenity Assessment: What’s Out There and What to Watch For
1. Family-Friendly Fun
Condos are often thought of as catering to a distinctly childfree crowd. Bachelors. Professionals. Empty nesters. Families aren’t nearly as often associated with condo living.
Enter amenities.
While your typical barebones condo complex might lack some of the bells and whistles that would otherwise attract buyers with kids toward condo living, amenities in many modern buildings have started popping up to make family condo ownership a much more attractive option. Family-oriented amenities are beginning to take off from kid-friendly play spaces to in-building childcare.
That said, you may find kid-centric amenities to be a con rather than a pro, if you happen to be somebody without children who would rather avoid the commotion and stickiness they bring to their immediate surroundings. Your mileage may vary, we suppose!
2. For Our Furry Friends
It used to be that just finding a pet-friendly condo was a struggle – now they’re building entire amenity features around pups and pooches!
With the surge in pandemic pet ownership comes a rise in pet-oriented amenities, and some condo communities are pulling out all the stops to pamper their fur babies. Even a simple onsite dog run can be a boon to pet owners, never mind some of the more elaborate rooftop dog parks that can be found popping up on top of condo buildings with increasing frequency. Dog-washing stations are a big help when it comes to keeping pet-friendly facilities clean – to which some condo communities are saying, “Hold our water dish,” and offering full-on pet spas and grooming services for the lucky pups who get to call those buildings home.
3. The Luxury of Extra Space
While condo living comes with plenty of perks, an embarrassment of space isn’t typically one of them – and that’s just fine, usually! Many people see the smaller physical footprint of a condo unit as positivism. It means less to clean, less to maintain, and less to worry about.
Unfortunately, it also means simply having less space for all your stuff – but that’s where amenities can save the day.
Recognizing the plight of condo owners with a few more things than they’ve got room for, many condos have begun to offer amenities in the form of extra space for those extra-bulky possessions. Details like bike lockers, stroller storage, and even wine lockers are becoming more and more commonplace, giving condo owners the ability to have their chardonnay and drink it too when it comes to living large in a smaller space.
4. Positioned for Professionals
You’ve heard of working from home before – but what about working from the condo? The past two years have dramatically changed how we live and work, with the lines between home life and professional life becoming increasingly blurred.
Many condo buildings have started creating modern, upscale professional centres, recognizing the need for owners to have a sophisticated, accessible workspace. These offer everything from meeting spaces to work areas even to Zoom presentation rooms to create attractive amenities for those professionals taking advantage of remote or freelance work arrangements.
Be careful, though. A condo workspace isn’t quite the same as having your office – you’ll need to share with the rest of your building’s residents, and depending on the scope of the space, things could get pretty bustling pretty quickly!
5. The Granddaddy of Condo Amenities: The Swimming Pool
Last, we come to the swimming pool – the first thing people think of when they hear the word “amenity.”
Pools bring a lot of fun to the condo complex. They can be community-builders in providing a central gathering place for owners to come together. They can even function as pseudo-event spaces, offering space to host summer parties.
Like any amenity, there are things to watch out for when it comes to pools. Upkeep and maintenance can be time-consuming and costly – you’ll have an additional year-round expense for the condo board to concern itself with and cover. Leaks are not unheard of in pools, particularly if you’ve got a pool that exists above ground-level. Finally, there are potential liability concerns, given the inherent risk that comes with having a pool on the condo property.
Suppose your condo community can rationalize its way around these hang-ups. In that case, though, a pool is often thought of as the amenity to beat and could bring all sorts of fun (not to mention new owners!) to the condo community.
There’s nothing quite like a stand-out amenity to put your condo community on the map. Want to learn more about the ins and outs of amenities? Interested in building your condo community through a new amenity, but aren’t sure how to proceed? Contact us at Catalyst Condo Management Ltd today – we’ll be happy to help steer you and your condo corporation in the right direction!