Reasons to Buy A Condo

If you’re looking for a newly built home, a condo is likely to be less expensive than a stand-alone property. Why? Condos are often smaller in size than homes containing comparable numbers of bedrooms and baths. In addition, condos often share many building elements such as walls and roofing, so the cost of construction is often lower, resulting in lower pricing.  As land gets more expensive, builders and developers are holding their costs down by building condo buildings.  If you can’t go wide on the ground, you can go up!

In the DC area there are condos in every price range.  You can live in a reasonably priced condo like the Whitehall on Battery Lane, one of Bethesda’s best kept secrets or you can live at the Cheval or the Stonehall, some of the new luxury apartments in downtown Bethesda.

Many condos are all about top-notch amenities- probably the next best of reasons to buy a condo. From indoor swimming pools and restaurants to golf courses and clubhouses with workout centers, many of today’s condo developments are filled with fantastic features. Expenses for building and maintaining these amenities are typically shared among condo owners, so you can enjoy these lux amenities at a very minimal cost. In the DC metro area there also are condo communities like Somerset in Chevy Chase, which have lots of lux amenities like an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, tennis courts, a beautiful work out space, a friendly and efficient front desk and a high condo fee.  Other buildings in Bethesda like the Chase have an outdoor pool, tennis courts and a grill area and they are close to metro!

 Along with affordability, a great reason to buy a condo is its location.   In city centers some older buildings are repurposed and turned into condos.  For example, commercial loft buildings and churches frequently are turned into condos rather than being torn down.  Repurposing old buildings maintains the feel of a city center while bringing new people to the downtown area.  At a vacation location like the ocean or mountains, condos permit people to buy a second home with lots of amenities and low maintenance that they couldn’t afford otherwise.  Location is the third of the reasons to buy a condo!  In the DC metro area, buildings with a Potomac River view always are popular.  One that comes to mind is the Watergate in DC.  Other popular choices are buildings near the Mall like the Clara Barton or the Chase, next to the Bethesda metro.

Condo life is a low maintenance life, as living in a condo means you’re likely paying condo dues, which cover many maintenance items such as landscaping, pest services, roofing, painting, and common area repairs. Having so many services covered is appealing to busy professionals, parents of young children and retirees who may not feel up to mowing and raking. Condo fees may be relatively inexpensive if there are not many amenities, and for those too busy or tired to take on tasks alone, they are well worth the cost.  If the building has lots of amenities, such as an indoor pool and front desk, and include utilities, the fees may run in the thousands of dollars.

If you are looking for a condo in downtown Bethesda or the larger DC area, give us a call at 240-401-5577 or email us at lise@lisehowe.com.  We are familiar with the condo buildings in the DC area and can give you lots of advice about which is the best match for you.  If you want to search for condos on your own, just click here.